Some At UM Fighting For Boxing Revival
MIRAMAR (CBSMiami) – The University of Miami has enjoyed decades of glory on the football field, but a long time ago, the U was also a dominant power in the sweet science of boxing.
Mickey Demos, Jr. wants to bring back the glory days.
"A lot of people don't realize that UM won several collegiate boxing titles before it was ever a football powerhouse," Demos said.
His father, Mickey, Sr. is in the UM Sports Hall of Fame as a boxer.
But years ago, collegiate boxing died. Now, Demos has revived it at UM with a boxing club.
One hundred students are part of it, and the ten best boxers are part of a team that fights other schools. This weekend, the UM boxing travels to Tallahassee to literally fight Florida State.
One of the best boxers on UM's team is Gabe Williams, nicknamed the "Architect" because he's got a Masters degree in Architecture. Williams gives Demos a lot of credit for bringing back the sport at the collegiate level.
"The fact that he has done this from scratch is pretty amazing," Williams said.
Another interesting twist with UM's boxing team is that it's co-ed. Anaid Benitez is a cancer biology major who trains five days a week. She said she is rather shy outside of the ring, but inside the ring, "I feel relaxed and more confident."
Demos' dream is to again make collegiate boxing a scholarship sport, one that breeds Olympic hopefuls.
