The Boxing Club at OSU Continues its Success at a Warehouse Venue in Albany 

In an unlikely warehouse in the industrial area on Ferry Street in Albany, something unexpected is happening. When you open the warehouse’s white metal door and hear loud thuds coming from within, you may expect to see large pieces of machinery or other industrial equipment. 

Instead you are greeted by a large boxing ring, rows of heavy bags, weight equipment, and several sets of fists flying. This is where the Boxing Club at Oregon State University meets to practice four times a week.

Twenty-year-old Brandon Martin, a third-year business major who is dual enrolled at OSU and LBCC, is the club’s veteran competitor. Martin started boxing two years ago and has had 12 bouts. He made it to nationals last year, but was eliminated in the first round. His two latest bouts were this past weekend at the Washington Athletic Club’s two-night tournament, The Main Event, where he took one win and one loss. 

“Whenever you lose, you learn something from it. You take that and keep going. That’s how you get better,” Martin said.  “Boxing helps you become an overall better person. It teaches you grit and determination. I can take those lessons and apply them to my future jobs and my school work.”

Martin attributes his interest in boxing to Manny Pacquiao, a Filipino professional boxer and politician currently serving as a senator in the Philippines.  

“My mom is from the Philippines, and that whole side of the family loves boxing,” Martin said. “When I was in sixth grade, I saw my first Pacquiao fight and I’ve watched every fight since.”

When you think about boxing, you may picture big flashy arenas in Las Vegas, where greats such as Muhammad Ali or Floyd Mayweather Jr. compete for millions of dollars. But these competitors didn’t start out as professional boxers. Long before their pro debuts, they honed their skills in amateur boxing. 

Muhammad Ali began boxing at age 12. He competed in 108 amateur bouts, and won a gold medal in the 1960 Summer Olympics before turning pro at the age of 18. Mayweather retired with a perfect pro record of 50-0, but before his first pro fight at 19 years old, he had an amateur record of 84-8, including three National Golden Gloves Championship wins and a bronze medal in the 1996 Summer Olympics.

The Boxing Club at OSU began in Corvallis about seven years ago in partnership with the Corvallis Boxing Club, which is no longer in operation. They moved to their Albany location this summer, and now train in partnership with the Hand Boxing Club. Michael Wynhausen, who has been with the club since its inception, has been one of the two volunteer head coaches for the last five years. 

Unlike some National Collegiate Boxing Association (NCBA) clubs, the Boxing Club at OSU is not officially sponsored by Oregon State University. They are a student-run organization, and their only form of funding is the dues the students pay each month, which go directly to overhead costs. This means that Wynhausen and Andy Bean, the other head coach, are not only donating their time, they’re donating their money as well. 

 “I purchased all the equipment, and we [the coaches] cover most of the team’s travel unless it’s being offered by the hosting school,” said Wynhausen. “We’ve tried to work with OSU several times, but we can’t even get any of the departments to sponsor us as a club sport.”

“I think it is important in the community to have something like this,” said Wynhausen. “Boxing immediately requires discipline and dedication, and it helps build relationships with the people you compete with, and with your coaches that can last a lifetime. That’s how I met Andy [Bean]. We boxed together at Santa Clara.”

Wynhausen, a Linn County judge, and Bean, an attorney with Weatherford Thompson in Albany, have been involved with collegiate boxing since the early 90s when they competed together on Santa Clara University’s boxing team. During this time, Bean won the NCBA National Championship in 1990, ’91, and ’92. After college, both attended law school, and even though the two hadn’t seen each other since college, they both ended up practicing law in Albany.

One thing that differentiates boxing from other college sports, is that anyone can participate, no matter their experience. This means that the team covers all levels from beginner to veteran competitor. 

Ali Herrera, a 21-year-old OSU junior, started boxing in November, 2019. 

“I love it! It’s so exhilarating,” Herrera said. “I wanted a good workout, and I wanted to try a combat sport, so I googled boxing clubs in Corvallis and found this. Now I come three or four times a week.”

“It’s a nice break from school. It’s a good stress relief and I can leave my problems at the door,” remarked Kasy Juntesen, a 19-year-old sophomore at OSU. Jutesen also began training in November and hopes to start competing next year. “I love Boxing. It looks super easy but it’s not. There’s a lot of technique. But it’s really empowering. I tell my girl friends that I box and they’re like: ‘Wow! You can do that?’” 

It’s not just college students you’ll find training at the club, though. Their members range in age from 12 to over 40. Brothers Emilio and Lorccan Soderstrom Caldera, both Calapooia Middle School students, have been training for the past four years and are two of the club’s youngest members.

“I love this sport,” said Emilio, 14. “I come and train for about two hours, three times a week. Competing has been my goal since I was little.”  

“My dad encouraged me to start,” said Lorccan, 12. “My parents used to drive us to a gym in Salem before we started coming here. I like boxing but I don’t want to compete. I just want to stay in shape for football.”

On the non-collegiate side, Rusty Hand is the head coach of Hand Boxing Club. Hand has been a professional boxer since 2008, has competed in amateur Mixed Martial Arts, and will be making his pro MMA debut on Feb. 22 at the Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma, Washington. 

Hand has coached boxing for several years, but just started his own club this summer. “I wanted a place for the young bloods to come and feel it,” Hand said. “I wanted to have a place for them to get in the ring and experience boxing.”

Brandon Martin offered this advice to anyone thinking about trying boxing, “Go out and do it. You never know what will click with you. Even if you don’t want to compete it’s a good workout and you’ll learn some great character traits.”

If you’re interested in trying boxing, you can take advantage of the club’s free week trial. Or, if you’re interested in attending an amatuer boxing event, the 2020 Oregon Golden Gloves Championship is happening on Saturday, Feb. 15 at the Salem Armory Auditorium. 

At a Glance:

Those interested in boxing can visit the Boxing Club at OSU inside CrossFit Power Valley at 2440 SW Ferry St. in Albany.

Days:  Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. and on Sundays from 1 to 3 p.m. 

Who: Anyone, student or not, ages 15 and over.

Cost: $30 a month ($25 with a USA Boxing membership) with no commitment, and you can try a week for free.

Boxing in the United States is governed by USA Boxing (USAB). All boxing clubs, competitions, coaches, and active competitors are members of USAB. USAB sanctioned events (a list of which can be found at usaboxing.org) include small local shows hosted by any one of the hundreds of boxing clubs in the U.S., and larger state, regional, and national championships, such as the Golden Gloves.

Under the USAB umbrella is the National Collegiate Boxing Association (NCBA), which governs teams and competitions who are associated with a college — like the Boxing Club at OSU. In order to compete in NCBA tournaments, you must be enrolled in a school that has a NCBA club and be a member of USAB.