Dekada Contender goes on Saturday, September 28th at Deerfoot Inn and Casino in Calgary, Alberta. The promotion has been putting on in a big way for Western Canadian boxing but also for the national scene overall. This card features a lot of notable names that Dekada fans will be familiar with. Pugilists like Kandi Wyatt, Devin Reti, and Gwyn Lewis all will be plying their trade to the delight of the live crowd and those that order at home. I spoke with all the aforementioned fighters and also one of the promoters. Michael Short is involved with Sportsnet Radio and Calgary Sun doing media work and goes by the moniker Mr Boxing.
Reti vs Samuel
Brian Samuel vs Devin Reti is a noteworthy bout on Dekada Contender. Devin said, “My opponent I fought him a few times in Amateur. He’s tough, he comes to fight. He’s got a good chin. I’m not taking him lightly. I’m expecting the best Brian Samuel across from me. The fight started picking up when me and Brian started talking about a potential fight. I talked to my promoter and he made it happen. Brian took the fight without hesitation.”
Dekada promoter Michael Short stated, “I think about the time that Brian, he’s taken 14 months off from the sport and he had a few losses in a row. Then he came back and fought out in DC. And kind of reinvented himself. He fought a guy with over 30 fights and in my opinion deserved at least a draw in that fight. The rest did him some good, he was in good shape, and he had nothing to lose. Devin’s coming off a long layoff. He had a little muscle imbalance problem he had to work through. It started before the Flavio fight and it continued after. So we solved that issue now. This is the perfect fight for both guys at this time.”
Implications for Reti vs Samuel
There’s a lot on the line for Reti in this bout. A statement win here could set him up for a big championship fight in his next outing. Short said, “We made a couple offers to some of the higher level guys out east. They’re at a certain point in their career too that if they’re going to take chances and come fight in the guy’s hometown, they want to get paid. Sometimes they price themselves out of the market…We definitely would like to negotiate and put on a title fight again.”
Short continued, “We haven’t done so since our first couple of events. Devin’s at the point where he’s going to start looking at Canadian title, North American title type of level. Not just the hardware but the actual level of competition. Keep in mind, we got Devin when he was 8-0. His initial coach and promoter that was catering to him didn’t have a firm grasp on what t do with Devin. In fact, Devin had more Boxing pedigree and IQ than the coach did. So it took him a little bit of time to catch up to his record. He’s working with Doug Harder now fighting like a pro.”
Fellow competitor Gwyn Lewis is even stoked for this Samuel vs Reti fight. Gwyn said, “The guy that Devin’s up against Brian Samuel, I fought him three times in the amateurs. That’ll be an all-out war, I have no doubt.”
Bowmont Boxing Club
Jesse Arnett, Gwyn Lewis, and Devin Reti are just a few examples of the talented pugilists training at Bowmont Bowing Club. Reti said, “There’s no shortage of sparring at Bowmont. I’ve been sparring a lot with Albert Onolunose. He’s a very experienced pro. I’m learning a lot from him. He’s very good to spar with because he’s teaching me some of the ins and outs of the pro game too. Every day’s a tough day of sparring.”
Lewis said, “We’re really lucky at Bowmont. We’ve got a great team there…fantastic amateurs as well. We’ve kind of got a pool to pick out of. Jesse and Devin are top guys. They push me every time I’m with them. Devin and his sort of mental IQ with boxing and his ability to move and adjust on the fly. So working with these guys has been my single greatest asset since I went pro, really.”
Reti poised for gold
Prior to Reti’s victory over Flavio in the Edmonton vs Calgary bout, some emotions lead into that one. This was unique for Devin who treats opponents like just another body in front of him. Reti said, “I’m learning a lot about the pro game. Being patient. When you’re an amateur you have three round and you’ve got to light up your opponent.”
Reti continued, “In pro boxing, everyone wonders how do people fight twelve rounds. Are they just in way better shape? Yes and no. They know how to pace themselves. In pro, you could be building something up throughout the whole fight and then you could land it later in the fight. That’s what we did with Flavio. I was very, very patient in the first round. Was pretty much an observer of him. Then he started to open up and I caught him coming in. We were also backing him up because he’s not used to being backed up.”
