USC, UCLA Rivalry Hits Ring

One of college sports' fiercest rivalries is about to turn into a blood feud.

At least, if the amateur boxers in this ring have anything to do about it.

After years of fighting for L.A., club teams representing UCLA and USC are stepping into the ring along with members of the Navy, Marines and Air Force in a free-to-the-public amateur boxing card on Venice Beach Sunday.

Boxing hasn't been an NCAA sanctioned sport since 1960, but on the club level the sport is beginning to grow under the guidance of the National Collegiate Boxing Association. Thirty-six schools are currently registered with the USA Boxing sponsored organization. And Southern California is a natural fit for the amateur sport, as the region has been home to a slew of current and former champions, including welterweight king Shane Mosley, former six-division champion Oscar De La Hoya, and Fernando Vargas, as well as Freddie Roach's Wild Card gym and a host of amateur fighters.

Sunday's 20-card bout on the beach best known for its body builders and not its body punchers will also include members of the Navy, Marines and Air Force.

But it's the fighters in the blue and red, or rather Cardinal, corners that may prove to the be the local draw. USC is in its third year as a boxing team is an emerging regional program, having already placed one of its fighters in the National Collegiate Championships. UCLA's club boxing team, meanwhile, is making its debut.

But if there's anything this rivalry has proven, and Sunday's card will likely reinforce, it's that it takes dislike forms quickly, particularly in a small space.