Friday, March 29, 2024

Damon Bahe team takes break as school starts

CHINLE

With school starting again, the Damon Bahe boxing team slowed down with their traveling, but the past month they were able to squeeze in a few more fights.

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Kamora Williams started her career in the Junior Olympics Division in the 14-15 year-old division while sparring for the Damon-Bahe boxing team.

Maria Bahe, a nationally ranked contender, was supposed to fight in Casper Wyoming, but her opponent pulled out at the last second.

“I was kind of disappointed because it would have been a rematch from the last time we fought and I was looking forward to facing her,” Mariah said.

Despite this though, she spent her time there sparring with younger female boxers that her father and coach John Bahe think was good for all of them.

“It turned out pretty good,” John said. “The girls learned how it is to be in there with a nationally ranked fighter, see the experience and how she worked with them.

“She didn’t try to overpower them or hurt them, she just worked with them and showed them the different skills that she has. Hopefully it helps to improve their confidence and their outlook on boxing.”

The other teammates, James Bahe, Jayden Begay and Kamora Williams, were able to compete in their own respected fights.

Jayden is ranked No. 3 in the intermediate division, 13-14 yr. old and her opponent was ranked No. 2 and was a former division champion. She had 29 fights under her belt while Jayden had 12.

They had fought before and Jayden lost in the first round. This time though she stayed in for all three rounds. In the final round, Jayden caught her opponent off balance and sent her to the canvas with a jab, scoring a knockdown. She ultimately lost the fight in a split decision, but she came a long way since she first started.

“There is a lot of maturity in that young lady,” John said. “She is up coming. She is going to be a top contender real soon. She’s already ranked number three in the nation; it’s going to get better. I expect her to win a couple of national championships while she’s here with me.”

Putting on the gloves

John’s son, James Bahe, had recently took up boxing again since his preferred sport, college football, was put on hold after many of the schools he thought about joining had closed because of the pandemic. After putting the gloves back on, he has been considering going pro this coming season.

He is the most experienced fighter in the gym having been in over 130 fights. He and his brother Joshua are now competing in the Elite Division, where they fight full-grown men.

“It’s different,” James said. “I’m fighting men now. I am not fighting 19- or 16-year-olds. I am fighting men that are like 30 or 22 like the guy I fought in Wyoming. It’s a lot different.”

Like Jayden, James hung on through all three rounds of the fight but lost to split decision.

“I like contact sports,” James said. “The thought of being in contact with someone seeing who is better, seeing who has a better mindset.”

This previous week, Kamora and Jayden had matches scheduled in Las Vegas at the Junior Olympics Regional Championships. However, there was no one there who could fight Jayden and because of a new USA Boxing rule she was unable to compete if there was no one she could go up against.

Kamora is a new boxer and is just starting her career in the Junior Olympic Division 14- to 15-year-old, Las Vegas was her first time at regionals. She lost her fight, but John still sees a lot of potential in her and has faith that she will be ranked.

“She did very, very well,” John said. “I’m very proud of her. She holds a lot of promise as long as she keeps working and competing. She’ll be up there, she’s aggressive.”

Kamora is new but she likes boxing very much. She prefers to be in the gym rather than at home doing “nothing.”

She has had only six fights so far but she feels she is getting better, especially in regards to her mental strength and keeping her mind in the fight. She hopes to get ranked nationally and to continue fighting.

Play hard, work hard

Her new schedule is still taking some time to get used to. She’ll go to school all day, return home for 30 minutes before coming back up to Chinle and going to the gym. Still, she enjoys the experience and being with the other boxers.

“I will continue doing this as far as I can go,” Kamora said. “I’ll keep improving and just keep up in school and keep going no matter what.”

Now with school starting, the team slows down a bit, especially with training as the boxers return to their studies. At the moment there are no upcoming fights scheduled. The earliest is in December, but that may change.

Part of the reason it has become difficult to schedule matches is because of the virus outbreak. Many of the qualifying matches that usually set up in Arizona is done by USA Boxing, but because of high virus cases the organization hasn’t sponsored any games lately.

This forces John to look up fights in other states as he tries to find good competition for his boxers.

A lot of times, the Damon Bahe team would fight opponents more experienced than they are which can be unnerving but John is sure such fights will help his team be better prepared.

John encourages people to get vaccinated so that things could return to normal.

Even though he and his family are vaccinated, he isn’t comfortable letting people back into the gym yet as they’re constantly traveling and doesn’t want to risk spreading the disease further.

He misses seeing people in his gym, especially young kids, but he knows they’re probably most at risk to the virus.

All the boxers are ready to go back to school, but they are just as eager to hit the road again.

“We get that a lot wherever we travel, we’re always considered the underdogs because of where we come from and who we are,” John said. “But every show every place we go we gain a lot of respect we gain a lot of experience and we continue to go on to the next one sees what comes up next.”


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