Written by Myles Braxton

AMHERST, MASSACHUSETTS – At first sight, almost no one would take or think Meiya Berkey to be a fighter. Berkey has been described by the Massachusetts Daily Collegian as “a menace in the ring weighing in less than 100 pounds and,  Standing at 4 feet 11 inches .”. Berkey has earned her fame as a boxer by being a two-time New England Golden Gloves champion, as well as a Fighter of the Night champion and an All-American. Berkey has held multiple positions within the UMass Boxing Club between 2015 and 2018 which included team captain, trainer, and Vice President. Berkey now returns to campus to claim the title of co-head coach with her partner, Sean Donnelly, following the retirement of long-time and former Golden Gloves champion  UMass boxing coach, Rocky Snow.

Donnelly, 28, also has a background of a long career in boxing, fighting from the years of 2012 and 2020. Throughout this time, Donnelly held the title of UMass Boxing team captain between the years 2014 to 2017. Donnelly, in contrast to Berkey, has a much larger physique and can be described as having a more conventional look with short brown hair and a short-shaven beard. Aside from his work coaching the UMass Boxing Club, Donnelly currently works as a content writer and says he looks forward to working towards becoming a published author hopefully within the next five years.

Both Berkey and Donnelly have had the pleasure of being trained by former coach and champion  Rocky Snow during their career at UMass. The former Marine and Golden Gloves champion had fought professionally for eight years. Snow has set a legacy of being the face of UMass Boxing and is responsible for many of the accomplishments of the young club. Knowing his time working as a coach for the club he took both Berkey and Donnelly under his wing and served as a mentor not only inside the ring but outside the ring creating an invaluable relationship among all of them, said Berkey and Donnelly.

 Current head coach Berkey stated she also hopes to create a club environment that is fun for all and looks for it to be a place where people can make lasting connections. “We hope to continue coach Rocky’s legacy about spreading the sport to anyone in a safe and fun manner,” said Berkey.

“Safety, individual character, and academics are more important than the competition aspect,” said Donnelly, “The club and the team were where I made all my best memories in college, and I want that for current and future club members as well.”

The UMass boxing club now holds regular on-campus practices every Saturday at 3:00 P.M. in the UMass Recreation Center, as well as off-campus sparring practices every Wednesday and Sunday evening at the Central City Boxing and Barbell in Springfield, Massachusetts.

When it comes to words of encouragement, Snow says, “Train for a pit bull, hope for a poodle.”