Boxing and faith help Notre Dame assist the poor

Hunter Land, left, battles Alex Duffy in the 2006 Bengal Bouts, an annual fundraiser at the University of Notre Dame which has raised $780,000 to help feed and educate people in Bangladesh. (Submitted photo)

By John Shaughnessy

In the boxing world—where a son’s dream is also a mother’s nightmare—Magee Land cringed as she watched the two boxers stand toe-to-toe, pounding each other in a frantic fight that had the University of Notre Dame crowd rising to its feet and roaring in delight around her.

She knew the boxing match was part of one of the most curious and celebrated combinations of sport and humanitarianism at Notre Dame, an annual tradition called the Bengal Bouts in which students train and learn to box while also raising an amazing amount of money—about $800,000 so far—to help feed and educate people in Bangladesh, one of the poorest countries in the world.

The unusual, faith-related event is a sight to behold unless you happen to be the mother of one of the fighters slugging it out in the ring.

As Land watched her only son, Hunter, relentlessly trade round-house punches with the other boxer, she prayed that the fight would end quickly, that no one would get hurt. Yet the member of St. Luke Parish in Indianapolis also knew how much this meant to her son, and

how proud he was to be part of making a difference in the lives of others.

So after the fight finally ended and Hunter was still standing, his mother, who is also a nurse, did what came naturally when the Land family went to dinner. She checked his eyes, she paid attention to his response time to questions, and she started to campaign that he give up boxing and take up the sport of badminton.

Two years have passed since that fight. Now a junior at Notre Dame, Hunter was voted earlier this year as a captain of the boxing team. And the 2004 graduate of Bishop Chatard High School in Indianapolis plans to climb back in the ring when the Bengal Bouts start their preliminary rounds on Feb. 21—the start of five nights of competition that will end in the finals on March 3.

He takes pride in being part of the tradition of Notre Dame’s boxing club that was started in 1920 by legendary football coach Knute Rockne. He takes even greater pride in being part of the club that adopted a humanitarian

purpose in 1931—becoming a fundraiser for the Holy Cross Missions in Bangladesh, one of the poorest

countries in the world.

The Notre Dame boxers’ motto has long been, “Strong bodies fight that weak bodies may be nourished.”

Leading into its 77th year, the Bengal Bouts have raised $780,000—money that the Holy Cross Brothers have used to feed people, provide medical care, offer job training, and build, maintain and run educational institutions from elementary schools to colleges.

“We’re the single biggest benefactor for the missions every year,” Hunter says. “Last year, we gave them a check for $52,000. We raise the money through ticket sales and programs that profile all the

fighters. The program has advertisements in it, and that’s how we make most of the money. In Bangladesh, $52,000 is a lot of money.”

Hunter and the other captains stressed the importance

of the missions when they started the novice program for first-time boxers in October. The captains also stressed the importance of getting into shape for the nearly 300 students who are part of the club. Each practice starts with

500 jumping-jacks followed by 250 push-ups and 500 sit-ups. And that’s all in the first 25 minutes of practice.

“We also teach the basics of boxing,” Hunter says. “We start with the stance and the footwork. We move up to the jab and the power punch and combos from there. When we spar, we wear headgear and 16-ounce gloves.”

Divided by weight classes, the tournament features

preliminary matches of three 90-second rounds. The

championship bouts are three 2-minute rounds.

“It’s the most physical, exhausting 90 seconds you can experience,” Hunter says. “Your hands and your arms are tired from blocking and throwing punches. Your calves can cramp up because you’re on the balls of your feet all the time. Your feet hurt from running around the ring. It’s exhausting.”

But the cause is worth it.

“The real purpose of this isn’t to fight but to raise money,” Hunter says. “We have speakers who come in who have been to Bangladesh, and they’ve seen the Holy Cross Missions there. They talk about what it was like to be there and how the experience has touched them. They started the first private university in Bangladesh,

and they have schools all the way from preschool to the university level.”

The emphasis on making a difference to others is real, says the rector of the Notre Dame residence hall where Hunter lives.

“Of course, Hunter enjoys the challenge of disciplining his body for boxing, but I know he truly believes the Bengal Bouts’ motto: ‘Strong bodies fight that weak bodies may be nourished,’ ” says Ed Mack, the rector of O’Neill Family Hall. “I think it is easy to talk about one’s faith, but Hunter is an example of love in action, a man who does something about his deeply held beliefs about the dignity of all mankind. He defines the selfless, Christian Catholic man.”

Even as she wishes her son wouldn’t box, Magee Land admires his commitment to help others.

“He really does love it and he really does have a heart for helping people,” she says. “That part of it I do appreciate even if boxing isn’t a dream for a mother. I’m proud of him. He’s a fine young Christian man. On fall break, he came back to be a rector at a retreat at Bishop Chatard.”

Hunter always reminds his mother that she met her husband at the Bengal Bouts when she was a student at Saint Mary’s College and Casey Land was a student at Notre Dame.

“I think it’s awesome he’s doing this,” says Casey Land, Hunter’s father. “You get the camaraderie of being on a team, you have your friends and you’re doing something special to help others. I’m thrilled with it.”

So is Hunter, who has known a fair share of thrills in his young life. He was a member of the 2003 IHSAA 3A state championship football team at Bishop Chatard. He has finished a marathon and also recently climbed to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa, the tallest free-standing mountain in the world.

Yet, none of those accomplishments compares to the feeling he gets from participating in the Bengal Bouts.

“It’s the most gratifying feeling ever,” he says. “It’s an unbelievable experience just knowing you can impact somebody half the world away. You sacrifice not only your time, but your blood, sweat and tears. Everyone in this program has stopped at least once and said, ‘Is this worth it?’ The answer is always, ‘Yes.’ ” †