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• As a 17-year-old high school junior, Jessie Ray occasionally has to will himself to exhibit the leadership qualities expected from him. "Sometimes I want to be able to relax, but I have to fulfill the obligation of helping everybody else," Jessie Martinez says, "He is not, however, without a sense of selflessness. I want them to be able to go to a higher level than where even I'm able to go." Published at 11:33pm
• "As a coach I want him to do his best, but as a father, I don't want him to get hurt," says Jessie Martinez. "I feel like, if he listens to me as a coach, then he's going to be OK. I don't have to worry about him as a dad." Published at 11:33pm
• Fights are often a few hours away from Victoria, and take up most of the day. This means Jessie Ray and the others end up spending a lot of time hanging out with little to do on fight days. "I start getting fidgety. That's when I start walking around," says Jessie Ray. Published at 11:33pm
• Serious fighters still have flaws, and Jessie Ray is no exception. "(He) is one of those that will brawl in front of you to show you that he can handle you," Jessie Martinez says about his son. "There's no need. But he's hard-headed." Jessie Ray says, "When I'm mad, I just say, 'Screw everything.' Either you are going to knock me out, or I am going to try to knock you out." Published at 11:33pm
• The Tuff-E-Nuff boxing gym may have an outdoor, hand-constructed ring and a full set of equipment at its disposal, but the boxers also have mother nature to consider. "Here, we don't have a choice. The wind, the sun, everything hits us. I think that's what makes them that much tougher," says coach Jessie Martinez. Published at 11:33pm
• The end of a fight does not mean the end of training. Jessie knows he needs to keep working hard and putting in extra hours if he ever wants to meet his full potential. He says he finds motivation in the rags-to-riches story of Oscar De La Hoya, a retired professional boxer from East Los Angeles. Published at 11:33pm