"Regulators" Regulate the Competition

While many cadets enjoyed their spring furlough by relaxing and catching up on sleep, the VMI Boxing Team put in work. The VMI Regulators Boxing Team trained and competed in the United States Intercollegiate Boxing Association (USIBA) National Championships held in Atlanta, Georgia from March 17 to March 19. By the end of the championships, VMI destroyed the competition by going 20-8 however, the path to becoming national champions went unnoticed by many. The road to the championships began in December 2021, the first collegiate event for the Regulators since February 2020. The Regulators traveled to Georgia Tech to compete in "College Fight Night". The team performed with mixed wins and losses due to multiple factors including issues with catch weight and constant confusion about scheduling bouts. At College Fight Night, Team CIC Jay Echols '22 won by 1st Round KO, Luke Greer '24 won by 1st Round Stoppage, and Valor Boyd '24 won by TKO in the 3rd Round. Unfortunately, due to the issues with the event, the rest of the Regulators did not perform as well. Their experience at Georgia Tech caused a shift in training intensity; they turned their defeats into fuel for their future success. As per VMI policies, club sports are limited to official practices 2-3 times a week for about one and a half hours per session. All boxers had to show up to practices locked on and focused due to the time limitation. They continued their intense training up until the USIBA Championships – even through spring furlough. During their furlough training, the Regulators focused heavily on cutting weight and ring stamina drills in preparation for their competition. At the USIBA Championships, the Regulators' hard work paid off. All of their boxers met their weight classes, which meant they all had fair bouts ahead of them. One point of friction that the Regulators overcame was that the location of the championships used two rings allowing multiple bouts to be fought consecutively each day during the tournament. During a few bouts, their coach, Joe Shafer, could not coach every boxer when the Regulators were representing both rings. The Regulators selected teammates to overcome this challenge by achieving USA Boxing Coach certification. With the certification, select cadets were able to coach each other during bouts. Before the tournament, Echols '22, Duran '22, Elias-Perez '23, Boyd '24 , and both Carreras '22 worked towards and achieved certifications as USA boxing coaches. Ultimately, the Regulators "regulated" their opponents. VMI Boxing won 1st place overall as a team in the USIBA Championships. As individuals, Jay Echols '22, Gerson Carrera '22, Aidan Simmons '23, Valor Boyd '24, and Daniel Galvez '24 earned national champion honors by placing 1st in their respective weight classes. Jon Christopher Duran '22, Brian Carrera '22, Walter Elias-Perez '23, Luke Greer '24, Benjamin Wigert '24, Jackson Miller '24, and Brandon Escobar '24 earned All-American honors by placing 2nd in their respective weight classes. Additionally, the Regulators achieved 6 KOs, 1 TKO, 9 unanimous decisions, and 4 split decisions. According to All-American boxer Brian Carrera '22, VMI was so impressive that "coaches came up to me and asked me how we stay in shape. I tell them it's about our dedication and the work we put aside the limited time we get in the gym. We differentiate ourselves with the intensity of our training and it showed at nationals. Our team has heart, and that's what matters". This year, the Regulators were led by team Co-Captains Jay Echols, Jon Christopher Duran, Gerson Carrera, and Brian Carrera. At the end of the Championships, they selected Elias-Perez '23 and Simmons '23 to be the next leaders of the VMI Boxing Team. The VMI Regulators distinguished themselves as the most outstanding team at the 2022 USIBA Championship. The Chief of Officials of USIBA stated that VMI set the standard going forward in the context of team conduct, preparedness, and passion. National champion Gerson Carrera '22, stated that "during the entire tournament, coaches and officials said that VMI was the most cohesive team there especially because we had fights where we had to coach each other while we had bouts going on in both rings." The team, which was already a tight group of boxers, developed a sense of family together that was further strengthened by their championship titles. "Never have I participated in an individual sport that felt so much like a team sport. Win or lose, every Regulator and spectating family members clouded over any sound during the tournament with their cheering and support. They say boxing is a selfish sport but that is definitely not the case for us Regulators. I am so proud to be a part of this boxing family," said All-American boxer Jon Christopher Duran '22. The entire Corps of Cadets was granted optional BRC due to the impressive performance of the Regulators. Coach Joe Shafer was thrilled to guide the development of the Regulators. "The team put everything on the line for this event and made me so proud as a coach … We represented the Commonwealth's Institute with a fighting spirit honoring VMI's history, upholding the passions of our forefathers, and personifying the principles of excellence for VMI and the state of Virginia". Congratulations to the VMI Regulators on becoming national champions!