How Sacramento State President Luke Wood got his shot to punch a Sac Bee critic | Opinion
There is nothing quite like boxing.
The objective is simple, beat up the person in front of you. To be the best requires determination, commitment and mental fortitude. Boxing is very much a discipline. And one of Sacramento’s rising stars believes it has its place in higher education.
Sacramento State is doing more with the sport than just cherishing it. They are legitimizing it.
It’s been a year since Luke Wood arrived at Sac State to be president. One of his signature moves has been starting Combat U, a boxing and mixed martial arts development program. Its inception speaks to the type of leader Wood is. He listens and he acts.
One day Wood received an email from a student who had seen pictures of the president on Instagram, demonstrating his love for combat sports such as boxing and jujitsu. Wood responded, saying there was a jujitsu facility not too far away from campus and the student was already familiar with it. Combined with all the other times students and faculty came to him about their love for combat sports, the exchange inspired him to create a place for combat sports on campus.
“We decided to make a thing a thing and create the first collegiate pathway into professional boxing and mixed martial arts combat,” he said.
Combat U is no joke
Ever wanted to punch a journalist? Well, Wood recently got his chance, kinda. Instead of having a normal coffee date to introduce myself to Wood, I thought what better way to combine our love for boxing with a boxing workout?
Wood arrived at Flawless Boxing, located at 600 Broadway, with his wraps around his hands, holding his Infinity Gauntlet gloves, an exact replica from the Avengers movies. At that moment I knew that I might be in some trouble. Not for nothing, but in May I had used my Bee column to criticize a deal Wood struck with pro-Palestinian campus protesters as performative.
Luckily we were just working out, and I had witnesses. Flawless is where Sac State boxing students go to train.
To be honest, most of my knowledge of boxing outweighs my athletic ability. Before the workout, my only experience with the sport was occasional sessions at a Title Boxing studio back in Nashville.
Brandon “Flawless” Gonzáles, coach of the Sac State boxing team and owner of Flawless, was nice enough to train Wood and me for a morning workout. According to BoxRec.com, a website for pro and amateur boxing, Gonzales has a 25-7 win/loss record with 13 Knockouts.
For Wood, boxing provides an outlet where he can redirect his energy.
“The worries of leading a large public organization are gone, the challenges that you navigate are gone and you’re having a healthy outlet and doing something that’s fun,” Wood said. “For me, it’s about focusing attention on something that gives me joy.”
To begin, Gonzales positioned us across from each other and had us walk in a circle around us as he perfected our stances. Across from me, Wood looked composed and focused, his eyes locked on me.
We then started combinations, a series of punches thrown in succession and we were not punching the air, but each other. “Give me a jab, cross and then a left hook,” Gonzales said to me while I was facing Wood. When it was Wood’s turn to be on offense, one of his swift hook’s connected to my ribs and let’s just say I’m glad we were not going full speed.
The combos, the blocking of punches, and hitting the punching bag all led to the soreness I felt days after the workout. But I also left with a brand new boxing skill, a feeling I’m sure most who’ve been coached by Gonzales must experience.
While we took a break, a young man walked into the gym asking for more information on Combat U. He was a Sac State student who was an avid boxing fan and was eager to learn more. According to Gonzalez, that interaction happens often.
Wood’s drive to create Combat U derives from his goal as an educator. It’s about helping students tap into their potential. He sees that potential every time he travels to a gym.
“One of the things that I love is going to different gyms around the state and country. Every time I go there I see the same thing. It’s black or brown kids and very low-income students from other groups who are in there and they don’t think of college. They are just trying to see if can they go pro and make it for their family. [I want] those students to see themselves as college material and say they can get a scholarship to box or roll or grapple or compete for Sac State.”
According to the Sac State athletic department, they have close to 800 students registered with interest in Combat U. The program has committed approximately $90,000 of scholarship support to men’s and women’s Combat U student-athletes. That financial support can be the pathway to a college education for young people who might otherwise have skipped college. This is about much more than boxing.
This is not some cardio, shadowboxing class. These students are learning techniques and will use them in competition. Combat U is designated as a club and is not a sponsored NCAA Division I sport. The Sacramento State boxing team competes in the National Collegiate Boxing Association (NCBA). The Hornets will square off in the NCBA against teams from UC Davis, UC Berkeley, and San Jose State, to name a few.
Sac State is showcasing how combat sports and education go together. Last year they hosted an MMA event on campus in partnership with A1 Combat and local MMA legend Urijah Faber. And on Nov. 22 Sac State will bring its longstanding football rivalry to the ring with the Causeway Boxing Classic against UC Davis.
Combat U is already something special and its potential is limitless.
“The future is extremely bright. Several other universities have expressed interest in offering similar programs for their students,” said Sac State Athletics spokesperson Brian Berger in a statement. “We believe Combat U will continue to grow at Sac State and develop pathways for several students to participate in combat sports while receiving a world-class education.”
Boxing gives hope, sparks a better future
Wood is a Hornet through and through. It also runs in the family, as his wife and twin brother are both alumni. He sees himself in these students and wants them to know that he listens and responds to their concerns and interests. With the creation of Combat U, another group of students are getting a chance at education. And that should be the point.
Every sport should lead to obtaining an education. Whether it’s boxing or basketball, the dedication that it takes to give your all to a sport can be translated to earning a degree. Not everyone will be fighting for a championship belt, but the goal of setting your future on a solid foundation of education should be available to everyone.
“What we’re doing is we’re using this as an opportunity to give a pathway to college for people who often times would have never thought of themselves as college material,” said Wood.
Now, the journey to a strong foundation can start with boxing. That’s pretty cool.
