Kevin Reynolds VS Victor Barragan
Reynolds delivers on big chance RUMBLE AT THE ROCK IV:
Vancouver-based fighter shows great heart in televised bout
Article from The Province. May 01, 2008If pro boxing is going to grow and prosper in Vancouver it needs a star or two to embrace and call its own ... may we present Kevin Reynolds.
The 28-year-old, rock-hard 200-pound cruiserweight improved his record to 8 - 1 against a durable tough-guy from Oxnard, Calif., by way of Mexico named Victor Barragan, who didn’t come all this way just in the hope of making it on ESPN’s Wednesday Night Fights in Rumble at The Rock lV. Reynolds, who runs a gym called Contenders downtown in Bentall Four, wanted a tough opponent, but deep down inside when he was getting tattooed on the ropes in the heavy going of the six-rounder, he must have wished the guy wasn’t quite so tough. Reynolds started Barragan’s nose bleeding in the third round and opened a good gash over his left eye a round later, but there was no quit, let alone a backward step, in Barragan.
While all three judges awarded the hometown hero the decision by identical 58-56 scores, all three gave Barragan the final round. Reynolds started the fight — his first TV exposure and before a sold-out River Rock Theatre of mostly supportive fans — stiff and found himself back-peddling. He got his rhythm by the third and did his best work countering in the middle of the ring. He got himself in trouble when he got backed into the ropes. At times it looked as if only his big heart was keeping him on his feet. But you could say that about his game opponent, too. It was a tremendous fight that earned the standing ovation the crowd gave it. “He fought a friend of mine,” said a grinning Reynolds afterwards, “so we knew he was going to be tough. I’ve got to get used to going six rounds and longer.... It was the kind of fight we needed to take the next step.”
His longtime trainer Jerry Veersamy was satisfied and so was his Las Vegas trainer, Jesse Reid. “It’s the first time he’s been under pressure like that,” said Reid. “But when he wasn’t on the ropes he was winning the fight. “ Kevin has a reputation as a puncher said Veersamy, but tonight you saw him box. He slipped punches moved the guy around and threw some great counter combinations.... A nice pot of food cooking perfectly.”
Being short and a cruiserweight leaves sparring partners — none in Vancouver — and opponents difficult to come by for Reynolds, but thanks to some of his clients at Contenders that Garry Peters has put together to help finance his development, he will spend more than a few days before each of his rare bouts, training with Reid in Las Vegas.
“Kevin needs to get busier. He needs to fight six to eight times a year,” said Reid.
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“We’ll get him to Vegas and get him sparring against some good guys. He’s a good athlete and we’ll teach him to stay off those ropes.” The good thing is there is lots of room for Reynolds to improve. He’s a good student. He listens to instruction and is always in tip-top shape. As much as his punch or his boxing ability, it was his conditioning and heart that carried the day for him against Barragan. A big heart is a prerequisite to anyone with designs on becoming a champion in any weight class. And fight fans in Vancouver, the rest of Canada and the other 40 countries in the world who heard the comments of announcers Teddy Atlas and Joe Tetitore cherish that above everything else. “It [getting on ESPN] is huge for my career,” said Reynolds in the winner’s dressing room. It was the fight of the night on a very entertaining card.
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