UNC's national champion boxer began the sport one year ago

This weekend, sophomore Michelle Kern became a national boxing champion just a little more than a year after she first stepped into the ring.

On April 13, Kern, competing in the 125-pound weight class, took home first place in the inaugural United States Intercollegiate Boxing Association championships, held in San Francisco.

Kern had never boxed prior to joining the Carolina Boxing club as a freshman. She said it was entirely a spontaneous decision.

“I found it at FallFest last year,” Kern said. “It was one of those things where I just signed up for anything that looked interesting.”

Kern had a background in high school sports, most prominently in swimming, although she said she doesn’t swim competitively anymore.

Even when she started, Kern said that she only participated in the club for the exercise. But that changed when she was invited to team practice.

“When I started going it was just to get a good workout — then the coach approached a select number of people and invited us out to team practice,” she said.

Josh Sokal, the club’s coach, said he was pleasantly surprised by Kern’s ability.

“I knew she was a hard worker, a strong athlete, but I didn’t know at the time that she had a background in athletics,” he said.

The team held tryouts at a local gym, where a woman in a similar weight class agreed to spar with Kern so that Sokal could see what she was capable of.

“Michelle beat up this girl for three rounds straight,” he said.

Sokal said what sets Kern apart is her commitment to listening to instructions at all times.

Senior Sam Mouer, the team’s captain, said that from watching Kern box, it was clear that she had what it took to make it to the championship.

“It’s clear that she’s going to go far,” Mouer said. “She fights like a beast, she goes for it.”

When Kern joined the team, she was the only woman on the squad, but Mouer said that this didn’t have any effect on her training.

“We train her and we respect her, just as we do the rest of ourselves,” he said.

Since she started boxing, Kern said it has become much more than just a workout.

“After this year I got more serious about it,” she said. “It’s turned into a way of life for me.”

Sokal said not everyone has what it takes to be successful in the ring.

“Its not a sport you can half-ass — you can’t just be a bad boxer,” Sokal said.

Kern stressed that boxing is unlike any other sport she has participated in.

“It was completely different from anything I’ve ever done — it’s more intense.”

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