Dekada switched venues with this card and I noticed a difference right away. It was that classy, small room kind of environment. Deerfoot Inn and Casino had that exclusivity kind of feel but must have put a different kind of pressure on the pugilists. The nature of the event lent itself to creating a pressure cooker framework for fighters. Being that the crowd was so concentrated with fellow fighters and loved ones, one could imagine there’s an intensified magnitude in the fighter to perform optimally. Pressure can make diamonds though and Dekada Contender certainly delivered some gems on that end of things. I was there to catch all of the action live and ringside.
The first bout of the evening saw Stephanie Essensa lock horns with Jacqueline Coutino. Essensa quickly built a strong perception of her range through feints and leading with a steady right jab. The southpaw Essensa also found success throughout via the use of her left straight. Coutino never wavered and in her orthodox stance was able to find some success throughout with her right hook to the body. Coutino worked heavy forward pressure and aimed to turn Essensa into a stationary target on the ropes or in the corner. Essensa’s angles and savvy use of her footwork largely prevented that from happening. Stephanie Essensa would go on to secure the Unanimous Decision nod over five rounds.
Kandi Wyatt and Guadalupe Ortiz were next up and the Calgary faithful were treated to another high quality fight. Both fighters got right to it with both engaging in multi-punch flurries. Ortiz showed some solid body work while Wyatt kept on tattooing the face of Ortiz. The close quarters exchanges were beautiful to watch throughout. Dominant head positioning in those close quarters allowed for Kandi to get off the bulk of the solid shots landed. The fight took on a somewhat similar framework to the prior bout. In as far as one competitor (Ortiz) favored that forward pressure, make her a stationary target approach while Wyatt opted for an approach more centered on range, angles, and footwork. Kandi’s timing on Ortiz’s entries got better as the fight went on with Kandi steadily stifling the forward pressure Guadalupe tried to initiate. Another great display of the sweet science lead to Kandi Wyatt getting the Unanimous Decision distinction after six rounds of action.
The third bout of the evening featured local favorite Gwyn Lewis stepping into the squared circle with Audel Jiminez. Gwyn almost right away began putting together multi punch combos but the big thing that was conveyed was Gwyn’s composure. For such a relatively young fighter in the game, Gwyn showed a tremendous focus and economy of strikes even whilst putting these huge multi-strike combos together. Gwyn’s jab snapped back the head of Audel a few times and Gwyn’s digging right hooks to the body caused visible redness on the left side of Audel. Audel had his moments though and even cracked Gwyn the hardest he had been hit in competition (as per Gwyn’s post-fight interview). The partisan crowd rallied behind Gwyn en route to him securing a multi-punch TKO finish in the fifth round that looked like something out of Street Fighter. It was quite a visual as Deerfoot Inn and Casino erupted with a large amount of them being clad in their Gwynning shirts.
The evening’s fourth bout seemed to put a bit of a cool down on the action. Veteran MMA fighter Dwayne Lewis was stepping back into the ring after a bit of a layoff from the sweet science. Anton Tokarchuk was making his debut in the Boxing world. Anton’s output largely consisted of peppering, prying punches to get through the guard of Dwayne. Dwayne largely covered up throughout and would aim to throw the occasional big right but often times it was telegraphed. Moments where it seemed like the action was picking up were kind of fleeting. Dwayne would at times amp up the volume and Anton would increase the significance of his strikes at other junctures. Neither could sustain those efforts for long though. Dwayne did land a sweat flying bomb on Anton at the end of the third round but moments like that happened in what were largely quiet rounds overall. Anton had the bigger output though and would get the majority decision win. There was a brief intermission which allowed the crowd to recharge a bit before the main event featuring one of the more well regarded prospective pugilists in the West.
Devin Reti came out to a warm reception as he locked horns with Hector Ruiz. The top of the marquee bout certainly delivered. A strong jab and good body work were immediately established by Reti as he was already landing sweat flying punches in the first frame. Reti slipped Ruiz’s jab and landed a big three punch combo to end the opening round. Round two saw more of the same with high connectivity on multi punch combos along with composure and angles for Reti. The perception of range kept getting stronger as the fight went on. Even to a point where towards the end of the fight, Reti put his head way out and his hands behind his back to goad Ruiz. Ruiz showed grit and landed some strikes of his own including a solid uppercut in the fourth round. Reti was just the better total package fighter that night. Some of Reti’s solid, multi-punch combos knocked sweat onto me as I sat ringside. The pace Reti put on was astonishing considering how much movement was in his game and the multitude of insane multi punch combos despite never seeming fatigued. There was an economy to it though and a high rate of connectivity on Reti’s high volume of punches. Despite being faced with all of this, Ruiz’s spirit still never wavered and he kept pushing forward to force his game plan. Though impressive, it was clear who had earned the decision win in the eyes of the judges. Devin Reti notched a W over Hector Ruiz via a Unanimous Decision after six rounds. Reti followed up this win by calling out fellow highly touted pugilist Flavio Michel to set up a potential bout for the next Dekada event.
Dekada Contender offered up a different presentation style but provided the same caliber of action Dekada fans are used to. Elite fighters like Albert Onolunose, Steve Claggett, and Jesse Arnett were also featured in the ring in between bouts. That faction of champions in the ring coupled with the action seen at Deerfoot Inn and Casino this night, it gave this feeling of being immersed in a key moment. As if this is a banner era for the sweet science in the West and just fighting in general for Western Canada. Another great Dekada event and I hope to also be ringside for their next installment which goes November 3rd.
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