Calgary boxer Devin Reti wins title fight, moves to 15-0
Dekada Contender event took place at the Deerfoot Inn and Casino Saturday night
Twenty-six-year-old Devin Reti continued his perfect run Saturday night, defeating experienced Mexican fighter Victor Rangel and winning a welterweight title belt.
Reti won the Canadian Professional Boxing Council (CPBC) North American welterweight title belt convincingly in an exciting and hard-fought battle over 10 rounds — the longest fight of his career so far.
Victor Rangel, his Mexican opponent, showed toughness and both fighters expressed mutual respect at the end of the event, dubbed Dekada Contender.
"I didn't know much about him. I didn't get much footage on him, but he's pulled off quite a few upsets," Reti said. "But he's one tough guy. The more I hit him, the more he wanted to come forward. I knew he was going to be there all night, so I was going to be smart."
The win, which was watched by a sell-out crowd of more than 500 fans at the Deerfoot Inn and Casino, brought Reti to an impressive pro record of 15 wins and zero losses.
"It felt great. It was my first time going 10 rounds and I was able to carry a good pace throughout the 10 rounds," Reti said. "So that was very good mentally moving forward."
It brings Reti closer to the big time as he continues to follow in his grandfather's footsteps — Alberta hall-of-famer Harvey Reti, known as The Taber Terror, who competed in the 1962 Commonwealth Games and was a member of the Canadian boxing team at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.
"We're looking at even tougher competitors now. It's only going to get tougher from here," Reti said. "We're looking for something pretty big in the future."
Reti was born in Whitehorse. He has Indigenous ancestry, connected to the Vuntut Gwitchin and Tr'ondek Hwech'in First Nations.
The night also saw big wins for Calgary female boxers Bree Howling and Kandi Wyatt along with local boxers Angelo Habib, Jordan McNaughton and Ted Reno.
With files from Dan McGarvey