Reti is a student of the game which he extends to his recuperation and exercise techniques. Method Fitness are Calgary strength and conditioning coaches that have helped with his high octane pace. For Kandi Wyatt, she not only has reputable sparring partners but also new representation leading up to this fight.
Big changes for Wyatt
With the Team Empire Boxing signing Wyatt said, “It actually kind of all came to light after Greece. We were in contact with each other. He was really happy and impressed with the way that I performed in Greece and he just flat out asked me. I went back and chatted with my coaches about it and we all thought it was a really good idea. We all get a good vibe from Brian. He seems like a really nice guy. So we signed a contract and now we’re happy to be working with him.”
Wyatt has maintained three regular sparring partners ahead of this one including Jessica Sparrow who she has a good rapport with. Kandi Wyatt is also still training to The Rocky theme song every day. New members coming to the club are confused by day three. “We’re listening to this again?” is the thought articulated by the facial expressions of the new members.
Kandi Wyat’s return
The Calgary return for Kandi Wyatt is another intriguing facet of Dekada Contender. Wyatt is on the heels of a history-making fight overseas but it excited to get back to Calgary.
Wyatt said, “It was pretty cool. It was fun to tell everybody that I got to be one of the first females to ever fight for a world title in Greece….The first world title in Greece ever and it was a female fight. It was fun.” Though it wasn’t the outcome that Wyatt desired, there were a lot of important lessons learned from that foray overseas.
Short said, “Kandi Wyatt she came to us, I think she had a 2-0 record. We kept her busy and in a short period, she was 8-0. She was fighting live girls. Whether the record was upside down or undefeated, it didn’t matter. Kandi was fighting live opponents and they were all pushing her and giving her the rounds. She got the world title bid in Greece and it didn’t go her way. She got KOed in the sixth round. Now she’s back. Gonna shuffle the deck a bit and shes got to reinvent herself. Dayanna Gonzalez comes from Baha, Calfornia. She’s got a winning record and it’s a good fight for Kandi to come back to.”
Rebounding from Greece
Wyatt isn’t super well-read on her Dekada Contender opponent but she’s taking her seriously all the same. She said, “I actually don’t have a ton of information about her. I’m really just going into this fight as she’s going to be a tough opponent and I’m expecting her to be skilled. Just so I don’t underestimate her.”
Wyatt said, “The biggest takeaway from Greece was actually that I just need to calm my mind down a little bit when I’m in the ring. Everything in that fight was moving very fast. Like my hands were moving fast and my mind was racing. I need to work on just being a little bit more patient while still being a pressure and aggressive style of fighter. I just got to calm my brain down and just remember that I do have ten whole rounds.”
Wyatt continued, “Actually like from the loss we had in Greece, one of the biggest things we did learn is that my team and I belong int hat world. That world-class circuit. Everything leading up to the end result of that fight, that was a competitive tough close fight. It just ended with me getting caught with a well-timed shot that rattled my cage a little too hard and I couldn’t come back from it.”
Gwyn’s Return
Gwyn faced a live opponent in his last fight. Short expected Gwyn to win but work commitments hurt Gwyn and he wasn’t prepared for the fight. Michael Short seemed disappointed and seemed to feel like Lewis dropped the ball.
Short said, “He’s been off this whole year because of work. No coming into this fight, he’s fighting a guy with 11 fights but he has an upside-down record. One win, eight losses, and two draws. When you really go behind the numbers…..this kid never really had an amateur fight in his life. He learned on the job and he’s fought all the top prospects in Canada. Sometimes when a guy fights in another guy’s hometown and he gets a draw or loses a close decision…..Those pretty much mean that he won that fight. A little bit of nepotism went to the local fighter. If you look at Jesse’s record he really could beat legitimate six wins and five losses fighter.”
Responding to defeat
In regards to his lone career loss Lewis said, “Well it’s mostly related to my personal world. So my last fight, I totally botched. I had a little whoopsie in my personal world. It was really just a new career shift, moving houses, a lot of things like that. So I actually had a lot of travel for my new role at work. And spent I would say the first quarter of the year, really, on the road. But I have a really close relationship with Mike and the team at Dekada. They’re great guys. Now coming up into the fall they were getting going again and it was the right time for me to get going too.”
