What constitutes boxing entertainment will be up to the individual at tonight’s 54 th annual Navy Brigade Boxing Championships.

Occasional brutality should excite the 3,000 plus fans at Halsey Field House, while Navy coach Jim McNally will pay more attention to classic combination punches, hands up defenses and tactical chess matches among fighters.

It should be fun for all when the 139-pound title bout starts things at 7:30 p.m. Seven bouts will follow.

‘I realized a couple years ago how differently people look at what’s happening in a bout,” McNally said. “The fans aren’t thinking what the coach is thinking. The crowd will react to a match up of two sluggers whose skills aren’t the greatest but can cause some bleeding and really thumb people.

“They like the warrior mentality. Just two guys going at it and giving it everything they’ve got.”

Coach McNally prefers a well though out match, when the skills from the past six months of training are retained and used. Though the Brigade Championships are open to any midshipmen on campus, this isn’t some post midnight barroom brawl or tough man contest.

The 16 th fighters in tonight’s eight bouts have been training since September, and were weeded out from an original group of 85 hopefuls. Prospective fighters are running intervals and distances at 5:45 a.m. and spend afternoon time in the gym working on guard position, head and feet movement and sparring.

They’ve worked hard to reach this point, and brute strength and meanness wont be enough to survive three two-minute rounds. Textbook jabs, crosses, hooks, and uppercuts will be far more punishing.

“It takes a lot to be proficient in the sport,” McNally said. “Conditioning is important, as is being technically sound.”

Sophomore J.J. Puga (165) was national runner-up last year and has overcome wrist problems to advance into tomorrow’s night’s finals. Fellow soph Jon Bradley (180) was a runner-up in the 1994 brigade, and has looked impressive during recent bouts.

Team captain Chandler Comerford (172) is a two time All American who was third at nationals last year. Comerford, Alexander and Bradley were winners at last weekend’s Lock Haven ( Pa.) Invitational.

“They’ve been the best so far,” McNally said.

Tomorrow night’s winners advance to the National Collegiate Boxing Association’s Southeast Regional to be held March 24-25 at The Citadel in Charleston, S.C. The nationals are set for the Air Force Academy, April 6-7.