i always had the last word. reporter: mousy? yeah, very, very quick tongue. people would get frustrated. reporter: you were smart but mouthy? bad combination. then her parents got divorced. her siblings began to move out. boxing sustained her. probably if i didn t have boxing, it would have probably messed me up like mentally because, you know, i don t care what anybody says, to have all your family just like go off in one shot, it s hard to deal with. reporter: marlen ended up living with her father david. she dedicated her life to training. for the past three or four years, she s grown up and she didn t have a chance to go out and meet a boyfriend and go with the girls and dance and have a good time. she never have time for that. reporter: her coach, rudy silva, took a central role in her life. what is her greatest weakness? i mean, sometimes she goes after you so much that she ll stay a little high, but that s not even that that bad. reporter: sounds
probably if i didn t have boxing, it would have probably messed me up like mentally because, you know, i don t care what anybody says, to have all your family just like go off in one shot, it s hard to deal with. reporter: marlen ended up living with her father david. she dedicated her life to training. for the past three or four years, she s grown up and she didn t have a chance to go out and meet a boyfriend and go with the girls and dance and have a good time. she never have time for that. reporter: her coach, rudy silva, took a central role in her life. what is her greatest weakness? i mean, sometimes she goes after you so much that she ll stay a little high, but that s not even that that bad. reporter: sounds like you re saying you have no weak ns? oh, i have a lot. i hear them all the time. reporter: what is he saying are your weaknesses? like something every day i get. whatever is wrong that day i was like 16 or something, they presented me with t
reporter: before boxing, she was the chubby younger sister of four and a trouble-maker. i always had the last word. reporter: mousy? yeah, very, very quick tongue. people would get frustrated. reporter: you were smart but mouthy? bad combination. then her parents got divorced. her siblings began to move out. boxing sustained her. probably if i didn t have boxing, it would have probably messed me up like mentally because, you know, i don t care what anybody says, to have all your family just like go off in one shot, it s hard to deal with. reporter: marlen ended up living with her father david. she dedicated her life to training. for the past three or four years, she s grown up and she didn t have a chance to go out and meet a boyfriend and go with the girls and dance and have a good time. she never have time for that. reporter: her coach, rudy silva, took a central role in her life. what is her greatest weakness? i mean, sometimes she goes after you so muc
how much to eat and crunches and how many endless hours of training will it take to win. why are you here every day? because i want to win. this is my life and this is what i do. like and i can honestly say, like this is who i am. you see it. this is what i do. reporter: marlen is a trainer in boxing. i ve seen her come in and she s all like just pouring down with sweat and when she is training really hard, i m like, marlen, you want to eat something? she is no, i can t, i can t. she makes me want to cry when she does is that. reporter: the family struggles to find the money for national tournaments. i ve gone even far as here at work to say, hey, we, you know, we don t have the money to send her. even the girls here at work have said, you know, here s 20. here s 60. reporter: it all has to add up. the money, the training, even her lunch. marlen is a fly weight. she has to weigh in at 112 pounds at 5 3 . i m 21 and i already have like all of these injuries and i m
when you beat somebody in the ring, you re not just beating them up or something. you re like beating the entire symbolism of them. you re beating who they are. marlen es pars is full of runs. how much to eat and crunches and how many endless hours of training will it take to win. why are you here every day? because i want to win. this is my life and this is what i do. like and i can honestly say, like this is who i am. you see it. this is what i do. reporter: marlen is a trainer in boxing. i ve seen her come in and she s all like just pouring down with sweat and when she is training really hard, i m like, marlen, you want to eat something? she is no, i can t, i can t. she makes me want to cry when she does is that. reporter: the family struggles to find the money for national tournaments. i ve gone even far as here at work to say, hey, we, you know, we don t have the money to send her. even the girls here at work have said, you know, here s 20. here s 60. reporte