13-year-old Toledo boxer looking toward next fight following USA Boxing Championships win

TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) - She’s a young contender who’s working her way up the ranks in the world of boxing.

In July, the teen won it all at the USA Boxing Women’s Championships that was held here in Toledo.

The Bennett Venture Academy student says the sport has changed her life. 13-year-old Shi’Ayr Harris started boxing a year and a half ago and is dominating in the ring.

“I did great. It was a stoppage in the first round. I think I ended it in the first 35 seconds,” boxer Shi’Ayr Harris said.

She was the only female boxer from Toledo who competed in the USA Boxing Championships and won. She won all three matches, and she was awarded a medal.

“I’m proud of myself because I always used to get in trouble. This got me straight on the right path. I think now I got better and a bigger mental state. I strive for better every day,” Harris said.

She says she’s learned to walk away from situations that can get her in trouble. The Bennett Venture Academy student spends two hours a day, five days a week training.

Her coach, Marlon Johnson trains at Eli Bishop School of Boxing by the way of Toledo Titans and says Shi’Ayr puts in a lot of hard work and when she steps in the ring she executes.

He says she is just tapping into the qualities of a competitive boxer in a male-dominated sport.

Harris says she plans to use her platform to promote discipline and encourage more young girls to join the sport.

She knows if she stays focused, she’ll achieve her goal.

“I want to take a professional. I want to rule the world with it,” Harris said.

Her next fight is this month in Cincinnati.

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