Yuma 11-year-old wins first Junior Olympic boxing title

Francisco Perez became the first boxer from Yuma to win a Junior Olympic national title, taking the 154-pound division in Wichita, Kansas, at age 11. He had been boxing for only three years, turning a short start in the sport into a result that lifted the profile of Yuma’s youth boxing scene.

Perez’s win came at the 2026 USA Boxing Junior Olympics and Summer Festival, which ran June 20-27 at the Century II Performing Arts & Convention Center. USA Boxing said the final day featured 118 championship bouts across the Bantam, Intermediate, Junior, Youth and Elite male and female divisions, a crowded national stage that made Perez’s run stand out even more.

The title was not an isolated moment for Yuma. Perez was one of three local athletes to qualify for Wichita, joining Skyler Bialecki and Liam Bialecki. Liam Bialecki, 11, was already ranked among the top five fighters nationally for his age group in March, while Skyler Bialecki is a competitive amateur boxer with more than 30 fights, a USA Boxing national competitor and a fighter featured in Vice Media’s Child’s Play. Together, the three qualifiers showed that Yuma’s boxing pipeline is producing athletes who can compete far beyond the local circuit.

That pipeline runs through Bad Apple Boxing in Yuma, where former professional fighter Tyler Bialecki has built a program around discipline, confidence and leadership. The gym has already shown it can fill local cards, including a March Shamrock Showdown that featured 26 bouts and 17 local fighters, giving young boxers regular chances to test themselves before moving onto bigger stages.

For Perez, the championship marked the clearest sign yet that a local kid can start in Yuma, train in a neighborhood gym and reach a national title match in Wichita. He has said his next goal is another national championship and, eventually, a professional career. For Yuma families, coaches and younger fighters watching him, the path now looks more visible than ever.