Feb. 27, 2009

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The Notre Dame Men’s Boxing Club concludes its 79th year of Bengal Bouts competition with the finals night on Saturday, Feb. 28, at 7:00 p.m. EST in the Joyce Center Arena. Twelve championship bouts are featured as the culmination of the two-week tournament.

Six returning champions and seven returning finalists are among the competitors, including seniors Mike Lee (175 lbs.) and Dan Rodgers (155 lbs.), both vying for their third titles. Kris Perez (140 lbs.) tries to become only the 10th four-time champ in the Bengal Bouts storied history.

Local bragging rights are at stake in the 147-pound weight division — as senior Joey Leary, a finalist in 2007 and 2005 graduate of St. Joseph’s High School, takes the ring against senior Patrick Kibbe, a 2005 graduate of Marian High School.

Come support the Notre Dame Men’s Boxing Club and the Holy Cross Missions of Bangladesh. Ticket sales help the club meet their donation goal of $62,000. If reached, the club will have donated $1 million total since 1931 to the Missions, which provides funding for educational initiatives for tribal peoples making up the poorest one percent of the country.

For ticket information, call the Notre Dame Ticket Office at (574) 631-7356 or visit www.UND.com/tickets. To find out more about the tournament or how to support the Holy Cross Missions in Bangladesh, please visit http://bengalbouts.nd.edu.

— ND —