The Bengal Bouts is an annual charity

boxing Boxing is a combat sport and martial art. Taking place in a boxing ring, it involves two people – usually wearing protective equipment, such as boxing glove, protective gloves, hand wraps, and mouthguards – throwing Punch (combat), punch ...

tournament hosted by the Men's Boxing Club at the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac (known simply as Notre Dame; ; ND) is a Private university, private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1842 by members of the Congregation of Holy Cross, a Cathol ...

airing on

ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...

, with proceeds benefiting the Holy Cross Missions in

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

. Begun in 1920 by legendary football coach

Knute Rockne Knute Kenneth Rockne (; March 4, 1888 – March 31, 1931) was an American football player and coach at the University of Notre Dame. Leading Notre Dame for 13 seasons, Rockne accumulated over 100 wins and three national championships. Rockne is ...

to condition football players in the offseason, the tournament later expanded entry to any member of the student body. Under the guidance and direction of Dominic "Nappy" Napolitano, the charity aspect of the event flourished while following the Men's Boxing Club mantra: ''"Strong Bodies Fight, that Weak Bodies May Be Nourished."'' The training regimen requires novice boxers to receive instruction and conditioning in the fall, and returning fighters begin their mandatory workouts during an intensive 6-week period prior to the tournament. In current times, the Men's Boxing Club membership has swelled to include over 230 students, ranging from first-year undergraduate students to graduate and law school students, with participants fighting across 12 weight classes. In 2010, the Bengal Bouts helped generate a donation of $100,000 for the Holy Cross Missions in Bangladesh. This surpassed the $1,000,000 donated throughout the program's existence. Originally held in the Notre Dame Fieldhouse, the tournament is currently held in the Joyce Center (JACC) and airs on ESPN. In 2005, a sister program, named the Baraka Bouts, was instituted for women and benefits missions in

East Africa East Africa, also known as Eastern Africa or the East of Africa, is a region at the eastern edge of the Africa, African continent, distinguished by its unique geographical, historical, and cultural landscape. Defined in varying scopes, the regi ...

References

External links

Official website
{{University of Notre Dame Boxing competitions in the United States Notre Dame Fighting Irish Notre Dame College, Dhaka