Combat U is now almost two years into its creation and is already having a huge impact on martial arts in Sacramento. The program started in January of 2024 and has five clubs consisting of boxing, kickboxing, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, wrestling and MMA (Mixed Martial Arts). One piece of the program that’s been making headway is the boxing club.
They’re going to be competing on campus in their second Causeway Boxing Classic Friday, Nov. 21. The first Causeway Boxing Classic was at the Sacramento Memorial Auditorium against UC Davis and they competed at the NCBA (National Collegiate Boxing Association) Regionals and Nationals since Combat U’s inception last year. They recently acquired Olympic Gold Medalist and two-weight world champion Andre Ward to be the new general manager for the boxing club.
At the beginning of this season the club went to the Ohio State Buckeye Brawl, Oct. 24, with seven fighters and went 4-3 collectively. The big standout that night was Sac State’s First Female All-American boxer Ayahna Gonzales. The daughter of Head Coach Brandon Gonzales, won the Most Outstanding Boxer award out of 42 fighters on the card.
Just recently, Friday, Nov. 7, they went to University of Nevada, Reno, with four fighters, going 2-2 on the night.
Now that the season is in full swing, the club is ready to showcase their skills on their home turf.
What’s the standard for the boxing club?
The club wants to perform at the highest possible level and teach the fundamental skills to students and prepare them for competition. This would not be possible without a solid coaching staff.
The First Female All-American Sac State Boxer Ayahna Gonzales with her Most Outstanding Boxer Award at the Ohio State Buckeye Brawl, Oct. 25, 2025.Courtesy of Ayahna Gonzales
Coach Gonzales, a former professional super-middleweight boxer, wants to implement a winners mentality in his student fighters who are competing.
“These fighters are gonna give it their all,” Coach Gonzales said. “I can promise all these guys are gonna go out there and fight their heart out.”
Coach Gonzales trains beginning students on campus at Yosemite Hall 187 and the advanced students at his gym Flawless Boxing & Fitness on Broadway in Sacramento. He wants students to give 100% in his program.
“It’s really about their drive and their determination,” Coach Gonzales said. “You have to walk into the gym with a certain amount of determination, a certain amount of focus, the ability to want to listen and learn, and then those are the ingredients that a trainer can take and develop.”
All he asks for is for his students to go out there and fight with passion and give it their best effort.
Head Coach for UC Davis and Partner Coach for Sac State Joel Stern feels the same way. He wants the fighters to give him their all, win or lose.
“I want them to give everything they have to what they’re committed to do,” Coach Stern said. “You’re gonna have to put in work diligently, day in and day out.”
Coach Stern has been coaching for more than a decade now, having multiple collegiate national champions and All-Americans. He’s also served on the board of the NCBA.
Even though both coaches have strong approaches and personalities, Coach Stern thinks having both of them makes the program great.
“When you get two coaches that support each other, and compliment each other, and build off of each other then you have a chance to really build something,” Coach Stern said. “We look at the sport the same way. We look at how to develop the fighters the same way.”
Head Coach Brandon Gonzales and Head UC Davis/Partner Sac State Coach Joel Stern cornering Ayahna Gonzales before her fight starts at the First Causeway Boxing Classic at the Sacramento Memorial Auditorium Friday, Nov. 22, 2024.Kai Arellano/CapRadio
What’s next for the boxing club?
The boxing club is gearing up for their second annual Causeway Boxing Classic Friday, Nov. 21 at 6 p.m and the bouts start at 7 p.m. This time it will be on campus at The Nest and there will be 13 collegiate fights and two more non-collegiate bouts on the card. Sac State will face and showcase the United States Air Force Academy, San Jose State, the University of Utah, Santa Clara University, the University Southern California and UC Davis.
Austin Melendez, the former regional heavyweight champion of the west coast in the NCBA and president of the boxing club, expressed his excitement to perform on campus with a bit of pressure added on top. He’ll be the eleventh collegiate fight of the night against San Jose State boxer Kendrick Enujiba.
”It’s on our home turf. We want to go out there and end the year on a good note,” said Melendez, a senior at Sac State. ”Diamonds are made under pressure so you gotta thrive in it.”
Former NCBA Regional West Coast Heavyweight Champion Austin Melendez (right) fighting at the First Causeway Boxing Classic at the Sacramento Memorial Auditorium Friday, Nov. 22, 2024.Kai Arellano/CapRadio
Melendez fought at the last Causeway Boxing Classic and won by decision in an exciting heavyweight bout. Now he’s excited because his fellow students don’t have to go another place to watch him fight since it’ll be on campus. Melendez wants to show what he and the team have in store.
”I can promise this show’s gonna be an absolute banger,” Melendez said. “I’m really excited to have the energy in the room. We need the students to bring that energy, we feed off that.”
One fighter, UC Davis boxer Bea Lacson, is making her first appearance in the ring on this card. She’s also the only fighter from UC Davis on the card. She’ll be the first collegiate fight of the night against Air Force Academy boxer Madeline Soluren after the young fighters.
“I feel pretty nervous,” said Lacson, a junior at UC Davis. “You’ll definitely see 100% from both me and the girl I’m gonna be fighting. I’m gonna show up and show out.”
Lacson was in the audience at the last Causeway Boxing Classic and was inspired to join the UC Davis Boxing club. Her year of training has led her to this moment to show the club and others what she can do.
While there is a lot of pressure on her, she believes she can pull through and bring Davis that belt.
“I will have a lot of friends from school coming, the UC Davis team is gonna come out and support, so I know I’ll have a good crowd there watching,” Lacson said. “I’m representing UC Davis so I wanna make everyone proud.”
The Sac State boxing club wants to put on a show on campus. They believe they’re going to be the star team in Combat U and build a legacy for those who come after.
For those who want to attend you can buy tickets here. General Admission starts at $27, floor seats are $51 and Floor VIP seats are $81. Sac State students, faculty and staff with their One Card can get free tickets at the Athletic Center on the northwest side of campus next to the Welcome Center.
Follow us for more stories like this
CapRadio provides a trusted source of news because of you. As a nonprofit organization, donations from people like you sustain the journalism that allows us to discover stories that are important to our audience. If you believe in what we do and support our mission, please donate today.