CAS student wins National Collegiate Boxing Association Championship
Miami University Boxing Club is proud to have back-to-back champions
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Published
Amari Jenkins recently won the 156-pound weight class at the National Collegiate Boxing Association Championships.
CAS student wins National Collegiate Boxing Association Championship
Miami University Boxing Club is proud to have back-to-back champions
•
Published
Amari Jenkins, a junior Political Science major, recently won for his weight class (156) at the National Collegiate Boxing Association Championships.
Jenkins’ first exposure to the boxing world was when his mother took him to a boxing gym in the third grade. As a first-year student, he joined the Miami University Boxing Club, where he currently serves as the team captain. Boxing has changed Jenkins’ perspective on the sport and his life.
“Boxing has definitely given me a lot of confidence and discipline,” Jenkins said. “It made me realize that a lot of things are easier than boxing, and I can push through anything I put my mind to.”
Jenkins’ first exposure to the boxing world was when his mother took him to a boxing gym in the third grade. As a first-year student, he joined the Miami University Boxing Club, where he currently serves as the team captain. Boxing has changed Jenkins’ perspective on the sport and his life.
“Boxing has definitely given me a lot of confidence and discipline,” Jenkins said. “It made me realize that a lot of things are easier than boxing, and I can push through anything I put my mind to.”
Amari Jenkins, left, recently won his weight class at the National Collegiate Boxing Association Championships. The team is coached by Eric Buller.
“The boxing club is unique, because of the variety of roles you can take on,” Jenkins said. “Not everyone has to fight. We have a recreation team for people who come to work out, a spar team of people on the recreation team who want to spar once or twice a week, and a competitive team, where we travel and fight against other schools.”
Another unique aspect of college boxing is its team environment, despite being an individual sport. Buller, who’s been coaching college boxing for 21 years, believes that it’s up to the individual athlete to put in hard work.
“I have high expectations for the athletes to do a lot of that work on their own and commit to the things that I tell them, because I've been around college boxing so long,” Buller said. “They just need to be really coachable in terms of style, effort, and performance in the ring.”
Buller believes that Jenkins’ commitment to boxing has allowed him to become more successful. Up to a month before a fight, Jenkins is in the gym seven days a week, incorporating strength and conditioning, sparring, and boxing to his training regimen.
Outside of his training, Jenkins is a full-time student, which requires him to balance academics with the necessary training during the season. Because boxing is considered a club sport, they have to take time out of their schedules without additional accommodations and manage their time, something that Buller is continuously impressed with.
“I'm always impressed when I see club sport athletes being successful, especially when they’re serving as officers in a club, because I know the amount of extra effort it takes for them to manage everything that they have to do daily as a student-athlete,” Buller said.
Last year, Daniel Gomez, Class of 2025, won the championship in his weight category. Jenkins follows that legacy while also receiving the Outstanding Boxer award from the NCBA. He credits his teammates and both Buller and Jeff Perry, owner and operator of Cincinnati Fitness & Boxing, with his regional and national successes.
“When I think about Amari, he’s strong, very talented, and his style suits him perfectly,” Buller said. “He shows up, works hard, trains, and does the things that he needs to do without having anyone push him. He’s phenomenal.”
When asked what the championship means to him, Jenkins believes that his national championship win shows he has a future in boxing. He said, “My hard work paid off. The long nights, early mornings in the gym, and cutting weight paid off.”
After his championship success, Jenkins hopes to fight in the next USABOXING National Open tournament in Cleveland and win another national championship.
Email miamiuniversityboxing@gmail.com to learn more about Miami University Boxing Club.
Established in 1809, Miami University is located in Oxford, Ohio, with regional campuses in Hamilton and Middletown, a learning center in West Chester, and a European study center in Luxembourg.