Boxing club creates champs and community for Syracuse boxers

Down in Flanagan Gym’s basement, past a dark and narrow hallway, the muffled sounds of gloves hitting pads echo from Room 004. 

A dozen boxers move in rhythm — some drilling combinations under Coach Phil Benedict’s watchful eye, others locked in intense face-to-face sparring. 

Though midterms awaited, the student boxers remain focused. With the national championships only days away, every session counts.

What was expected to be a routine Wednesday night training session for SU Club Boxing takes an unexpected turn when Chancellor Kent Syverud shows up, smiling as he observes the boxers during their face-to-face drills. 

Club members convince Benedict to get a photo with their special guest that they would later post on social media. Their humble coach isn’t normally much for attention, even after more than a decade since helping revive a campus group that had been dormant for half a century.

“It’s about the club,” Benedict said. “I’m just a coach. I’m just a guy who’s hoping to make (them) better than what (they) are you now.

Benedict has been instrumental in improving hundreds of boxers with seven SU fighters earning USIBA National Championships titles since 2014, including two belts this year. 

While maintaining its competitiveness at national and regional matches, the club also strives to foster a stronger connection with the SU community, inviting more amateurs to experience the joy of the sport.

Reviving a legacy

Joseph Stray had just enrolled at SU as a part-time student when he inquired whether the school had a boxing program. Having competed as a high school boxer, Stray was looking for an outlet to continue his hobby and an official campus club hadn’t existed since the 1950s.

“At that time, I was already an open-class boxer, and had an opportunity to write a proposal made the boxing club,” Stray said. “I wanted to train with like-minded individuals who like boxing.” 

Stray was able to gain the University’s approval before starting a much lengthier process of joining the National Intercollegiate Recreation Services Association, which oversees the U.S. Intercollegiate Boxing Association. 

During the first two years, Stray worked as a chair and coach for the club, lining up the facilities, securing equipment and recruiting boxers. Without school funding at the time, he spent his money to get the club going.

“You build training, you build community, and you build a sport with people who share the same values,” Stray said. “That motivated me to find others who wanted to train together and have fun while learning new skills.”

Stray’s investment paid off as the club expanded within two years from 25 members to more than 75 students, faculty and staff members interested in growing their boxing skills.

National competitor

After graduating from SU in 2014 with a sociology degree, Stray opened his own Syracuse boxing gym while turning over the SU club to Benedict, who is a building supervisor for the campus’s Facility Services.   
As a Syracuse native and U.S. Army veteran, he boxed competitively in his youth and earned a spot in the preliminary round of the light heavyweight division for the 1980 Moscow Olympics. He never made it to the Games as the United States boycotted that year’s event.

During Benedict’s first year as coach, student boxer Tom Smith won the club’s first national championship title in the heavyweight division and SU’s first belt since 1946. 

Benedict said winning championships helped the club grow in reputation, drawing more students to the weekly practices in a bid to compete themselves.

Photo by Kevin Lu

Coach Phil Benedict talks with club e-board members Jelani Dowe (right) and Alyssa Limjuco (middle).

“Winning is everything,” Benedict said. “It attracts people.”

This year, the club sent 12 boxers to the national tournament in Macon, Georgia, where amateur boxers from 27 colleges and universities competed in 32 weight classes.

Falk College freshman Caleb Riley, who was among the boxers who qualified for the national tournament, had established his boxing fundamentals in high school. Under Benedict’s guidance, he has learned more about what it takes to compete at the next level.

“The first thing Coach Benedict emphasizes is cardio. If it’s not there, we’re not stepping into the ring,” Riley said, who fought to the Beginner Division’s semifinals. “I think the biggest thing he taught was control, being able to handle frustration that is inevitable in a match.”

Throughout the three-day competition, the club secured two national championship belts, with Jelani Dowe (175 pounds – Open) and Alex Letters (168 pounds – Beginner) both winning their final bouts by judges’ decision in their respective weight divisions.

Benedict said the club’s best national showing since he took the helm has transformed the team’s “identity” and rejuvenated SU’s historical legacy in boxing.

“It’s like déjà vu. People always knew Syracuse was tough. It just shows we’re built for this,” Benedict said.

Beyond the ring

Not every Boxing Club member joins thinking they’ll be competing for titles.

Alyssa Limjuco, a sophomore sociology major who joined the club in fall 2024, initially focused on mastering the fundamentals of boxing and self-defense. But under Benedict’s guidance, she soon gained the confidence and skills to make her competitive debut at Nationals. 

“At first I was like, ‘Oh, I just want a casual, fun, and team environment to work out,’” Limjuco said. “Now I’m fighting at nationals this year, which is super sick.”

Photo by Kevin Lu

Club Boxing president Jazzy Drummond Jr. (left) helps instruct fellow boxers during a training session.

At the same time, the club has evolved into more than just a competitive training ground. The club hosts self-defense workshops for any student to take part in and organizes service projects for members. Last fall, the student boxers volunteered to help maintain gravesites at Oakwood Cemetery next to SU’s campus

“(This year) I would say it’s a lot more community driven than it has been in the past,” said Limjuco, who also served as the club’s social media chair. “It’s a very diverse club, which is super cool. What stands out to me about boxing is the fact that it’s a friend group. 

“We all enjoy each other’s company.”

Although several seniors will graduate in May, Limjuco, who’s returning next year, is more motivated than ever by her Nationals experience and the club’s supportive culture. She’s confident that, together with her fellow returners, they’ll build on the legacy and reputation the club has earned over the past 13 years.

“We don’t stop here,” Limjuco said. “We’ll continue to grow.”