[Judy] I like to tell people
that Anthony helped me to grow up.
I was 16 years old and even after a couple years
when he was younger, I was still a teenager
and I was trying to figure that out,
but I was also trying to be a mom
to a child who had one leg,
and that was a lot.
I didn't know all the time, what to tell him,
but I would always make sure he knew that I loved him
and I would tell him that God made you this way
for a reason.
[Anthony] I just remember being at a young age
and people outside of my family always viewed me
for my missing leg and what I couldn't do in my life
and you know, my mom didn't raise me that way.
She always raised me to set the bar high,
to challenge myself.
You know, I remember just telling myself one night,
you know what, I'm done feeling sorry for myself.
I'm done having other people feel sorry for me
and doubt me.
I'm going to prove everybody wrong.
We actually moved from California to Arizona
and I spent a lot of time that summer
just hanging out with my cousin who is about
three years older than me
and he was in wrestling.
My cousin was very persistent in trying to get me
to go out there on the mat.
He's like just try it once,
if you like it, you like it.
If not, I'll never bother you again.
I remember just going out there on the mat
and I mean I literally got my butt kicked.
You know, I remember coming off
and I was bleeding, my shirt was all stretched out.
My lungs were burning up.
So I'm looking at him terrified
because my child has a bloody mouth,
but he was happy.
And it looked to me that he found himself.
[Anthony] I just remember I was so excited,
you know, I just had this passion instantly
for the sport, because I felt like I had finally
found my calling in my life.
You know, what I was meant to do,
and what I was meant to do was wrestle.
[Shawn] When I came here to coach Anthony,
it was his, the beginning of his junior year
and, just an outstanding young man.
I mean definitely someone that, you know,
excited to coach him every day
because he was eager to learn
and a hard worker.
Never once complained about anything.
Never once tried to get out of any workouts.
[Zeke] Really what makes him special
is his hard work, you know,
his character, the person he is,
the commitment to his sport,
commitment to his university and his craft
and he's really, really tough.
[Judy] There was this time
when he was going to give all of it up.
He was going to quit wrestling.
He was going to quit school to take care of me,
because we were going through a lot at home,
and I was sick, and we were losing our home.
And it was that moment, that
that I knew how much my son loved me,
because he was willing to give up something he loved
for me.
And when he made that decision,
I was able to be like no you're not (laughs).
You're not going to stop what your path is
and I am going to get my life together,
because he believed in me enough.
[Anthony] You know, my mom...
My mom always told me that
God made me this way for a reason.
There are some times where I struggle.
There's still times where I struggle and I've got to grind,
but I mean, just to see where I'm at now.
To look back, I mean struggling when I was grinding
you know, I would not have dreamed to be here now.
When you're around someone like Anthony,
you truly believe and you can see with your own eyes
on a daily basis,
if you truly believe in what you're trying to accomplish
and you're willing to put in the time and energy
to get it,
you can get there.
(crowd cheers)
[Announcer] And it will be a tall task for Anthony Robles
the senior from Mesa, Arizona.
Seven minutes away from a national title.
[Judy] I couldn't believe that I was his mom.
That child out there, that everyone you know
is watching and cheering for,
that pushed himself so hard
that wrestlers knew what he was going to do.
Anthony had very key signature moves
that he would use all the time.
But they knew it was coming, and yet he still won.
(crowd cheering)
[Announcer] NCAA Champion, Anthony Robles.
[Anthony] I was very fortunate to have people
along my journey, who really stepped up to believe in me
and helped me over speed bumps in my life.
You know, just to motivate me.
With my coaches, with my family.
You know I feel like now,
me reaching my mountaintop, you know, in wrestling,
I felt like it was the time to turn around
and help other people reach their mountaintop.
Helping other people believe that they could
grind and wrestle their opponents in life.
I loved wrestling, I loved competing,
and now I'm honored to have to opportunity to
do the Wrestling Pac-12 commentating,
as well as ESPN commentating,
but also, I do motivational speaking.
Dwayne Johnson and Seven Bucks Productions.
They have partnered up with 101 Studios
to tell my life story on the big screen.
We're very excited.
It's going to be an amazing process and
I'm looking forward to telling my story
on that bigger platform.
You know, telling that story of being unstoppable.