Middleweight Naomi Graham, born May 15, 1989,  is one of the top female boxing amateurs in the sport today.  She grew up in Fayetteville, North Carolina but presently lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado. 

Naomi grew up in Fayetteville, which was a home to an Army base, and many boxing gyms.  Her older sister, Rachel Clark fought as a pro from 2008 to 2011, accumulating 12 plus fights.  Her sister was a great influence on Naomi, and by the age of nine, she too wanted to box!

In her younger years she was involved in many sports that included basketball, track the color guard and dance team.  She wanted to box at that time but her mother was against it. 

Graham said, “My mom was by herself and didn’t always have transportation, so I couldn’t get to the practices,." 

“I made all the teams, but I had to quit,” added Graham. 

Jamie Lynn Miller who penned a fantastic biography on Graham wrote, "With money and resources tight, Naomi knew she’d have to provide for herself. At age 14, she got a job at Sonic Burgers, but too many shifts left found her dozing off in class. As new hardships arose, Naomi faced the toughest year of her life. From that experience, however, her disciplined mental training—which she applies in the ring—began to take shape."

Graham said, “I was homeless for about a year." She said that no one realized it due to the fact that she would go to friends’ houses for dinner whenever invited, and just kept her situation to herself."

Graham said that she had decided that life had more in store for her than just being homeless, so she was determined to do something with her life and make something of herself.

So what did Graham do you may be asking....

Miller wrote, "Graham joined the Army, with finding a clear path to achieve her goals.  She pursue her associate’s degree in medical specialties; develop skills for work in a medical field; and ultimately, find her way into the World Class Athlete Program, or WCAP, military acronym for exemplary soldier-athletes."

Miller goes on to say, "But first, Naomi Graham had to box.  She wandered into the local Cobra Gym, and sought out a trainer to give her tips. After winning her first three fights on her own, she went to inquire about joining WCAP; as luck would have it, she’d been stationed in Fort Carson, Colorado, right next to the WCAP facilities."

Graham said that at first she was told she could not do it  due to having to be nationally ranked first.  That did not deter Graham though and only made her more detemined to do it on her own, until she defeated one of the WCAP boxers during an All-Army competition.  Then afte that the WCAP coaches agreed to allow her to do it.

Miller wrote, "outside the ring, life has its simple pleasures, as well as dreams that didn’t quite come true. “I dance all the time! I actually thought I was going to be a backup dancer at one point,” says Naomi, with a chuckle. “I feel music through me when I’m dancing, whatever the steps.”

Graham said that dancing helps her foot movement in boxing.  That her feet got a lot faster than the average person in her weight class.

Top Achievements of Graham:

2019 Elite Women's World Championships
2018 Elite Women's World Championships - 3rd
2016 Elite World Championships - 5th

Other Career Highlights

2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Boxing - 1st
2020 Boxam International Tournament - 1st
2020 Strandja Tournament - 1st
2019 Pan American Games - 1st
2019 Pan American Games Qualifier - 3rd
2019 Strandja Tournament - 1st
2019 Boxam Tournament - 1st
2018 Felixs Stamm Tournament - 3rd
2018 Elite National Championships - 1st
2017 Elite National Championships - 1st
2017 Western Elite Qualifier - 1st
2017 National Golden Gloves - 2nd
2016 Elite National Championships - 1st
2016 National PAL - 1st
2015 Elite National Championships - 3rd
2015 National PAL - 1st
2014 National PAL - 1st

Miscellaneous articles on Graham:

 Sgt. Naomi Graham never thought she'd be on the cusp of Olympic glory — albeit, a year behind schedule.  Link

Six Team USA Boxers Punch Ticket to Olympic Games Tokyo 2020
Source:  May 13, 2021  ink
 

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