See Sac State and UC Davis enter the ring for first Causeway Classic boxing match

More than six decades after the NCAA ended collegiate boxing, Sacramento State and UC Davis returned to the ring on Friday night for the inaugural Causeway Boxing Classic.

The two Sacramento-region public universities put on a full card of bouts between amateur boxers the day before the schools’ annual rivalry football game, known as The Causeway Classic.

Sacramento State earlier this year created Combat U as a public-private partnership with former mixed martial arts star Urijah Faber’s Ultimate Fitness. University president Luke Wood said it was opportunity to attract new students who might not have considered Sacramento State otherwise.

In the Aggies’ corner were members of the university boxing club, and competitors from other schools — including UNLV and Cal — joined in the action.

The event was held at Sacramento’s Memorial Auditorium, which has a long history as a boxing venue. It hosted an NCAA boxing championship in 1960, the final year of sanctioned competition.

This story was originally published November 23, 2024 at 5:00 AM with the headline "See Sac State and UC Davis enter the ring for first Causeway Classic boxing match."