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Thursday, March 28, 2024
The Observer

Considine fulfills dream as champion and president

Before he even set foot on campus as a freshman, Jack Considine knew that he wanted to fight in Bengal Bouts. The Wilmette, Illinois native had not boxed in high school, but a friend’s success in the tournament caught his attention during his senior year.

“I had a friend from high school back home, and when I was a senior, I heard he was in the finals here,” Considine said. “And from that moment, I knew that if I went to Notre Dame, that was something I was certainly going to do.”

Senior captain and men's boxing president Jack Considine tangles with his opponent, Joseph Stevens, during the quarterfinal round of the 2015 Bengal Bouts on Feb. 18, 2015.
Observer File Photo
Senior captain and men's boxing president Jack Considine tangles with his opponent, Joseph Stevens, during the quarterfinal round of the 2015 Bengal Bouts on Feb. 18, 2015.


Men’s boxing at Notre Dame provides an experience completely unique to Note Dame. The atmosphere is competitive from the start of the year. Boxers of all levels train several days each week to find success in the boxing ring come February. Considine found a way to thrive in this atmosphere through a combination of physical strength and mental sharpness.

“The thing that is really, really interesting about boxing here is that no one has boxed before … and when you start this as a grown man, you’re much more analytical about it,” Considine said. “I think the reason I’ve had moderate success, for my own merit, was being able to think, ‘I’m going to master the jab, and once I do that, then I’m going to master my right cross.’ I’ve been able to look at [boxing] as a science.”

Considine has utilized the mental aspect of his game to find success over the past three years. He had a solid showing his first year in the club by winning his first match in the bouts. He built on that solid showing by claiming the title in the 196-pound division in 2015 and then conquering the 191-pound bracket in 2016.

Considine has loved his experience in the boxing ring, but this year, while serving as the president of the club and as a senior captain, Considine has been especially focused on the Holy Cross missions in Bangladesh. In particular, Considine noted the efforts that he has made in fundraising this year.

“This year, as opposed to past years, I’ve been really focused on the fundraising side,” Considine said. “Not to take anything away from the boxing, but more recently I’ve been so focused on the numbers and our sponsors.

“Most people join the club for boxing, and that was the case for me … but the mission is a special part of the club. This is going to be part of my college career, and I’m going to raise money for people overseas. I’ve never been to Bangladesh, and I feel like that was my biggest mistake, but I still feel very much attached to what we do. It’s something that gives me a very uplifting emotion, and I think the emotion propelled me to try and maximize our fundraising efforts … The last two years, [the club] has set fundraising records while putting on a great show … so these fundraising efforts have been stressful, but it has also augmented how fulfilling the experience is for me.”

As a four-year participant in Bengal Bouts, it has shaped Considine’s experience at Notre Dame. The mental approach that Considine took to boxing has helped him to find success in the ring, in the classroom and other aspects of his life.

“[The analytical side of boxing is] about repetition; it’s about resilience and getting over plateaus,” Considine said. “Those are things that I’ve seen in my life outside boxing, and things that I’m sure that I will see after college. For me, learning how to learn was one of the greatest skills I’ve taken from boxing. It has taught me how to be analytical in my approach to other aspects of life and be able to endure the points where it feels like you’re not getting better and you just have to push through it.”

Considine hopes to maintain his mental approach and tame his nerves as he enters his third championship fight Friday.

“This is my fourth tournament, and I think it will be my twelfth or thirteenth fight, and I’ve normally gotten butterflies before every single one, but now I have less than before,” Considine said. “In terms of physically preparing, I think you have to trust the process. You have to trust the fact that you have already put in the work, and this part of the season is all about getting sleep and being mentally prepared for the next fight … My mentality is this is my last six minutes of boxing ever, and I want to make sure everything is left on the table.”