Sacramento State announced the Combat U boxing team will fight against UC Davis at the Sacramento Memorial Auditorium on Friday Nov. 22 in a press conference on Wednesday.
The press conference featured Sac State Athletic Director Mark Orr, Combat U Director of Operations Hector Fajardo, Combat U’s head boxing coach Brandon Gonzáles and UC Davis boxing head coach Joel Stern.
“This is an exciting moment for our athletic programs, and we’re proud to introduce the Causeway Boxing Classic as a new extension of the rivalry between the Hornets and the Aggies,” President Luke Wood said in a press release.
Both coaches said how important the match is for both schools, introduced some of the fighters involved and had them face off. Orr and Fajardo also emphasized the boxing talent that will be on display.
Stern said he has never had a show in the region before since the team usually boxes at the University of Nevada, Reno.
“We’re super excited that Dr. Wood and everyone at Sac State helped put this part together to really showcase what these boxers do,” Stern said. “They’re all full time students. I’ve had boxers that are now doctors, lawyers, professors, but during that time, when they’re at school, when they’re performing, they’re achieving that academic excellence.”
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Brandon Gonzáles said Combat U is the first boxing team at Sac State in over 60 years and emphasized the amount of training his new group is going through.
“These guys are all new,” Brandon Gonzáles said. “We’ve been putting them in there with some tough guys all throughout the region, all the different gyms, putting them in the lion’s den.”
Fajardo said he is excited to see the boxing team finally compete close to home after playing far from campus for recent matches.
“I think the competitors are going to be, hopefully, a lot more comfortable since it’s at home,” Fajardo said. “They don’t have to wake up in a hotel or go somewhere else, so we are hoping it will be a good advantage for us.”
Last weekend, Marcos Vazquez, a boxer at Combat U, won an individual championship belt at the Devil Dawg Boxing Classic Tournament in Stockton, according to USA Boxing. This is the first belt Combat U has won.
As a team Combat U took home three wins at the Reno boxing event against Air Force, according to a Combat U Instagram post.
“I just want to win these fights,” Vazquez said. “But I’ll look back at it in the future as an accomplishment and something I did.”
Ayahna Gonzáles, the daughter of Brandon Gonzáles, is the first female boxer to win a bout in Sac State history.
“I hope my fight sets a stepping stone for the future of females to be in this program,” Ayahna Gonzáles said. “Especially in a male-dominated sport, it’s showing girls can win for Sac State too.”
Brandon Gonzáles said his relationship with his daughter in and out of the ring is very important to him.
“I get to spend every day with her, training her,” Brandon Gonzáles said. “So I get to keep her close and kind of guide her through her college years as a coach and as her dad.”
With Brandon Gonzáles being a former boxer, Ayahna Gonzáles said she feels the pressure of having to compete with her dad’s success.
“It definitely is some big shoes to fill,” Ayahna Gonzáles said. “He knows me better than anyone else, my weaknesses and strengths in the gym and as a person. So I think they go hand-in-hand together.”
Orr said the future of Combat U is bright and that Sac State and the Sacramento community will be involved in future bouts.
“There is nothing in place going forward, but I do think this is the start of it,” Orr said. “We love hosting these opportunities, obviously for our students, but also students at other universities who are interested in combat sports. This one is the first, but there’s going to be many more to come.”
The Causeway Boxing Classic will be held at the Sacramento Memorial Auditorium on Nov. 22 at 7 p.m.
