LANSING, Mich. — On a cold, dark winter morning, Alex Ziouras, full of anticipation for his first amateur boxing match piled into a van with his new teammates, as they headed five hours northwest around a sprawling Lake Michigan and up to Milwaukee.
During the long trip, Ziouras, a junior at Michigan State University, remembered the stories told more than the never‑ending miles.
“It was nice to get to hang out with the team in a different setting rather than just the gym. Random stories, fun memories, reasons why people got into boxing or what they enjoy about it,” Ziouras said.
Those conversations with his teammates, he said, helped ease his mind during the long drive.
“It was honestly really fun, It definitely took your mind off the fight that was coming up.” Ziouras said.
Ziouras, from South Jordan, Utah, came to the Lansing area on an academic scholarship craving the big school experience MSU had to offer. He balances classes with grueling weekly training, where he is one of only two college students on the Crown Boxing Club team that varies in ages spanning from age 12-28.
He found Crown Boxing three years ago, first getting into training for the fraternity fight nights for Beta Theta Pi, the fraternity he now serves as president, that hooked Ziouras on the sport.
“It's free training and, again, a great workout, a great skill to develop. So I just stuck with it,” Ziouras said.
Coach Marco Schimizzi said this is why Crown Boxing wanted him on the team in the first place.
“Alex has always worked really hard,” Schimizzi said. “He’s a tough kid, and he listens, and I think those three things are very important in developing an athlete.”
Though he’s been training for years, Ziouras only recently joined the official Crown Boxing team in the 160‑pound weight class, making the fight in Milwaukee feel like a step toward something bigger in his boxing journey.
“Its gonna be my first real amateur experience,” Ziouras said. “All my fights before were just the fraternity fight nights. This is my first real bout, which I’m very excited for.”
The team arrived at the Milwaukee Athletic Club after the long drive, hours before the first fight would kick off. Boxers from the Great Lakes region slowly filtered into a shared banquet hall, some talking quietly, but most scrolling through their phones waiting for the weigh-ins and final doctor checks that are required for every amateur bout. The weigh-ins came first to assure each fighter is in their correct division, followed by a doctor’s check to make sure each fighter is healthy enough to compete.
Doctors check blood pressure, look over hands and test fighters vision for any signs of a concussion from earlier practices, Ziouras said.
After the check up comes more waiting, where most fighters return to what they were doing before the quick doctor interruption. By then, the nerves had settled for Ziouras.
“On the actual day of it, I was definitely more excited than nervous,” Ziouras said.
The nerves faded even more once the fights finally began as everyone filed into the grand ballroom at the Milwaukee Athletic Club.
“It was a really nice building, really classy crowd,” he said. “I’d much rather have my first real fight here than some dingy high school gym.” Ziouras said.
The venue didn’t look like the kind of place where amateur fighters would usually trade punches. The ring sat in the center of the room, surrounded on all sides by a sea of circular white‑cloth tables where well‑dressed spectators in suits and evening dresses ordered food and wine from waiters in tuxedos. Tall, lined pillars exaggerated the walls, drawing the eye upward to the ornate crown moldings and beautifully patterned plaster design that punctuated the surface of the 20‑foot ceilings. Massive chandeliers hung overhead, their crystals fracturing and refracting the room into thousands of pieces when looked through.
When the fights began, the overhead lights dimmed, leaving only the warm, soft glow of the chandeliers which contrasted with the sharp spotlight beating down on the ring like a kid holding a magnifying glass over an anthill.
As Ziouras stepped into the beam through the red, white and blue ropes lining the ring, he came face to face with Parker Barske, a lean and lanky southpaw, with a clear height and reach advantage, for Medina Boxing in Waukesha, Wisconsin. He was the first left‑handed fighter Ziouras had faced as a boxer.
“That was something I had to keep in mind,” Ziouras said. “I had to think about how to get inside to a good striking distance safely. So I was going in with a plan of head movement and also trying to have volume on my side in terms of overwhelming him.”
The bell let out a loud ding as both fighters met in the middle of the ring, touched gloves and squared up. The early minutes of the fight were quiet as both boxers took time to feel each other out. Thirty seconds into the first round, the punches started flying.
“I ended up catching him a couple good times with left hooks and jabs, and then I rolled into an uppercut when I dropped my head,” Ziouras said.
The punch tagged Ziouras, as his head snapped back from the blow.
“That's when he got my nose to start bleeding,” Ziouras said.
The blood came fast flowing out with no signs of stopping, something Ziouras has dealt with his whole life.
“When I was younger I ended up breaking my nose three times,” said Ziouras.
The trauma caused a deviated septum, which led to Ziouras having trouble breathing as a kid.
“I got surgery on it to reconstruct it, and again through that I have a lot of scar tissue in there still, so now I'm really susceptible to nose bleeds,” said Ziouras.
“Some people just bleed, they’re more likely to bleed than others,” Schimizzi added.
The bell dinged once again to signify the end of the first round, where the doctor came to check on Ziouras. There was so much blood that the moment almost felt absurd for everyone in the boxer's corner.
“I do remember him cracking a smile at me after the first round,” Schimizzi said. “There was just so much blood it was kind of funny. We both shared a little bit of a laugh like, man, we just spent the first 20 seconds cleaning you up.”
After the check up the fight moved quickly into the second round, where Ziouras, nose still gushing, fought through the blood and turned the tide on Barske, getting inside the taller fighter’s reach and unleashing a flurry of jabs and uppercuts as Barske’s body reacted violently to every blow. But Ziouras’ nose wouldn’t stop bleeding and in amateur boxing, a nose that won’t stop bleeding will cost you the fight. The doctor had seen enough, stepping in halfway through the second round, ending the bout, handing Barske the victory by doctor stoppage.
“I'm definitely not bitter about it,” Ziouras said. “I just find it unfortunate that the fight got canceled early because I'd be curious to see what would happen if it went through all rounds.”
“I would normally say no,” answered Schimizzi when asked if the fight would've ended differently if allowed to continue.
“I really try to be blunt and honest. In my opinion, things were trending upward. I really think Alex would have come out on top if he had just been able to finish the match,” Schimizzi said.
Ziouras was not disappointed by the result but hungry for more, as he left Milwaukee with a lifelong memory he will never forget, his first real amateur fight.
Since the fight, Ziouras has had his nose cauterized, to prevent more pesky nosebleeds.
On the long drive back home Ziouras focused on what's next rather than what could have been, not discouraged by the result in the slightest.
“You live and you learn,” Ziouras said. “I'm excited to hopefully compete again near the end of March.”