Lewis continued, “Obviously it sucked in the moment and I do feel like if I fought that guy 99 times out of 100, I’d beat him. It’s just that day, I beat myself. I was flat. The lesson was really in learning about that mental preparedness and looking for certain signs. Physically I was ready. I was ready to go. but basically stood there and let a Mexican opponent punch me in the face for six rounds.” Dekada Contenderprovides him a chance for some measure of redemption and a chance to rebound.
Gwynning
Gwyn’s opponent Jessie MacMillan is an experienced fighter with a deceptive record. Lewis said, “He’s fought some tough guys. He’s gone the rounds with some of the best around. Boxing’s funny because everyone makes it about the record. It’s often about who you fight and how you did in that performance as well. Jesse is a good example of that. So we’re not really looking at the record. More looking at his fortitude and his ability. I know he’s in a stronger camp than ever. So I’m expecting the best version of him to step in the ring with me on the 28th. He should be expecting the same out of me as well.”
Lewis has a box of Gwynning shirts in his trunk ready to go. He’s hoping to rally the crowd to the gwynning team and add to the already raucous ranks of Gwyn supporters at Dekada shows. Dekada Contender should likely be just as raucous of a partisan crowd for Lewis if not more so.
Calgary’s Boxing Culture
Calgary’s boxing culture is rich and I’ve seen that covering Dekada events ringside. Short said, “The culture that we’re breeding here is making Boxing a thing in Calgary. Third event in a row where we’re sold out before the show starts. It’s unusual for Calgary fight fans but we’re sold out. We’re going to have standing room only tickets released on fight night by the casino”
Short continued, “Calgary has a rich history of Boxing but it disappeared at a high level for decades. We’re starting to do something with it. Our goal was to always attract the non-fight fan. The soccer mom, the hockey mom we call them. And we’re doing that.”
Dekada is operating solely on own financing. They put on competitive fights where local favorites have been stopped. The promotion has a big sponsorship that’s exclusive with Deerfoot Inn and Casino. This is helping Dekada stay as the sole pro-Boxing show in Calgary. Short said, “It’s a great deal we have with Deerfoot Inn and Casino. They understand business and they understand the need for keeping Boxing alive in this city.”
Deerfoot Casino Pressures
There’s also a pressure cooker casino vibe. It’s a tighter venue with the crowd being comprised of passionate people you largely know and their energy is palpable. Short said, “They feed off the energy of the crowd, right? People go nuts. They’re well-behaved mind you. It’s a fabulous night of entertainment beyond just the Boxing. We make it a great night of entertainment and people are coming out that are non-fight fans. Liberace, Elvis Presley, and the Kentucky Derby all in the same day.”
To the point of the pressure cooker vibe Lewis said, “It does help and I’ve been lucky with the exception of my last fight, I’ve had a lot of noise. Especially cheering on my side which helps. It’s a lot more intimate. You can hear a lot more. The sound sort of radiates around you a lot more. You’re right there along with the crowd for it.”
Dekada in November
Dekada Contender is a great card but a lot of fighters are also looking at the November card that Dekada is putting on. Reti said, “I’m probably fighting November after this one. Looking at some top names for that one as well.” Wyatt stated, “I would love to get in one more fight before the end of the year. I know Dekada is going to be having another card on November 23d. So hopefully I can get on that one. I would love to get this fight September 28th and hen one more fight before the end of the year”
Lewis said, “I am talking to Dekada about getting on the November one. That’s absolutely part of the plan. We’re not looking past the current bout. We’ve got to get through that one first and figure it out.
December show and 2020 plans
A Muay Thai WKA flyweight title fight was initially slated for this card but will be moved over to early 2020 due to injury. Dekada has a history of promoting K1 Style Kickboxing. Dekada’s schedule for the new year is looking to be firmed up soon with the Deerfoot Inn and Casino. Also, a show in Lethbridge is slated for December 7th. It’ll be an old fashioned club show with a fair bit of MMA guys competing in boxing, K1 style kickboxing, and the usual electric entertainment Dekada brings to the table.
Short ended things off by stating, “It’s stuff like this that helps make boxing a thing. The more people that are covering it. Boxing is really moving to the forefront. It’s getting exciting again. This is exciting for us.” Dekada Contender goes this weekend and you can check out Dekada.ca for more info.
