Latino Traffic Report has learned that lightweight boxer Carlos Balderas Jr. of Santa Maria, California, is one of several athletes featured in MINI USA’s “Defy Labels” campaign that debuted during the 2016 Rio Olympics.
The star-studded campaign launched earlier this year but the television spot featuring Olympians launched August 1 on the official MINI USA YouTube channel, focusing on athletes and the labels they’ve overcome to become what they are today.
“We specifically selected these remarkable athletes because they are different. Their stories are not what you would expect,” explained Tom Noble, department head, MINI Brand Communications. “In the end, it’s not about the labels people give you, it’s about who you are and what you overcome. It’s about being an individual and creating your own path, something we as a brand know a lot about. These Olympians and their stories offer important lessons that reveal the power of the human spirit to surprise and inspire.” 
In addition to the spot itself, the campaign also includes a series of eight unscripted interviews telling honest and revealing stories about how some of the country’s most elite athletes rose from extraordinary circumstances to achieve success in their fields. The videos were launched on July 21st on MINIUSA.com/DefyLabels. They star Balderas, Serena Williams, boxer Claressa Shields, fencer IIbtihaj Muhammad, volleyball player Jake Gibb, rugby player Carlin Isles, weight-lifter Morgan King and swimmer Cullen Jones.
USA Boxing has not recorded a lightweight medal win at the Olympics since the 1996 Atlanta Games. Balderas was well on his way to a medal after winning the first two preliminary rounds. On August 12, he faced Lazaro Alvarez of Cuba in a quarterfinals bout. After three rounds, the top-seeded Alvarez won by unanimous decision, ending the American boxer’s Olympic medal bid.
“I’ll be supporting my teammates like they’ve been supporting me, and we’ll be out there until the last day,” he told Chris Kudialis of The Tribune.
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