One Kissimmee teen is in the fight of his sports life. The boxer is hoping to make to qualify to fight in the 2016 Summer Olympics.
"My name is Antonio Vargas," said the 19-year-old boxer. "I fight at 114 pounds. I do have a nickname. They call me 'No Respect Vargas'. I'm a very respectful person outside the ring, but when I go in that ring, I show no respect to my opponents."
The teen already has a bevy of titles under his belt--: 2015 USA Boxing Elite Male Athlete of the Year, 2016 Olympic Trials Champion, 2015 Pam American Games Champion, 2015 USA Boxing National Champion, 2013 Klitchko Brother Tournament and 2013 USA Boxing Youth Champion.
[WEB EXTRA: TEAM USA PROFILE]
Now, he's looking to add Olympic Gold medalist to the list. He has two more chances to make it to Rio.
"It's a good feeling," said Vargas. "It's a blessing knowing I get the honor to represent my country. It motivates me more to train harder."
To do that, Vargas said he spends six days in the gym, twice a day, two to three hours in the morning, and then the same in the afternoon. The flyweight said another important part of his training is learning to be disciplined by eating right, getting enough sleep and having the right attitude.
It doesn't hurt that he's quick on his feet and has a great one-two punch.
"My style is real intense. I'm real fast and dynamic," said Vargas. "I'm fast, but I hit hard at the same time."
"What I notice about him is his speed. He's a stand-out as far his speed goes and timing as far as, you know, seeing when punches are coming and reacting to them," said David Charbonieo, Vargas' coach at Heart of a Warrior Boxing Gym. "Physically, you see him walking around, and he may look like a small guy, or whatever. But once he gets in the ring, he doesn't fight small at all. You would thing he's the bigger guy in the ring."
It's a journey 10 years in the making.
"I love boxing," said Jose Esteves, Vargas' father.
He said he got Vargas started in the sport to keep him out of trouble.
"He used to move around a lot. He couldn't stay still," said Esteves. "So he would get in trouble a lot in school, putting his energy in a lot of negative things."
So Esteves thought boxing would be a better use of that energy.
"It works out for him. He had to put that energy somewhere positve, basically, so it helped out," said Esteves.
Vargas agrees.
"If it wasn't for him leading me into that direction to box, I wouldn't be where I'm at today," said Vargas. "I think I would have been a little troublemaker, selling drugs or something. I didn't really have a great future before boxiing, so boxing kept me disciplined and I found God through boxing."
When he's not with the team in Colorado, he's at home in Kissimmee. Vargas said being home is a constant reminder of what his family sacrificed so he could have this opportunity.
"Growing up, you know, in a boxing sport, you got to invest a lot of money," said Vargas. "You know, going out to different states, buying plane tickets, buying hotels and paying for food. It was hard on my family, because, you know, growing up, we don't really have much. There would be a lot of Christmases where my siblings wouldn't get anything, because all the money would be toward my fights. That kind of motivated me more to win. And it made me train harder, because I just think about what younger siblings were giving up so I can go out there and fight."
Esteves said he doesn't regret it at all.
"You have to take a little bit from here and a little from there to get him to tournaments. There was a lot of tournaments he missed because of it. I had to choose which ones was the best for him to fight in," said Esteves. "If you don't put some effort on youyour kids' futures, then they will give up. So I make sure that he see that we are there with him, that he's not by himself."
Vargas said he doesn't want his family's efforts to go in vain. That's why he's strictly buisness with his gloves on.
"Getting in the ring, you are full of adrenaline, so everything you think about pretty much goes out the window," said Vargas. "When I go in that ring, I'm just thinking about what I'm going to do to my opponent and how I'm going to win."
His first shot at qualifying for Rio was a few months ago, but it was a rare defeat.
"I actually fought him at the Pan Am Games, and I beat him. I fought him the same way I did in Argentina. I actually thought I did better," said Vargas. "The decision just didn't go my way this time. I felt like I was robbed that fight, like they took that fight from me. After that loss, it put me down a little bit, kind of got depressed."
"We learn from losses just like we learn from winning," said Esteves. "It's a blessing, because you learn from that not to make that mistake again. In my eyes, he won."
So now, Vargas said he's more determined then ever to get to Rio and to make his family proud.
"One of my worst fears is losing, because all I can think about is the sacrifices they make, and I feel like I'm letting them down," said Vargas. "I learned from the last loss that being down doesn't get you anywhere. So it's like, the faster you get up and pick yourself up, the sooner you can get back at it. Going into this next fight, I'm going to keep my head high, stay strong and stay ready."
Vargas' next Olympic qualifier is in a few weeks in Baku, Azerbaijan. If he qualifies and does well in the Olympics, he said he plans to turn pro. He is looking forward to being able to do that, to give back to his family.
"He's going to take the world by storm, man," said Esteves