Farmer’s Fight Night returns

Twenty-two boxers will compete this Thursday, April 3, at the second annual Farmer’s Fight Night. From 6:30 to 10:30 p.m., the event held at Bryan Texas Legends Event Center will crown 11 victors. 

Founded as a way to showcase boxing in a safe atmosphere, the Aggie Boxing Club has partnered with United Way of the Brazos Valley, a local, non-profit organization. For $12, students and members of the Bryan-College Station community can attend the event, which serves as a fundraiser to give back to the local area. 

“Every dollar that gets raised at the fight night is going to United Way,” international affairs graduate student and Aggie Boxing Club President Chase Johnson said. “We do our best to raise sponsor money and to run ads during the event to cover the event costs. We’re close enough now where effectively every dollar this year will go straight to United Way.” 

Last year, the event raised roughly $43,000 in revenue for United Way, and this year, the organizers hope to increase that number to $60,000. Money donated to United Way supports their mission of aiding local non-profits in the Bryan-College Station area. 

Not only are goals high for this Thursday night, but this year the Aggie Boxing Club will have 13 members competing in seven bouts, one of which will include a never-before-seen matchup against a fighter representing Texas State University Boxing. 

“We ended up matching one of our boxers with a Texas State boxer,” Johnson said. “They reached out to us probably about a month ago. They’re trying to build a boxing program and they saw what we did last year.” 

Farmer’s Fight Night has not only gained attention from Texas A&M’s college competitors, but also from local boxing clubs. 

Four of the 11 bouts will be fought by members from a local partner, Bryan Boxing, who has partnered with the Aggie Boxing Club. These boxers will compete against fighters from Pequeño’s Boxing, Armas Boxing, Apex Boxing Gym and Fighter Nation Boxing Gym. 

“The reason we do that is so that we have a 20-year veteran of the boxing community who teaches our guys how to box correctly,” Johnson said. “He’s been a great resource to us, and as a result, we’ve given him four slots for this year.” 

While the club has extended slots to local clubs, earning a spot in the ring through the Aggie Boxing Club is no small feat. From seven months of workouts to the intensive tryouts, Aggie boxers endure numerous hours of training before competing in the ring. 

“Being able to do this is a huge honor,” electronic systems senior Adam Le said. “It doesn’t feel real yet. I have been told that it won’t feel real until I step into the event center and it’s like ‘Oh shit, this is really happening.’” 

For A&M’s boxers, this event serves as the first fight of their amateur records and can be the first step on fighters’ path toward competing at the national level. This year, one of the members sent to nationals took part in last year’s Farmer’s Fight Night.

Although the event’s goal is to showcase talented boxers and give them the confidence and experience needed to compete in bigger bouts, the Aggie Boxing Club is aiming to please all community members this Thursday. 

During intermission, two-step organizations as well as the Aggie Wranglers will perform to add diversity to the show and hopefully gain more community engagement, Johnson said. 

“You know, show up, sit down and grab a beer or burger,” Johnson said. “Concessions and alcohol will be sold, just hang out. It’s going to be a good night.”