By Evan Choi | Nov. 12, 2019 | 5:23 PM
Pfft, pfft, thud. Fists slashing and punches hitting were the only sounds cutting the tension at John Wooden Center UCLA gymnasium on March 16th, 2018. It was the National Collegiate Boxing Association Regional Championships. In the center for this bantamweight bout were RJ Leon, a stout but buff US Air Force cadet, cornering Jason Lan, a skinny 5-foot-5, 125-pound UC-Berkeley student who would normally be seen only perhaps in a math competition.
Lan attempted to fight back. But like a rock, the cadet was unaffected. Lan was stumbling. His nose was bleeding. So were his lips. His eyes were bloodshot, too.
But — still, despite shot after shot to the face, Lan refused to be knocked out.
In the bleachers, Lan’s parents were bearing witness to everything.
His mother, Li Liu, was teary-eyed, mouth wide open, flinching at every punch. She never expected this from her son, who quietly studies computer science at Berkeley. When she heard her son was … boxing… she was flabbergasted. Indeed, while Lan is fighting, Li, too, is fighting. Herself. In this moment, she wants this to be over and her son to be safe. At the same time, she will also say, she is fully supportive, knowing her son’s mental strength.
Jason Lan’s persistence led him here. His passion fueled him. This was how he lived and who he is.
In high school, Lan was the starting point guard for North Hollywood High’s varsity basketball team. He also played singles for the varsity tennis team for three years. He would wake up as early as 4 a.m., sometimes pulling occasional all-nighters to keep up with school and basketball. He kept up with practices and mastered his shooting and dribbling off the court all while studying for the SATs, solving double integrals and learning Spanish.
He got into Berkeley. Long nights of studying led to an internship at Tesla. Internships led to a position at Under Armour, where Lan now works over 40 hours a week currently — while still being a student.
Somehow, Lan still made time for boxing. He rose to become president of the NCBA club — the boxing organization — at Berkeley.
Relatively new, Lan recognized he must work double to catch up. He works to constantly at footwork, speed, stance, and reactivity. He strategizes and thinks constantly about the game and tries to incorporate his past experience to his skillset.
After three rounds at UCLA, the whistle announced the end of the match. Both were standing, but the winner was clear — Leon. That won’t stop Lan. Back to the practice ring he goes. One-hour practice is now two. Two more — no, four more extra sets. Like classes, work, or basketball, Lan refuses to stand down and eagerly waits for the next fight.