Battle of the Brigades, Army/Navy Boxing 2008

Friday, December 5th, 2008

With BEAT ARMY tensions high, Navy hosted Army in an exciting boxing match. The night before the acclaimed Army/Navy football game, all midshipmen looked for ways to beat Army any way possible. Rooting for Navy in this historic rivalry served for the great purpose. Spectators filled MacDonough Hall, 3rd deck, to watch as #1 Army fought #2 Navy.

I arrived early to find that so had everyone else. I wiggled my way to the front, scoring a front row spot. I didn’t have a press pass, so I couldn’t get up on the canvass. Thus, my shots have the ropes in the way of most of them, but I think it adds a sense of place to the photos.

I took 899 photographs in 1 hour. Boxing serves as a great venue for active shots because there is never a dull moment. The difficult part about shooting boxing is for the same reason; put the camera down once, and you could miss the hit of the night. I actually turned around only one time (one time!) and guess what happened? Navy knocked down the opponent for a TKO.

Boxing matches consist of multiple fights spaced over the course of the night. It progresses from the lowest weight class to the highest weight class. Generally, you will notice more agility and quickness in the lighter weights and more power and big hits in the heavier weights.

I stayed for only the first hour, so I did not get to see the biggest guys fight, but the lower weights were still extremely fun to watch. I wouldn’t want to be in the ring with any of them.

They hit hard. They take hard hits. I don’t.

I’ve had a fun time sifting through my 899 photographs, deleting those out of focus, blurry, or too dark (the lighting was very difficult to work with–yellow flood lights.) Whether or not it makes them look better, I like to mess around with the shots that would be great if they didn’t have some big flaw. The above photograph had too much noise after I removed the shadow on the Army boxer’s face. I still wanted to show the pose as well as the blood dripping from his nostrils. I posterized the photograph and removed all color except for his blood and glove.

A Navy Jiu Jitsu Team member looks on as Navy and Army pummel each other. Jiu Jitsu, a fighting style that involves joint locks, throws, and submission moves, is known for it’s smooth style. All midshipmen learn fighting techniques that involve boxing and Jiu Jitsu throughout their time at the Naval Academy.

I do not know who this man is. He sat at the table next to one of the judges. I just really liked his hat.

Coach McNally (left) and Coach Searing (right) look on as they await the decision. Coach McNally officiated boxing at the Beijing Olympics this past year. It was amazing because I had the Olympics on the TV, and I recalled that he was supposed to be there. Wadd’ya know, he was reffing the next fight I saw! The man who taught me how to jab and hook was on international television. See an article about him by clicking here.

Both teams showed tremendous sportsmanship. They fought hard, but gave congratulations to the winners. As well, the winners were gracious to their losing opponents.

GO NAVY BEAT ARMY!