Nevada Fighters Have the Look of Champions Again
Reporting by boxer and student journalist Joey Azar
The boxing ring at the bottom floor of the El Dorado Casino was packed with energy earlier this month on February 7th. Folding chairs filled with college students, local supporters, and nervous parents awaited the next fight. The faint hum of slot machines from the casino floor above blended with the excited chatter of the crowd. Then, the bell rang.
On one side of the ring, an Air Force cadet, built like a machine, stepped forward. He had every advantage: world-class training facilities, top-tier strength coaches, personalized nutrition plans, and a structured daily schedule designed to churn out champions. Across from him stood a Nevada boxer, cut from a different cloth. No scholarships, no regimented training schedule — just grit, determination, and a deep love for the fight.
For decades, this is how the Nevada-Air Force rivalry has played out. The academies are the juggernauts of collegiate boxing, backed by military budgets and a talent pipeline that runs deep. Nevada? They’ve had to fight for everything.
That’s what made this night different. This time, Nevada wasn’t just keeping up. They were winning.
The Wolf Pack closed out their regular season with a dominant 4–0 sweep over Air Force at the Mills Lane Memorial Bouts, finishing 4–2 overall on the night. It was the kind of performance that reminded everyone why Nevada is one of the few civilian programs that can still go toe-to-toe with the academies.
The Nevada-Air Force rivalry in collegiate boxing runs deep. UNR’s program, dating back to 1928, is the oldest in the country. Meanwhile, Air Force, along with Army and Navy, has been the dominant force in collegiate boxing for decades.
Military boxing is different from what civilian programs can offer. At Air Force, all cadets take boxing as part of their combat training. Their coaches, like Associate Head Coach Terry Green, are paid faculty members with deep knowledge of the sport. Their team is the biggest in the NCBA, sometimes pushing over 100 fighters between their men’s and women’s squads.
“Our days are extremely regimented compared to that of students at civilian schools,” Green said. “Cadets are fully awake by 0500. They take care of morning PT, which includes the team’s morning run of 3 to 5 miles. Practice begins at 1530 on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Strength and conditioning is at 1530 on Tuesday and Thursday, then boxing practice starts at 1630 on those days.”
Meanwhile, at Nevada?
“We practice every day at 3 p.m.,” longtime Nevada coach Mike Martino said. “We tell our fighters to run three miles every day, but we can’t force them. If they want it bad enough, they’ll do it.”
That’s the difference. At Air Force, boxing is woven into cadets’ daily lives. At Nevada, it’s a choice. A passion.
For much of the night, that passion carried Nevada past their well-funded rivals.
The turning point came when Billy Fisher outworked Air Force’s Jayden Douglas in a fast-paced 153-pound bout, securing his second win over Douglas this season. Nathan Nichols followed, dropping Air Force’s Niko Phelps with a hard shot en route to a decision victory in the 156-pound division.
Then, a moment that surprised many Nevada fans.
After nearly two years away from the ring due to injury, Joey Azar, Nevada’s most experienced fighter, returned in dominant fashion. Facing Air Force’s two-time national champion, Azar put on a clinic, securing a unanimous decision win at 147 pounds. Azar, who was a national runner-up in 2023, looked like he hadn’t missed a step.
To close the night, Leif Noran put the finishing touches on Nevada’s statement performance, defeating Air Force’s Justin Bonilla in a 190-pound slugfest.
It wasn’t just a win. It was a message.
Once upon a time, collegiate boxing was as big as football and basketball. From 1932 to 1960, NCAA boxing packed arenas, producing champions who would go on to Olympic gold and professional glory. But after the tragic death of Wisconsin’s Charlie Mohr in the 1960 NCAA Championships, the sport was deemed too dangerous.
Boxing was dropped by the NCAA, and most programs folded.
Nevada was one of the few schools that refused to let the sport die.
In 1976, the National Collegiate Boxing Association (NCBA) was created to keep boxing alive as a club sport. Unlike the NCAA era, the NCBA banned scholarships and recruitment, ensuring an even playing field. Fighters must enter as novices, meaning no boxer can compete in the league with more than 10 amateur fights before joining. The NCBA also enforces strict safety measures, making it one of the most tightly regulated boxing leagues in the country.
Still, the military academies dominate.
Each year, the NCBA crowns a team national champion based on points earned at the national tournament. Air Force leads all programs with 20 team titles. Army sits at 11. Navy follows with 6.
And in fourth place? Nevada.
The last time a civilian program won the NCBA national title was in 2015, when a stacked Nevada squad upset the academies. Now, nearly a decade later, this current group of Wolf Pack fighters wants to do it again.
This win over Air Force sets the stage for Nevada’s biggest test yet: the NCBA Western Regional Tournament in early March in Colorado Springs. Fighters will have to win up to three fights in three days just to qualify for the NCBA National Championships in April.
It’s a brutal path. But if Nevada has proven anything, it’s that they’re built for the fight.
“They’re like the big bad wolf of collegiate boxing,” former Nevada champion Jarred Santos said of the academies. “But that’s their reputation. They’re well-prepared and always show up ready to fight.”
And so does Nevada.
For a few days, the Wolf Pack enjoyed this win. They celebrated the fact that their scrappy, volunteer-run team from Reno went toe-to-toe with one of the sport’s giants and came out on top.
But now, it’s back to work. Because in collegiate boxing, the fight never stops.
