Despite her best effort, Monica lost in the finals of the 20th Annual Baraka Bouts.

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It turns out her competitor, named Ocean Leto, boxes outside of Notre Dame. She is a tough, experienced fighter. Monica fought well in the first two rounds. But in the last round, she took a nasty uppercut and had a standing 8-count.

Overall, the competition raised over $77,204.33, surpassing the $75,000 goal. I’m mildly curious about that 33 cents. This money will help build dormitories at St. Joseph’s Hill in Kyembogo, Uganda, allowing the school to increase their student population by almost 100 students.

Individually, Monica raised $2,550, far surpassing her $1000 individual goal. I’d like to point out that she crushed her competitor in the fundraising category.

I saw Monica over the weekend. She looked none worse for the wear. I was impressed with her analysis of the fight. With that megawatt smile she said, “The first round was the best that I had ever boxed. It was amazing.” Obviously, she was disappointed to lose but she found the positive takeaway from the loss.

That’s the heart of a true champion