GREECE, N.Y. — All eyes are on the Paris Olympics for Greece native Dustin Jimenez. After winning his Golden Gloves title match in Detroit last month, the 18-year-old is moving on to compete for a spot in the Paris Olympics this summer.

“I used to fight with my dad a lot when I was a little kid. Like play fighting around and stuff,” Jimenez said at the Midtown Athletic Club in Rochester. “For my birthday, I think it was my 11th or 12th birthday, he brought me to a boxing gym. So I started boxing.”

But becoming competitive in the sport is no easy task. As a Greece Athena High School student, Jimenez put in hours of work outside of the classroom.

“At my school there was no boxing. The only boxing is for Aquinas. That’s the only school that has boxing. And even them, they don’t like, really travel or anything like that. It’s more like local fights that they do. I think they actually fight each other,” Jimenez said.

While training, Jimenez caught the attention of Jake Bishop, owner of the Black Hand Company – a local gym and sports apparel company.

“I think that just recognizing that a very early, a very keen awareness that a young man coming in boxing — several times, several days a week, it was for hours — it really impressed me,” Bishop said.

At its core, Bishop says his company is about making dreams come true – which is why he is providing Dustin with financial support.

“It’s for people who want to make their mark in their world. So obviously someone like Dustin Jimenez is somebody that makes their mark in the world and we want to share that. And we also have a podcast and we look forward to having him on very soon,” Bishop said.

Golden Gloves in hand, Jimenez is headed to Colorado Springs where he will face off for a chance to represent the Rochester area in the Paris Olympics — something no boxer from our area has done.

“You know, being the first and holding that title for the city. There is a lot of talent that comes out of this city, but there is always something that cuts it short,” Jimenez said.

Jimenez is headed to Paris Olympics training camp in Colorado Springs on June 16. You can watch the Paris Olympics on News10NBC starting July 26.