With the installation of the new boxing ring, the boxing club is ready for some hard-hitting action.

Mike Harvey, associate director of Recreation Services, said the boxing ring was set up in the basement in the fall semester of finals week but had to be taken down because table tennis had to be set up.

The ring was then put in the basement of the State Gym.

Brian Tekippe, junior in chemical engineering, joined the boxing club last semester. He said he’s excited about the new ring. However, he hasn’t really gotten to use it yet.

“When it was arranged in the basement the team didn’t get to try it out. I’ve been in the ring a little,” Tekippe said.

Harvey said when they didn’t have a ring to practice in before, they used to take a unconvential approach.

Tekippe agreed.

“We used to put old wrestling mattresses together, and that is what we used to call our ring,” he said.

Harvey said he’s excited about the features the boxing ring brings to the club.

“It is portable, because it can be taken apart and stored or moved to a new location and set up again relatively easily,” he said.

Both Harvey and Tekippe are excited about the opportunity to use the ring in practice and hope it will draw in more members to the relatively unknown boxing club.

While Tekippe thinks the possibility of more members joining comes from the addition of new equipment, Harvey sees benefits for the current members as well.

“I think that another expectation of the new ring would be to provide a better, more appropriate, and safer practice space for the current members to train and not just new members,” he said.