The Province - Reynolds needs break on TV
Boxer Kevin Reynolds spends his weekdays working at his fitness club -- aptly named Contenders and located in the basement of Bentall Four -- trying to coerce over-the-hill bankers, lawyers and stock promoters into better shape so he can earn enough to finance his own dreams.
BY THE VANCOUVER PROVINCE
Boxer Kevin Reynolds spends his weekdays working at his fitness club -- aptly named Contenders and located in the basement of Bentall Four -- trying to coerce over-the-hill bankers, lawyers and stock promoters into better shape so he can earn enough to finance his own dreams.
Reynolds hopes to make an impact in the cruiserweight division, which is just below heavyweight.
If he was five or six inches taller and 30-35 pounds heavier, it would have been much easier for the six-foot, 200-pound Reynolds.
The multimillion-dollar bouts are few and far between for guys who are not quite heavyweights. But being a realist, Reynolds is playing the hand he was dealt. He is what he is and if he has to travel to Seattle every weekend at his own expense to find sparring partners, that's part of the process.
He'll also be in Las Vegas under the watchful eye of world champion trainer Jesse Reid before his next test.
And hey, things might be looking up for the hard-working Reynolds, 7-1 as a pro and the No. 1 Canadian cruiserweight contender. His six-rounder on the ESPN-televised Rumble at the Rock on April 30 is what's called the "swing bout."
That means if one of the televised bouts ends quickly then Reynolds and his opponent Victor Barragan, a tough Mexican boxer from Oxnard, Calif., will get some TV time. A good showing by Reynolds and who knows where it might lead?
"Regardless, he's a guy I've got to beat to get to the next level," says Reynolds matter-of-factly.
The rare combination of a willing and able partner in Great Canadian Gaming Corp. with a facility like the theatre at River Rock Casino in Richmond and a good local boxing promoter (Manny Sobral) that has attracted a worldwide cable TV company, has accelerated interest in both amateur and pro-boxing ranks around these parts.
In this fourth edition of Rumble at the Rock, only the top two bouts feature out-of-towners. The main event has junior middleweight contender Joel Julio against Sugar Shay Smith in a 10-rounder, while Eddie Sanchez takes on Albert Ondlunose, who is 14-0 and trains out of Calgary.
Reynolds will be making his third appearance on an ESPN card and has yet to have one of his bouts televised. He is hoping that will change April 30.
"It could be huge," figures Reynolds. "That's where you make a name. It would be a big break."
Sobral, who is also helping manage Reynolds along with Garry Peters, and trainer Jerry Veerasammy both think their boy has world-class potential and that a break or two is all Reynolds needs to propel himself to a higher level. He is still relatively young at 28, and with only eight fights there's not much wear and tear.
"I feel Kevin can become a world champion if we can get him the right fights and keep him busy," says Veerasammy. "Kevin also has to focus more on boxing as a career.
"Kevin runs a very successful personal training centre, amateur club and he puts on White Collar boxing cards for charity besides finding time to train with me. He's up from 6 a.m. to at least 9 p.m. trying to run everything and still train. This is not possible for a long run. Something is going to have to give sooner or later. He has his hand in too many pies. He could make it to the next level, but he would have to burn all of his bridges and he has a lot of bridges right now."
Crossing the next one, however, is uppermost in Reynold's mind.
hkgilchrist@yahoo.com