goal now is just to improve. Because I know what’s coming.”

I wish I knew what was coming.

There’s no denying the fire inside this kid. How strong she is. How great already.

But she is a kid. A humble kid from a humble family in a punishing, taxing business. A political, punishing, taxing business.

Take the Olympics. Even as Lupita spends her days trying to sweat that dream into existence, forces are working against her.

Never mind all the hoops and hurdles any newcomer trying to make an American Olympic boxing team encounters, for now boxing isn’t even on the itinerary at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

Earlier this year, the International Olympic Committee said that in order for the sport to be staged in L.A., a new international boxing body needs to emerge that will serve as a suitable alternative to the IBA, the traditional outfit whose governance and integrity the IOC has long questioned.

And after that? “I tell Erasmo, ‘A girl that can put people away, people will pay to see,’ ” James said. And people tell James that Lupita reminds them of a “young Amanda Serrano.” And if you were among the record 74 million live viewers who were riveted watching Serrano’s rematch with Irish legend Katie Taylor, that bloody exhilarating women’s undercard that preceded Netflix’s Jake Paul-Mike Tyson fiasco last month, you can see the potential. Taylor and Serrano both saw seven-figure paydays for their fights, and good. They earned it.

But that’s not normal. Or it’s not normal yet.

More typical is Claressa Shields’ story. The first American to win consecutive Olympic gold medals in men’s or women’s boxing, she’s the inspiration for director Rachel Morrison’s film, “The Fire Inside,” hitting theaters on Christmas. But Shields has struggled to earn close to what her male counterparts make.

There are other women’s world champions with hundreds of thousands of social media followers who say they’ve been offered just a few thousand dollars for title fights.

Oh, and it’s also expensive! Especially for a California kid who is always having to travel to Texas or even farther east for guaranteed bouts in these national tournaments. Lupita’s crew will do fundraisers and raffles, and they’ve gotten some help from a few local sponsors, Profinish Auto Paint Supply and Los Sanchez Mexican Food. James jokes that he’s not just a boxing coach but a budget travel agent, he’s so adept at finding deals for him and his fighters, including Lupita and Erasmo, who always goes along.

They always find a way, but they also attend only half of the events that Lupita should be competing in, James said.

So, no, none of this is easy. And it will never be easy.

But when you consider how life started for Lupita, nothing seems insurmountable either. Not even remotely.

It’s somehow both hard to believe that this is that baby’s life — I mean, a boxer!? — but also hard to imagine someone who’d had to survive on arrival would be destined to do anything that wasn’t incredibly hard.

“God put her on that path to make her stronger,” Cinthia said. “To be ready to go through something big in her life.”

And why not? Why wouldn’t Lupita crave the adrenaline? Why wouldn’t she be able to take a punch? Why wouldn’t she want to push herself to her limits?

Why wouldn’t we be watching a legend in the making?