Cody “The Renegade” Ries (6-0, 2 KO’s, 1 NC) is one of Edmonton’s up and coming prospects in the middleweight division. His pro boxing career began in December of 2013 but before then he dabbled in any different forms of self-defense. He got his start in Jujitsu then moved on to kickboxing then from kickboxing to MMA. After his last MMA fight he decided boxing is where he should be because of the fundamentals involved.
“My start was initially in Jujitsu a to lose some weight and gain some flexibility,” said Ries. “It took me to kickboxing and eventually into mixed martial arts where I fell in love with combat sports. My trainer insisted on taking a professional MMA fight as amateur
MMA wasn’t popular or well regulated. I fought 6 times with a record of 4-2 and my last MMA fight we mainly kept it on the feet. I was like this is where I wanna be. This is technical. I feel I can greatly improve on my stand up and after I won that fight I talked to my coach and we did strictly boxing and I came to the conclusion this is the sport I want to excel in. I wanna be great. My limited amateur background just makes me want to train harder and really push my body and my mind to learn and grow. To never be complacent.”
Ries has been making a name for himself in Edmonton with his ability to put on entertaining fights. He boxes smart to avoid taking a lot of punishment but mixes it up often to show off his skills and keep the crowd entertained which is what will happen in his next bout.
On December 4th, Ries will take on the toughest challenge to date in his pro career when he takes on Ryan Wagner (5-3, 2 KO’s). Wagner has fought some of the best names on the Canadian scene including two-time Canadian welterweight champion Steve “The Dragon” Claggett and Stuart McLellan. Wagner has the experience, and the amateur background that Ries lacks which will prove a challenge but the fight taking place at middleweight (where Ries normally fights) may benefit Ries more.
“[To win] I have to listen to my coaches and keep putting in those hours of pad drills, bag drills and sparring. I have excellent sparring partners right now. You know he’s an experienced boxer, and his brother is also extremely talented. It’s a good test. The weight will probably benefit me slightly, but its gonna be a great fight.”