Southern-California fan favorite and welterweight prospect Artemio “King” Reyes (21-2, 17 KOs) of Riverside, Calif returns to action at Path to Glory. Reyes aims to make it seven straight wins against Abraham Alvarez (16-4-1, 7 KOs) of Mexico. The 10-round main event originates from the Doubletree Hotel in Ontario, Calif., Friday, June 27.
We caught up with Reyes after a recent training session at the Indio Boys & Girls Club and asked the welterweight contender for his pound-for-pound picks, what he thinks of the World Cup, and what NFL team he roots for.
You recently started to mix strength and conditioning drills into your boxing training regiment, how has this helped you perform in the ring?
It’s not your typical boxing workout. After we finish our regular boxing routine, which can consist of a variety of drills like sparring, heavy and speed bag, mitts, we then switch over to a fast-moving circuit training type workout. We do a lot of explosive movements, total body drills, and lots of core work. I can see the difference in the snap in my punches. I’m able to fire a little faster than before.
What are your initial thoughts or reaction on World Cup play?
I haven’t been able to watch a great deal of the World Cup because of school, work, and training (Reyes is a CSU San Bernardino student and manages his family’s restaurant), but I’ve been reading about it. I hope Mexico and the U.S. team make it as far as they can. The U.S. has a tough group to go through. They just have to keep scoring goals.
Besides boxing, what sports do you follow?
I’m a big NFL fan. I’ve been rooting for the Dallas Cowboys since the ’92 season. They haven’t had much recent success, but they’re still a fun team to watch. If there’s a football game on Sunday, I’ll be watching. When I was kid, I wanted to play professional football, but ultimately I was too small. I played quarterback in high school and that was a lot of fun.
I also like watching the Lakers. If you’re from the Inland Empire, you have to cheer for the Lakers. It’s unfortunate that they’re in rebuild mode. Hopefully they can get back on top soon.
If you had the power to make any fight happen between active fighters, what match up would it be and why?
I’m no different than boxing fans. I want to see Mayweather vs. Pacquiao. I wish they would have met years ago, but promotional disputes got in the way and the same story continues to this day. Those two in their full prime would have made for a tremendous fight. I still hope both sides can come to terms because it would be great for the sport.
Another fight that would be interesting would be Mayweather vs. Thurman. Thurman is young, undefeated, and packs a good punch.
Who is at the top of your pound-for-pound list?
Mayweather and Pacquiao are at the top of the list and then it gets tough. I don’t know how reporters come up with pound-for-pound lists because there are so many good boxers. You don’t want to short change someone or leave someone out.
Your thoughts on the recent Miguel Cotto vs. Sergio Martinez fight?
Honestly, I thought Martinez was going to dominate because he’s the naturally bigger boxer with the longer reach, but like most people, I was wrong. Cotto looked great and put on an exciting fight. It just shows that in boxing, you never know what can happen until it does.
