Pratik Sunuwar (Mktg’28)
Photo by Nathan Thompson
For Pratik Sunuwar (Mktg’28), boxing is no longer just a sport. It’s the place where he learned, “I'm stronger than I think I am.” As a Leeds sophomore studying marketing, he keeps boxing as a top priority—and with good reason: In December 2025, he was ranked the No. 1 amateur middleweight in the United States.
Behind that success is a family that quietly shaped his worth ethic. Sunuwar had long training days during the pandemic, with his brother training beside him, turning isolation into a shared routine. “We were just training all the time, all the time,” he said. Those hours were not only about improving his technique. They were about learning how to keep going when everything else slowed down.
His mindset shifted during the pandemic. It was a period of uncertainty that reshaped many students’ lives, including his. He began taking boxing seriously. With classes disrupted and daily life altered, training became his anchor.
Then came a pause that changed everything. “I took a big break,” he said. “And when I came back to compete, I just started dominating.” The effect was immediate and dramatic. For the first time, Sunuwar began to see himself differently. “At that point, I realized I have something special.”
From casual to professional
In his early years, boxing wasn’t something Sunuwar viewed as a defining part of his future. It was simply an outlet. “I had competed before that point, but I didn't think I was that good, you know?” For a long time, boxing was “just to stay in shape and to have a fun sport.” There were no long-term plans and no expectations of championships or recognition, only routine, repetition and enjoyment.
But coming to Ҵýƽ deepened his relationship with boxing. In a city where he had already spent years training, the transition to college pulled him closer to the gym. Now competing as an amateur middleweight, Sunuwar fights in the 165-pound division. Reaching and maintaining weight requires constant discipline. “I mean, it sucks, but that's what you've got to do sometimes,” he said. Still, the challenge drives him forward, and it opens doors to competing internationally. “It’s exciting. It's a different level of competition, so it'll help me grow.”
Balancing academics and athletics
Balancing training with school isn’t easy. As a marketing major at Leeds, Sunuwar structures his days around both academics and athletics. The same streets lead him from lecture halls to the boxing gym, tying his academic life directly to his athletic one.
Mornings begin in the classroom. Evenings end at the gym. The discipline that keeps him in shape is the same discipline that carries him through long days of studying.
When he looks back on his journey, what stays with him most is not a single fight, but the work it took to get here. He continues to prove to himself that he has what it takes—one class, one workout and one fight at a time.