Photo By Eric Bartelt | U.S. Military Academy Class of 2026 Cadet and Army West Point Boxing Team Captain...... read more read more
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For U.S. Military Academy Class of 2026 Cadet and Army West Point Boxing Team captain Elijah Gates, the journey to earning his first Brigade Boxing Open (BBO) title on Feb. 20 was not easy. His path to this moment began three years before he was accepted to the academy.
The Wichita, Kansas, native came to West Point as a prior-service Soldier. He served as an infantryman in the Kansas National Guard before going on active duty and being assigned to the Airborne Ranger Training Brigade at Fort Benning, Georgia.
While attending Ranger School and earning his Ranger tab, Gates met a lieutenant in his squad whose father was a West Point graduate and Field Force representative. That connection sparked a mentorship that eventually led Gates to the academy’s prior-service admissions representative. As Gates put it, “The rest is history.”
Completing the Army’s rigorous 62-day Ranger School gave Gates the confidence to take on the academy’s 47-month experience—including stepping into the boxing ring.
“I learned to be collected under pressure, and I take that same approach in boxing,” Gates said. “My success in the ring comes from being focused, dialed in and mentally calm. Whether it is Ranger School, jumping out of airplanes or fighting three rounds in the ring, when I stay calm, cool and collected, it all works out best for me.”
The biggest lesson he learned during his three years in the Army was simple: half the battle is showing up.
“You roll out of bed when you don’t want to run five miles in the morning, or you have a tough training block, or academic obligations start to pile up,” Gates said. “But the people who win are the ones who, first and foremost, just show up.
“It’s the same with boxing practice or a fight on the weekend,” he added. “The hardest part is just stepping into the ring.”
Today, Gates serves as team captain, but his path to the role was far from smooth.
When he tried out for the team as a plebe, he was cut. During that first semester, he competed in company athletics but would still sneak into the boxing gym after team practices to work the heavy bag.
When January arrived, Head Coach Jerry Hart sent an email announcing an expedited tryout to fill several open roster spots.
“I came for seven days for the second tryout, and I thought I got worked over,” Gates said. “I just got absolutely beat down by guys who had been with the team a full semester.
“I was fighting upperclassmen who were getting ready for the Golden Gloves tournament. I thought, ‘No way—I did worse this time.’”
At the end of the week, Hart addressed the remaining boxers.
“If you’re still here,” he told them, “Congratulations—you made the team.”
Three years later, Gates embraces the grind. He balances time in the ring with the academy’s military expectations, academic rigor and the discipline required to remain in fighting condition.
Now 25 years old and competing in the 165-pound weight class, Gates said discipline has been the key to his success.
“During the season, I have to be extremely disciplined,” Gates said. “Doing the right things compounds over time. Consistency has been the biggest lesson I learned from the Army.
“With boxing, it’s the consistency of my diet, my training, my running mileage and my work ethic in the gym,” he continued.
“I could sandbag a workout where nobody notices,” he said. “But as a team captain, people are watching me, and I have to set the example.”
Gates said his motivation in the ring comes from representing West Point and the U.S. Army.
“When I’m in that ring, I think about my team and their expectations of their captain,” Gates said. “I have to put on a performance and do my best.
“I’ve been through so much adversity that going three rounds in the ring feels manageable,” he added. “Of all the hard things I do at the academy, throwing hands in the ring is probably the easiest—and I love what I do.”
One of his most memorable victories came earlier this season during a competition at the U.S. Air Force Academy, where he and his teammates fought at nearly 7,000 feet above sea level.
“It was an awesome experience, but probably the craziest I’ve ever felt in the ring,” Gates said. “I felt like I was breathing through a straw—my lungs were on fire.”
After Army lost the previous two bouts, Hart approached Gates before his match.
“He told me, ‘We really need this win to get us back in the swing of the dual meet,’” Gates recalled.
In the third round, Gates slipped a punch and landed a powerful cross that forced the Air Force boxer into an eight-count. With 30 seconds remaining, he knew he had secured the victory.
When his name was announced and his arm was raised, the crowd fell silent.
“Coach Hart was over in the corner screaming and cheering,” Gates said. “It was electric in the silence. It was my best win so far—especially as a senior team captain winning at Air Force.”
Gates entered the BBO finals seeking his first title and an opportunity to advance to the National Collegiate Boxing Association (NCBA) regionals—and potentially nationals.
His sophomore year, he lost in the semifinals. As a junior, he lost in the finals to a senior. The progression had been steady, and this year offered another opportunity.
“It doesn’t get much more storybook than that,” Gates said. “To be able to put it all together and win in front of a Friday night home crowd would mean a lot.
“This is going to be an awesome experience and hopefully one step closer to a national title and a team title.” The next step is the National Collegiate Boxing Association (NCBA) regional championships, set for March 12–14.
Strong performances there could send competitors to the NCBA national championships in Charlotte, North Carolina.
If that road leads to Charlotte, Hart expects Gates to be there. Hart remembers when Gates returned after initially being cut from the team.
“Sometimes it’s just a numbers game,” Hart said, noting that the team is authorized up to 80 boxers. “Elijah may have gotten lost in the shuffle at the beginning, but I remember when he came back.
“All of us were thinking, ‘Hey, this guy’s got a little extra something,’” Hart added. “He’s tough. He’s a hard worker. He kept coming to practices even though he wasn’t on the team, which showed us how much he wanted to be here.”
Hart also credits Gates’ leadership and dedication to the team.
“The cadets vote for their captain, so that says a lot,” Hart said. “He’s a natural leader. He connects with everybody—from every class year and every background, including officers and faculty.
“He holds his classmates to a standard,” Hart continued. “He’s a model cadet in many ways and a model leader. He’s going to do amazing things in the Army.”
For Gates, leading the team as it pursues its first NCBA men’s championship since 2022 and women’s championship since 2024 has been a privilege.
“I’m extremely honored to be nominated by my peers,” Gates said.
“But leading a team of warriors—there’s no other experience at West Point like it,” he added. “It translates directly to the Army and leading Soldiers.
“Leading people who are going to go fight—that’s what I do every day,” Gates said. “Getting to lead this team has been the highlight of my cadet career.”
(Editor's note: Gates earned the BBO title at 165 pounds is now competing at NCBA East Regionals March 12-14 in Bristol, Connecticut, with a chance to go to nationals.)
| Date Taken: | 03.13.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 03.13.2026 10:59 |
| Story ID: | 560509 |
| Location: | WEST POINT, NEW YORK, US |
| Web Views: | 14 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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