Damon-Bahe Boxing: down but not out

CHINLE

The humble gym nestled in the backroads of Chinle has a community history that stretches back three generations.

It started with John Bahe’s grandfather, a U.S Marine who decided to open the gym for young boxers and help provide them with healthy, clean living. That mission continues today, but recently it had been impaired by the coronavirus pandemic.

Precautions include a maximum number of people in the gym (seven including Bahe and his wife), regularly using hand sanitizer, and not allowing spectators into the gym. Everyone has to clean themselves before entering or leaving.

At the moment, only a select few are allowed in. Bahe isn’t training kids or allowing adults in at this time. He is hoping to let his old trainees back in soon, but it all depends on the severity of the pandemic.

“It’s just social distancing we got to work out,” Bahe said, referring to the closeness of the athletes in the small gym. “I don’t want anyone to get sick.”

One of the groups that Bahe interacts with is USA Boxing, which hosts competitions both locally and nationally. The group put out an advisory that certain states shouldn’t host events if the state has a large number of coronavirus cases. Arizona is one such state.

Although the gym is not open to the public, Bahe recently opened the doors to young prominent boxers and select family members.

The pandemic has placed Bahe in a tough spot; on the one hand, he fully understands the threat of the virus and does not want to risk getting boxers or their relatives sick. But, he recognizes how vital his gym is for young Navajo athletes who love to box.

The gym offers free programs to youth and functions through donations. It is a nonprofit safe haven for youth.

“No financial strains,” Bahe said with a sigh. “Just emotional strains.”

Bahe’s gym is a drug- and alcohol-free zone. It isn’t uncommon for troubled individuals to come to the gym to let loose pent up anger and maybe even get a chance at becoming regular boxing athletes. Before the pandemic, at least 12 athletes would come in per week. They would occasionally have more than 25 athletes at a time. Now their numbers are down to five with practice only two to three times a week.

“(We’re) just focusing on these three (athletes) for now,” Bahe said. “We’ll get to the other kids when we’re allowed to.”

Despite the hiatus, Bahe is confident he can get his best fighters ready if competition begins again.

“Right now, if I can get her (Mariah Bahe) to spar in two to three weeks,” Bahe said, “they’d be ready. Same as Jayden (Begay), they’ll be ready to compete.”

Mariah, Bahe’s own daughter, is currently ranked No. 2 in the nation with six national titles to her name. A couple of months ago, a film crew wanted to make a documentary about her, and filming began. However, it was cut short due to the pandemic, and the film crew left before the documentary could be finished.

This doesn’t perturb Mariah, who only has one goal.

“The 2026 Olympics,” she said confidently before entering the gym and punching the bag.

Mariah had been training on her own ever since the Navajo Nation first went into shut down, going for runs and watching Olympic-level training videos on her own until her father let her back into the gym a few weeks ago.

“It’s good to train on your own,” Bahe said. “But it’s very beneficial to have a coach or trainer to help you.”

Jayden Begay, who placed 5th in nationals, agrees with that sentiment. Begay is one of the five athletes currently using the gym.

“It feels better working with a group,” Jayden said during a brief rest period.

Ivana Nez has been training for four years and Bahe sees potential in her. She was supposed to have her first competitive fight earlier in the year when her opponent backed out. Because of the virus she hadn’t have her chance in the ring yet.

“It was hard when the gym closed,” Ivana said. “The thing that I love about boxing is it clears my mind and head a lot. John teaches me and inspires me.”

Jeremiah Bahe, also John’s child, has been a regular at Bahe’s gym for over 10 years. Although he doesn’t compete as much as he used to, boxing is still something he loves to do as he assists younger athletes.

“It was really hard because a lot of us are used to boxing in our downtime and to stay active,” Jeremiah said about the gym closure.

Jeremiah is a former employee of Garcia’s Restaurant within the Holiday Inn in Chinle. He and many other workers were laid off this spring when the pandemic began spreading across Arizona. Not having work or the gym to go to was demoralizing for him, so he was ecstatic when the gym was once again open.

“It’s a really good thing,” Jeremiah said about the gym slowly opening. “A lot of us started gaining weight, so the gym really helped discipline us with eating,” he said with a laugh.

The walls of the small gym are overcrowded with belts from numerous tournaments.

The latest belt to be won was the 2020 National Silver Gloves belt, won by Mariah in February before everything was shut down.

Although things are looking better on the Navajo Nation and cases are going down, the gym will reopen slowly. They will adhere to strict guidelines, along with other precautions. One possible precaution would be to have the gym open in the mornings for adults and then teens in the evenings to accommodate the athletes. Right now, Bahe has about six people just waiting to be let back into the gym. Still, for him, his athletes’ health, as well as their families’ health, is a fixed priority.

“I’m worried about my kids, those kids I’m concerned about,” Bahe said. “It’s why I gave up a career as technician. I just want those kids to go and excel in their own lives.”

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