Carlos Olmeda (2-0, 2KO) is ready for his fight on October 19th versus New York’s Vinnie Denierio (2-2, 1KO) at Durham Armory. He has put in the miles of roadwork, the hours training and sparring in the gym, and has eaten his lean protein and vegetables. Preparing for a fight is nothing new for the 27 year old featherweight. This fight, however, holds a special significance. A sensational win could save Olmeda from being deported from the country that has been his home since childhood.
Olmeda was fifteen when his mother brought him and his brother to live in the United States. The fourteen day trip from Mexico City, Mexico, and across the desert was fraught with danger, and would test both mother and sons. At one point, Olmeda recalls tearfully, his mother asked her boys to leave her in the desert. She couldn’t go on. Olemda cries as he remembers encouraging her to go just a little bit further. He wasn’t going to leave her alone to die in the desert. The men who his mother had paid to get them to the states scared them, threatening their lives should they leave the safe house that housed them. Eventually the trio would make it to North Carolina, where his older brother was established and awaiting their arrival.
