Junior Olympic bound

Damon-Bahe Boxing Club qualifies two for nationals

FRUITLAND, N.M.

Every day after school, Mariah Bahe and James Bahe would hang up their running shoes and pick up their boxing gloves.

They would hop off the bus and head to the family gym – the Damon-Bahe Boxing Club in Chinle. They worked tirelessly into the nights with their father and coach John C. Bahe, Jr., for a chance to do more than those who came before them.

Their dedication has earned them a ticket to the USA Boxing Junior Olympic National Championships to be held in West Virginia on June 8-13.

John C. Bahe, Jr., said the two have put in the work willingly throughout the year and now they’re reaping the rewards.

“It’s a big accomplishment for both of them,” he said of the two youngest members of the Bahe boxing family. “It’s a big confidence builder knowing that we can actually make it to the national level as Native Americans.”

Mariah, who is 11, goes to Mesa View Elementary School in Chinle and her brother James, 13, attends Chinle Junior High School.

Both qualified for the National Championships after becoming the 2015 Arizona State Junior Olympic Champions. James took the title weighing-in at 80 pounds in the 13-14 year old class and Mariah in the 11-12 year old class. Mariah Bahe qualified for the National Championships in the Pee Wee Division and James Bahe qualified for the Intermediate Division.

Both are also the 2015 Four Corners Regional Champions in their respective classes.

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