Reti riding high after ‘biggest win of my career’
Calgary boxer boosts status by extending unbeaten record with third-round TKO
He’s Reti for the world.
More so after Saturday’s statement victory at Dekada Contender.
Calgary boxer Devin Reti took to the ring against fellow Albertan up-and-comer Flavio Michel and won via TKO in the third round of the feature fight at Deerfoot Inn & Casino.
“It felt pretty awesome, especially when you win by a knockout like that,” Reti said. “You feel on top of the world. It’s different than just winning an easy unanimous decision. You have a lot more adrenalin after something like that. It carries on for the next few days.”
In Edmonton’s Michel, the undefeated Reti paired off against an 8-3 powerhouse to get a leg up on the Western Canadian welterweight boxing scene, hoping to boost his resumé on the national landscape.
When it was over, the Dekada promotion boxer earned the most important victory of his career, improving his record to a solid 12-0.
“It was weird, because I kind of imagined how the fight would go,” said the 25-year-old Reti. “I knew he was a big puncher — he can hit pretty hard. He doesn’t have a whole ton of skill — he’s a brawler. His big punch is his overhand right, and he’s caught a few guys with that before and made them chicken-legged and wobbly. I planned to have a very cautious first round because I know he goes down a gear every round because he gets tired because he’s always swinging with a lot of steam.”
Reti and his dad, Doug, a boxing aficionado, worked in the lead-up on a short right punch to counter Michel’s overhand whopper.
“That’s the one I landed eventually,” Reti said. “It just worked beautifully. All of a sudden, boom, he was down face-first on the canvas. It was like, ‘Holy, what did I just do?’ And then I smelled blood and went in and didn’t give him any chance to breathe (in the ring ) and finished him.”
It was the sixth KO for Reti, who’s ranked sixth among welterweights in Canada.
Michel went in rated eighth. “We expressed an interest in fighting each other before, and it didn’t materialize for some reason,” Reti said. “And then people started talking about it on social media, and then Flavio got up and said, ‘I’m not scared of Devin.’ Then we had fights on the same weekend, and I called Flavio out after my fight, and he won, as well.
“This is definitely the biggest win of my career,” Reti continued. “Flavio’s fought two top guys from out east. He lost, but it was a competitive fight. A lot of guys won’t fight Flavio because of his power. But I was the one who knocked him out, so that was a really big statement for me.”
Next up for Reti is likely another Dekada Contender fight on a card in January.
But with Saturday’s triumph comes calls to take on more highprofile competition. Ontario’s Kane Heron, at 12-0-1 and ranked seventh among Canadian welterweights, or Ontario’s Jesse Wilcox, at 11-0-2 and ranked fourth, come to mind as logical foes for Reti in what would be a ‘best-in-the-west vs. best-in-the-east’ bout among Canadian contenders.
“I’d like to fight in the States on TV,” said Reti of his future goals. “Everyone says they’d like to win a world title — I would like to do that. But this is an entertainment business, and it’s more about being fan-friendly, viewer-friendly, by having an exciting style. If you have that, then you stay relevant in the sport. I feel I have that. I love to perform and put on a show.
“Yeah, I hope to be a world champion, but the road to that is a journey and not a destination, so I’m making sure I enjoy the ride. But it really helps to have an end-goal, because that’s what helps to push you when things get rough.”
You feel on top of the world. It’s different than just winning an easy unanimous decision. You have a lot more adrenalin after something like that.