Bo Bassett
American wrestler (born 2006)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bo Bassett (born August 25, 2006) is an American freestyle and folkstyle wrestler who competes at 65 kilograms. Bassett became the youngest world champion in history at the 2021 World Cadets Wrestling Championships, and was a gold medalist at the Pan American Wrestling Championships (2021, 2024) and Junior Pan American Games (2025).
Bassett in 2023 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Bowen William Bassett | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | August 25, 2006 Windber, Pennsylvania, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 65 kg (143 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Website | hoo.be/bo.bassett | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country |  United States | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Wrestling | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Event(s) | Freestyle and Folkstyle | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College team | Virginia Tech | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Young Guns Wrestling Club | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coached by | William Bassett | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Considered one of the top collegiate wrestling prospects after amassing an undefeated high school record, Bassett committed to wrestling for the Virginia Tech Hokies beginning in 2026.
He is currently signed to the Featherweight division of Real American Freestyle (RAF), where he debuted at RAF 03.
Early life
Bowen William Bassett was born in Windber, Pennsylvania, the son of nurse Karissa (née Hamilton) and educator William Bassett.[1][2][3]
He grew up being a fan of Spencer Lee, and cites him as his inspiration for taking up wrestling.[4] Bassett and Lee have trained together at the Young Guns Wrestling Club in Ebensburg, Pennsylvania.[4]
Bassett left Forest Hills Junior-Senior High School after his father was fired as their junior varsity wrestling coach in 2020.[5][6] He would transfer to Bishop McCort High School, where his father was named head varsity wrestling coach in 2021.[7]
High school career
In 2021, Bassett transferred to Bishop McCort High School, where his father was named the head varsity wrestling coach. However, his father was issued a two-year ban from coaching that same year by the PIAA after he violated state recruiting policies.[8] Bishop McCort was found to have improperly recruited Jax Forrest and other out-of-state students to build their wrestling program.[9] As part of sanctions against the school, Bishop McCort and its wrestlers were barred from competing for a state championship during Bassett's freshman season.[8]
Bassett put together an undefeated record of 170–0 in folkstyle wrestling at Bishop McCort High School.[10] He won three PIAA class AA state championships, winning in his sophomore, junior, and senior seasons.[11][12] He was also a four-time winner of the Super 32 tournament, the first ever to do so in the boy’s division,[13] a four-time winner of the Walsh Jesuit Ironman, and a three-time winner of the Powerade Wrestling Tournament.[14][15][16][17]
Critics have attributed Bassett's success to reclassification, as he was held back a year in school, making him older and more physically mature than his competition.[18]
College career
We have an unbelievable room at Bishop McCort. We have eight guys ranked in the country. We joke that our wrestling room is called the "Shark Tank." Not everyone that comes into our room can handle it.[19]
Prior to his senior year of high school, Bassett committed to wrestling for the Virginia Tech Hokies beginning in 2026.[20] His adopted brother, Melvin Miller, also committed to the Hokies, joining in 2027.[21][22] Their younger brother, Keegan Bassett, graduates in 2028 and has not yet committed to a college.[23] Bassett originally announced that he would be joining the Iowa Hawkeyes, but later decommitted.[24][25]
Bassett was offered a NIL sponsorship deal worth $1 million from Chael Sonnen, which he turned down.[26]
International career
He won gold medals in both freestyle and Greco-Roman at the 2021 U17 Pan American Wrestling Championships.[27]
Bassett at age 14 became the youngest world champion in history when he won a gold medal in freestyle at the 2021 World Cadets Wrestling Championships.[28][29] At the same event, he lost his opening round match of the Greco-Roman competition to Ruslan Lukiaev of Russia.[30]
He defeated four opponents including former NCAA Division I champion Anthony Ashnault in the 2024 Last Chance Qualifier tournament for the US Olympic trials, but lost in the finals to Matthew Kolodzik.[31]
He won a gold medal in freestyle at the 2024 U20 Pan American Wrestling Championships.[32]
Bassett won a bronze medal in freestyle at the 2024 U20 World Wrestling Championships.[33] His semifinal loss came to Makoto Hosokawa of Japan.[34]
He competed at the 2025 US World Team Trials in freestyle, defeating Beau Bartlett in a quarterfinal match before losing to Brock Hardy in the semifinals, and Marcus Blaze in a consolation semifinal.[35]
Bassett won a gold medal in freestyle at the 2025 Junior Pan American Games.[36]
Real American Freestyle
Bassett debuted for Real American Freestyle (RAF) at RAF 03 on November 29, 2025, where he pinned former NCAA champion Darrion Caldwell in the first period.[37][38]
Freestyle record
Personal life
Bassett has trained in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, to help prepare for a future transition to mixed martial arts.[39]
