Rances Barthelemy came a long way. A very long way. He is 28 years old and has finally been given his big boxing break.

On Sunday, he'll headline a Premier Boxing Champions card being televised by CBS from the MGM Grand Garden against former lightweight world champion Antonio DeMarco. The long road to the boxing ring started when he was 20.

He was willing to do anything to get his freedom. He tried and failed 38 times to defect to the United States and was jailed frequently. He'd spend a week or two in jail before being released, only to plot his next break from the island.

Conditions in the jail were horrendous. Even worse than the conditions the average Cuban had to endure in their everyday lives. No clean water, small amounts of food and a deteriorating cell only strengthened his resolve.

"Life for someone in Cuba wasn't very good," Barthelemy told Yahoo Sports in an interview.

That's when he turned to boxing. Literally fighting his way out to Cuba.

When he finally succeeded, on his 39th attempt, taking a speedboat from Cuba to Miami, he was overwhelmed with emotion. He was leaving his family behind, and he knew there was a chance he'd never see them again. But he was not one to be caged in and he continued to fight until finally he was free.

He was mistreated and was denied the basic necessities of life. He said no matter what the government did, he was never going to give up trying to get free.

Seven years later, Barthelemy is living in Las Vegas. He tells Yahoo that he laughs when other Cubans try to persuade him to believe that the United States and its citizens are evil. He also says that despite the Cuban government attempts to discourage him from defecting, it never really impacted him.

Now, he is looking forward to bigger and better things in his life. As an up-and-coming boxer, he is sporting a 22-0 record, with 13 knockouts, and is facing DeMarco in a 10-round non-title fight. In an interview with ESPN, Barthelemy explained he wants to fight the best boxers the sport has to offer.

DeMarco also has a inspirational story of his own. At one point in his life, he had to eat through other people's trash when he was homeless in Mexico.

Now the two will battle it out in the ring on Sunday on CBS.

When asked about his long road to the boxing ring, he stated, "I have literally had to fight for my life, and my freedom, for many, many years.

"When you fight for something that means a lot, there is always extra there, more motivation. I will keep going and I'm not going to give up."

Check out highlights from his last fight here.