Iowa features plenty of teams and athletes to cheer for on a near-nightly basis, but on Thursday night, with Hawkeye soccer and field hockey on the road, boxing took center stage.
Hawkeye fans flocked to Coralville’s Xtream Arena to witness Fight Night, an event produced by live entertainment company Knockout University. The event featured 12 bouts, each divided into three one-minute rounds. Every matchup showcased student-athlete fighters.
Adam Hadim, one of Knockout University’s founders, credited the event’s inception to a unique outlook on live entertainment.
“It’s so multi-layered,” Hadim told The Daily Iowan. “You can come for the actual athletic portion of it. There’s the storylines behind the athletes.”
Hadim, a graduate of Tulane University, also praised the event as rewarding.
“It’s a very unique and difficult and special experience,” Hadim said. “It builds so many different connections, through the brotherhood found in the training camp, through your friends rooting for you in the most primal way of athletics.”
Featuring 24 fighters in high-intensity boxing bouts, the arena drew hundreds of fans to see the attraction. Knockout University claimed 70 percent of available tickets were bought, per an Instagram post.
“It was the first time we’ve done this kind of show,” Iowa boxing club head coach George Chamberlain said. “The kids brought a lot of their friends, and they really had some good support.”
Chamberlain was also impressed by the collectedness brought by many of the young, relatively-new boxers.
“I think most of the kids who fought did a really good job,” Chamberlain said. “They held themselves pretty high, to a good standard. They understand that it’s a process. They’re working on growing and getting better.”
Following an event in Tallahassee, Florida, news of a similar show in Iowa quickly reached social media prior to an impromptu press conference event to meet the fighters, hosted at Brothers Bar & Grill in Iowa City.
Two days later, the first bout was underway in Coralville, kickstarting an action-packed night drawing more than one roar of approval from those in attendance.
“It was such a cool experience when I heard about it,” Iowa fourth-year Jeremy Stefaniuk, who won the 12th and final bout of the night, said. “I knew I had to be a part of it, and it’s something I can cherish for the rest of my life.”
Stefaniuk fought in the night’s main event, the final fight to cap off more than three hours of live entertainment. All boxers wore gloves, mouthguards, and protective headgear, and for Stefaniuk, the action flew by.
“It was all such a blur,” Stefaniuk said. “Three minutes sounds like it’s so quick, but it’s exhausting.”
Matthew Weissmann, Hadim’s friend and cofounder of Knockout University, spent the night in a major role as the host and emcee for the various fights. Weissmann introduced fighters, announced results, and kept energy high during the event. With 6-8 weeks of training followed by press conferences and interviews, the preparation is akin to the pros.
“At the end of the day, what we’re trying to do is give these kids who have little to no experience boxing one night where they feel on top of the world, one night where they feel like they are really a professional, famous fighter,” Weissmann said.
Weissmann also noted the energy of the night was a major standout.
“Everyone really rode hard for the people that they came here for,” Weissmann said. “Iowa City is a whole bunch of collectives. As much as this was one on one, at the end of the day it was a lot on a lot, because everybody came in here with their people and they left with their people too.”