SWEET RING
Taking a swing at Golden Gloves
THEY ARE students of science — the sweet science — in and out of the ring.
Christella Cepeda and Michael Stoute are collegiate science buffs by day and boxers at night, dodging and weaving their way into the Daily News Golden Glove finals.
Cepeda, 19, is a freshman pre-med/biology major at Lehman College — while Stoute, 22, is a senior at Stony Brook University, studying public health.
Don’t be fooled by their academic chops: Cepeda and Stoute are in prime form heading into the finals at the Theater at Madison Square Garden on March 29 and March 30.
“It takes a lot of focus and discipline and dedication” said Stoute, who lives in Coram, L.I. “All I do is get up, go to school, study, come back, rest and go to the boxing gym. Five days out of the week, that’s it. But I love it.”
Stoute, the 2011 novice champion at 123 pounds, started boxing competitively three years ago. A mixed martial arts buff growing up, he started focusing on boxing after a chance encounter in 2008.
Stoute was training at a mixed martial arts gym in Port Jefferson when a boxing coach stopped in and saw potential in the young fighter. “He said, ‘Don’t worry about MMA. Try focusing only on boxing,’” Stoute recalled, and he immediately started training under coach Mike Murphy.
After three years and countless hours spent in Veteran’s Memorial Boxing Club in Shirley, Stoute has asserted himself as one of the city’s most feared amateurs in the 123-pound weight class. “I don’t get to hang out a lot, go to events or parties, but I’d rather fight at MSG and win,” Stoute said. “That’d be my night out.”
Cepeda faces similar challenges balancing student life with sparring sessions. In fact, Cepeda’s schedule is even more demanding: She also works part-time at Staples.
Many of her fellow students are still in disbelief over her exploits. “Some people don’t believe that I box,” said Cepeda, who lives in Yonkers. “They’re like, ‘Wow, that’s amazing.’”
Cepeda, a three-sport athlete in high school, launched her boxing career two years ago after she saw aspiring pugilists train at the Yonkers YMCA. Instantly, she was drawn to the sport’s emphasis on the individual.
“Whatever I do in there, it’s all on me,” said Cepeda, who is now ranked third in the nation in the 141-pound weight class. “That just motivates me to work harder because I know I can’t blame it on anybody else.”
Cepeda hopes that the same fearlessness she displays in the ring will be a boon to her career in medicine.
“I’ve always seen myself doing something in the medical field,” Cepeda said. “I like helping people, and I like all that blood and stuff. I’m not afraid.” Science students Christella Cepeda and Michael Stoute (below) train for shot at Golden Gloves titles.