SANTA MARIA, Calif. _ The boxer dances across an empty ring, moving to a beat only he can hear. His punches snap with a grace honed by years of hard work.
All the times he rose early as a boy, running cold streets while classmates watched from a passing school bus, made him quick. All the times he trudged across town, lugging a duffel bag full of gear, made him strong.
Carlos Balderas remembers wanting to skip workouts. "Growing up, I had friends and they always hung out," he says. "My dad made me go to the gym."
His father watches from outside the ring and recalls how a skinny kid grew into a powerful 19-year-old lightweight who will box at the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro next month. Zenon Balderas insists it took a stern hand to bring out the best in Carlos.
Yet there is doubt in his voice.
"Was I too tough?" he wonders. "Sometimes I feel bad."
This converted warehouse buzzes with young fighters skipping rope and pounding the heavy bags. Carlos _ his arms glistening with sweat _ has the ring to himself.
Tears well in his father's eyes.
Zenon says he pushed his son hard for a reason. He talks about a family that made its way up from Mexico to work the strawberry fields of Southern California. He talks about surviving.
