2010s to Present: Reunited at Last

In the 2010s, both the original Boxer and Boxer II were missing.

But alumni, who had kept fragments that had broken off of Boxer in the 1960s, had started to return some stray parts. The first piece to come home to Pacific was one of Boxer's feet in 2008, followed by an ear around 2011. Don Metzger (Class of 1966) returned the tail in 2012. 

Without a physical Boxer statue present on campus, though, it was hard for students to connect with the old traditions. The Class of 1968 was especially keen on keeping those traditions alive, since Boxer was made Pacific's official mascot during their senior year. On the occasion of their 50th Reunion, several '68 alumni banded together with friends from other classes to fund a new replica: Boxer III. They tracked down the sculptor who had made Boxer II back in 1983, Pat Costello, and convinced him to take on the job.

This time, Costello was given a large set of archival photographs documenting the original Boxer from every angle. He also had access to the fragments that had come back to Pacific since 2008. With these resources, Costello was able to make a new rendition of Boxer that closely matched the original's appearance. (See a video of Pat Costello working on Boxer III in his studio.) Boxer III was unveiled at the Class of 1968's 50th Reunion and Homecoming in 2018.

Soon afterwards, university staff placed the new statue into a custom-made case in the lobby of the main campus library. The alumni had warned that it might be stolen, but staff thought that since the fragments of Boxer -- which had been on display nearby for about ten years -- had never been targeted for theft, the risk was low.

The alumni turned out to be right. In 2019, a small group of Pacific students broke into the case and stole Boxer III in broad daylight, leaving a ransom note behind. But unlike the first time Boxer was stolen from the university in 1899, the library had plenty of cameras watching the area. The students were swiftly convinced to bring Boxer III back, and staff put the statue away into a more secure (but much less visible) location.