Boxing president Fumagalli takes on responsibility and rewards
By PAUL CAMARATA
Sports Writer
Two days before the Notre Dame Boxing Club was set to begin hosting the 72nd Annual Bengal Bouts at the Joyce Center, senior club president Matt Fumagalli sat at small desk in the lobby of South Dining Hall.
Along with Mark Criniti, another senior boxing captain, Fumagalli tried to convince students walking by to purchase a ticket for the four-night boxing tournament held each February. Selling the $10 all-session passes was one of Fumagalli's final responsibilities before the Bouts commenced.
In his term as president he has helped run the fall training program for novice boxers, organize the club's advertising and donations, set up photo shoots, write articles for the tournament program and club newsletter and create the boxing club's Website. On top of all those tasks, Fumagalli has trained tirelessly for his final Bengal Bouts.
"At the end of sophomore year, the president that was graduating asked me if I'd be interested in being a captain and I said yes right away," Fumagalli said. "Last year I was a junior officer, and Mark and I were in charge of ads. We both worked on those really hard to try and get as much ad money in as possible."
Their diligence paid record-setting dividends as the 2001 Bouts raised over $75,000 for its charitable support of the Holy Cross Missions in Bangladesh.
But the event was not nearly that successful for Fumagalli in the ring. After winning the 130-pound title his sophomore year, he was upset in the first round of last year's tournament.
"I didn't train as much as I should have," he said of last year, which ended on the losing side of a decision to then-freshman Tony Hollowell. "Last year was weird because I'm real superstitious. Sophomore year I wore regular shoes, I wore the robe all the way up to the ring, I was the underdog and I beat the No. 2 seed and the No. 1 seed.
"Then junior year I went in with wrestling shoes, didn't wear the robe, I was the top seed and I got upset ... I saw [Hollowell] fight the night before and he knocked the kid down so I knew he was not a pushover at all. I definitely didn't underestimate him but definitely was not ready. He was a horse."
Despite his frustration, Fumagalli discovered in his defeat new lessons about the sport and program that have been central to his years at Notre Dame.
"Everybody, from people that aren't involved in boxing to the guys that are, expect you not to sail on through but to be at the top of your class in athletics. So I was definitely disappointed that as a captain I didn't perform up to what others thought I should have and what I thought I should have.
"But losing last year definitely made me realize that the program is more than just the boxing and more than just winning and losing," Fumagalli added. "If you win the whole time you're kind of on cloud nine and you don't really see the downside of it. After losing I really appreciated the training I did sophomore year."
Thinking ahead to his senior season, Fumagalli began his training last summer from his home in Shorewood, Ill. and continued his workouts during a month of coaching rookie boxers last fall.
"I trained in novice hard and tried to train as much as possible this spring season through all the presidential stuff I had to do," Fumagalli said.
When the boxing coaches drew up the brackets for the 135-pound division a week ago, Fumagalli's talent and experience helped earn him the top seed in the weight class and, along with Hollowell, a bye in the preliminary round. Prior to his quarterfinal match-up on Sunday, Fumagalli said he was only nervous that the boxer he had to face would have already fought once on Friday.
"The same thing happened last year, Tony had a fight under his belt and I went in not as pumped up. But having the experience helps," he said. "Being your senior year you have to cherish it while you're in there. I'd rather fight Friday because I'm excited and I'm really pumped up."
Even without a fight in the preliminaries, Fumagalli was in the boxing room two hours before action began on Friday night, double-checking the evening's logistics and helping other boxers suit up for their fights.
After watching the other competitors in his weight class, he and Criniti worked as corner men for over 40 different fighters. Saturday brought a light workout and plenty of rest, before the quarterfinals on Sunday afternoon.
In his return to the ring, Fumagalli won a split decision over freshman Luke Dillon and earned a spot in the semifinals on Wednesday night. Surrendering a reach advantage to the slugger Dillon, Fumagalli absorbed several strong right hands over three rounds but ultimately won the fight with his speed and tenacity on the ropes.
"I don't usually like brawling and I'd rather fight a more technical fight but I had to try and cut the ring off as much as possible, knowing that his right was working so well on me," he said. "This year my philosophy is `Don't leave anything up to the judges.' My corner told me to really turn it on in the third round, and they said, `You have to do something this round to not leave it up to the judges.'"
Now only one fight away from a return to the finals in the Joyce Arena on Friday night, Fumagalli's relationship to boxing and his role in the Bengal Bouts continues to develop.
"I would say the best decision I ever made in my life was coming to Notre Dame, the second best decision was being in this program," he said. "It's an honor and a privilege to be an officer and now the president, even more, and I definitely wouldn't give that up for anything. Working with the guys, being a role model, being more of a teacher, I love that. It makes you a better person because you work your ass off outside of boxing to achieve that same level that's expected from you when you fight."
The boxing club's unique fusion of solidarity and solitude is a reality for each of its 135 members, but is especially evidenced by Fumagalli, the link between the fighters and the program that supports them.
"RecSports runs our program, so if they have anything that they want done, it goes through me, even the stuff in novice," he said. "I have keys to the boxing room so I have to do stuff, in the morning and at night ... Programs, ads, forms, essentially making sure everything flows smoothly."
He also wants to ensure that the last few fights of his Notre Dame boxing career go smoothly. While Fumagalli knows that entering the ring is a significant aspect of the Bengal Bouts, he has learned that fighting is perhaps their simplest demand.
All Sports Stories for Tuesday, February 26, 2002
