"Not only is it a fun thing to participate in with all the other boxers, but the money goes to a really cool cause," junior Ted Hesburgh said of the event.
Boxers entered the ring to raise money that benefits schools, churches, and healthcare facilities run by the Congregation of the Holy Cross in Bangladesh.
Boxers had to successfully defeat their opponents in the preliminaries, quarterfinals, and semifinals in order to make it to the final round. Two boxers from each weight class were given the opportunity to fight in Purcell Pavillion on the final night of the tournament.
"Coming out tonight is especially cool because these guys have made it so far," Jack Souter said. "They are the best of the best."
Jack Lally, a senior at the University of Notre Dame, won the tournament in the 138-pound weight class and became the thirteenth boxer to win the title four years in a row. Lally, who will be inducted into the University Monogram Club, gave a speech expressing his gratitude.
He said the program taught him a great deal and also reminds him of the importance of fighting for those in Bangladesh every year.
Boxers practiced daily beginning in November in preparation for the final fight.
Four students who participate in the Bengal Bouts are given the opportunity to go to Bangladesh to aid in the work of the Congregation of the Holy Cross. The tradition began in 2009 and has continued every summer since. This aspect of the program offers students to gain a deeper connection with the cause.
In Bangladesh, a country the size of Wisconsin with half the population of the United States, eighty percent of the population lives in extreme poverty and live on less than two dollars per day.
"Everyday Bengal Bouts is changing the lives of the boxers in the program and their Bengali friends on the other side of the world," the website states.
Boasting a large turnout, the event hopes to raise as much money as possible to help out the poor and sick citizens of Bangladesh. Even more watched from home on ESPN 3, where the tournament was broadcasted.
"I didn't realize that Bengal Bouts has such a strong history behind it," freshman Jasmine Moxley said. "It makes it even better to come watch knowing that we are helping to promote the cause."
Moxley said she has always enjoyed watching boxing and is happy that Notre Dame continues to support the event, which is so rooted in tradition.
The boxing tournament was first organized by Knute Rockne at Notre Dame in 1920. The ties between raising money for Bangladesh and the boxing tournament came in 1931, and truly gave the tournament its meaning.
The Bengal Bouts motto reads: "Strong bodies fight, that weak bodies may be nourished."
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