The Texas Golden Gloves regional tournament is underway this weekend in Fort Worth. Winners there head to state next week and down the path to qualifying for the Olympics.
NBC 5 sat down with one competitor who's gone from bullied and scared to boxing bravely, on track for a potential Olympic future.
"Make a fist. How does that feel?" said boxing coach Joe Guzman, while taping 12-year-old Angel Garza's hands before a match.
It's go time for the Texas Regional Golden Gloves and in the final moments of prep, Guzman said: "The only pressure they have is the pressure they have on themselves."
Angel Garza knows more than most 12-year-olds about the mental game.
"He's one of my little Cinderella boys, 'Cinderfella' boys," Guzman said. "He's gone through a lot."
One year ago, Angel's mom noticed him coming home from school with bruises and black eyes.
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"Kids starting picking on me and pushing me around," Angel said.
Soon after, his dad passed away from sudden cardiac arrest.
"He didn't want to go to school and I needed to find resources for him to be able to build his confidence," said Angel's mom, Jessica Pena.
So the family turned to the ring, where Angel stepped into a whole new role.
"It feels like you can be able to get your confidence back, you can defend yourself," Angel said.
That new-found confidence could lead to bigger things. Most Golden Gloves competitors dream of the pros, or an Olympic future.
"I just see him growing more, being more dominant, getting stronger, I see that in him," Pena said.
Angel has plenty of ringside role models backing him up.
"Attack, keep doing what you're doing," Guzman told him during a break between rounds.
The longtime coach is joined by a crew of officers from the Fort Worth Police Athletic League.
"The saying it takes a village to raise a child, well we're part of that village," said Fort Worth Police Officer Allen Speed.
Friday night, Angel's training paid off with a big win and the boost to his confidence was clear.
"I felt happy when I won," Angel said with a big smile.
He's in his element, surrounded by top talent vying for a chance at the Golden Gloves, or even a gold medal.
"I see him going up there and just finishing strong like today," Pena said.
Angel is still too young to qualify for state and the levels after that. But his coaches do have athletes preparing for Olympic qualifiers, and they say Angel is on the same track.
