Maui teen claims 4th national title at USA Boxing Junior Olympics

News admin July 25, 2026 0 Comments

Maui teen claims 4th national title at USA Boxing Junior Olympics

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Maui’s Micah Diaz is climbing through the boxing ranks on an astronomical ascent.

Last month, he won his fourth national championship at the USA Boxing Junior Olympics in the 101-pound weight class.

“It means a lot ‘cause I’ve been working hard every day and through the night,” Diaz told Hawaii News Now. “I’ve been working, doing the extras.”

Longtime coach Nante Manangan of South Side Boxing has coached countless athletes in his gym, but Diaz was different.

The 14-year-old only stepped into the ring three and a half years ago.

“I believe that a star is born, but we got to guide him, because there’s a lot of outside forces out there,” Manangan said. “He wants to be the shining star. I told him, you got to be the shining star, and, you know, he wants it. He’s real humble and he does the work.”

The work is done with his Valley Isle home in his heart.

Diaz said, “It meant a lot because I made everyone back home proud, my family and my coaches.”

In addition to taking home the national belt, Diaz also won most outstanding boxer, an accolade that goes beyond the squared circle.

“It’s such a proud moment because us as parents, our goal is to teach our kids the right way to be able to get a job, to be able to have two feet on the ground and be able to thrive,” Diaz’s dad, Mike Diaz, said. “It’s a tough world out there, you know, but just try to lead by example and show him the ways.”

As Diaz continues his boxing journey, he wants to continue to collect national titles.

But his coach believes there are bigger championships for him to chase.

“I want to live as long as I can to see him be the world champion,” Manangan said. “We talk about that a lot too, like, ‘Hey, don’t worry Micah, I’m gonna hang around until you become a world champion.’ So that’s the goal.”