J.J. Johnson, a junior psychology major, hopes to be one of the first two females on the university’s club competitive boxing team.

Boxing gloves make solid thuds that echo throughout the room, and J.J. Johnson’s opponent holds steady as punches fly into the white circles printed on the middle of her red boxing mitts. If the two boxers punch like girls, it’s probably because they are.

But amid a mostly male sea of partners squaring off on sprawling blue mats, their technique matches that of everyone else. The junior psychology major and her boxing partner, junior English major Angie Rivera, are two of the few female members of the university boxing club who hope to join the university club competitive boxing team this semester. They would be the first women to join the team since its creation in November. 2004.

Johnson’s goal has sparked different reactions from friends. Her girlfriends “think it’s awesome,” but guys are often surprised the 4-foot-11-inch Panama native has a jones for boxing. “Guys are just like, really? You don’t look a boxer,” she said.

Judging from the scene at boxing club practice, Johnson, decked out in a black and pink Adidas T-shirt over pink shorts, and Rivera, whose pants have the word “Peek-a-boo” etched across them, may not have the boxer look.

And few would argue guys would hug each other if one were to accidentally hit the other during a mitt/glove drill – boxing combos done without actual contact, as Johnson does to Rivera during one particularly focused round of boxing combinations.

But the boxer image may be in for a shift, according to Luke Runion, president of the club and club team. The junior individual studies major, who has been involved with college boxing on various campuses since 2001, said he has seen more women competing in college boxing this year.

“It’s getting more popular because of women like Laila Ali and some of the other female boxers,” Runion said of boxing legend Muhammad Ali’s daughter, who is undefeated and was recently tapped to receive the first “Female Boxer of the Year” award from the World Boxing Council.

Though both women watched boxing as children – Johnson continues to look up to fellow Panamanian native Roberto Duran, who beat former world champion Sugar Ray Leonard in 1980 – Johnson and Rivera’s interest in boxing began as little more than a search for a challenging workout.

After transferring from Anne Arundel Community College, where she took a kickboxing class, Johnson sought a similar workout at this university. When she saw that the university had a boxing club she thought she’d give it a shot.

“At first it was intimidating,” Johnson said. “I tried [the boxing club] and fell in love with it.”

Rivera, the Boxing Club’s promotion officer, was sitting at the club rugby team’s table at the First Look Fair when she learned about the boxing club and thought it would be a good way to stay in shape.

Runion said the club and club team work in conjunction with one another. Out of the 115 people who paid dues to the boxing club last semester, about 15 were women, he said. Many, including men, see the boxing club as a way to get a great workout and relieve stress after a long day of classes.

Bi-weekly club practices begin with routine and calisthenics workouts, involving relay races, sit-ups and push-ups and ending with practice rounds of boxing combos. Club rules forbid members from sparring – a “simulated, more controlled fight,” explained Boxing Club secretary Elvin Fortuna, a junior philosophy major, and former member of the competitive team. Sparring involves contact as opposed to the mitt/glove drills done in Boxing Club practice.

Rivera and Johnson have yet to attend club boxing practice, but Runion said in order to join the team, they would have to prove they were in top physical shape and at that point the coach would allow them to spar, something Johnson tried at amateur boxing clubs this past summer.

It would be a while before either of them would be allowed to compete, but Runion said the university boxing program, while only a club sport, is growing. Runion said it is likely the university will host amateur boxing competitions on the campus as early as next year.

Both women said their families and friends support them, but some worry about the dangers of the sport that has been perceived as very violent. Rivera’s twin sister, Julie, also a student at Maryland, worries she will get hurt. And Johnson said her boyfriend isn’t exactly keen on her joining the team.

But Fortuna said boxing is stereotyped as a violent sport.

“There are a lot of safety sanctions put in place,” he noted, adding rules prohibit any boxers from fighting across gender. Fortuna said safety guidelines might differ slightly, in terms of equipment, but “training is pretty much the same.”

If Rivera and Johnson make it to the boxing ring, they are fairly certain they will support each other.

“It’s probably not going to be very common to see other girls on the team,” Johnson said. “But we’ll definitely have each other.”

Johnson said she suspects some guys in the Boxing Club think of their interest in boxing as “a joke.”

But Fortuna said he thinks Rivera and Johnson can become a vital part of the competitive team.

“If guys can do it, I don’t understand why [girls could] not,” he said.

And no one questions their dedication. Runion said he can’t recall either of them missing a practice.

“All the girls on the club are really tough,” he said. “They’re special because they’re consistent and … just really dedicated. If they bring that work ethic into the ring they’ll be fine.”

Contact reporter Bethonie Butler at butlerdbk@gmail.com.