Oregon’s football facility has a new addition to one of its buildings, a boxing ring with Hawaiian flair.
Oregon Has a New Boxing Ring With a Theme Honoring Hawaii and Their Heisman Winner
A new boxing studio has opened at the Marcus Mariota Sports Performance Center on the University of Oregon’s campus in Eugene. The studio is the latest addition to the $68 million complex dedicated to the football team.
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The studio’s focus on boxing is part of the Oregon staff’s overall approach to being at the forefront of sports science, and the Hawaiian-themed design of the space honors Marcus Mariota, who was the first Hawaii-born quarterback and the first player from the school to win the Heisman Trophy in 2014.
The first striking feature of the boxing studio is the heavy bags that one sees when one walks in. The tiki-styled masks decorate them as they hang from the roof, which is covered in Duck paintings that point the way to Autzen Stadium nearby.
The second feature is a black-and-white mural of Puddles The Duck on the wall, punching through a series of Polynesian-styled masks representing their conference opponents, drawn in a manga-influenced style.
Lastly, there’s the boxing ring. The 20×20 black leather ring is the centerpiece of the studio, with “Fighting Ducks” emblazoned in yellow on each turnbuckle and imprinted on the canvas apron. Players are forbidden to spar here; its purpose is strictly to build up their cardio performance.
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The studio’s addition to the center is a testament to the center’s focus on student-athlete wellness, adhering to its three components: recovery, physiology, and movement. The MMSPC opened in 2016 during Mariota’s second season with the Tennessee Titans.
It also ties in with the whimsical scene that greets visitors as they enter the center, with Puddles the Duck riding a surfboard in the Pacific Ocean.
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