Roody Rene

It wasn’t an easy start, but then again boxing isn’t an easy sport and besides, Roody Rene already knows what adversity feels like. After all he was only 5 years of age when his mother left war-torn Haiti for a new life in Canada. Sponsored by a relative Roody’s mom entered the country as a landed immigrant, but unfortunately at the time didn’t have the money to bring Roody with her. So her only child was placed in an orphanage for almost 2 years while his mother saved up enough cash to bring her son into the country. “It was a difficult decision,” she admits. “But I just wanted a better life for my little boy.” And the following 8 years were better as the family began to settle into their new home and acclimatize themselves to Canadian culture.

It was then, at age 15, that Roody began to take an interest in the sweet science. “I used to shadow box around my room,” he admits, “Until a buddy who owned two pairs of boxing gloves asked me if I wanted to fight.” Eagerly accepting, the two began sparring in his buddy’s back yard – at the time there was no ring, no ropes, no bell and no cheering crowd, just a couple of young men doing what came naturally and having some fun.

Things stayed that way for about 5 years until Rene, then a solid 20 year-old, realized he wanted more out of boxing and it was then that he took the next step and joined the Kerwin Boxing Club. “I can still remember my first day at the club,” says Rene. “ The place was great and I felt at home right away.” Well established and with a strong tradition the Kerwin Boxing Club has been a part of Ottawa’s sporting landscape for almost eight years. Founded by former Canadian and Commonwealth professional boxing champion Gale Kerwin, the club boasts a healthy membership and has a long list of competitive fighters. Sadly, Gale passed away a couple of years ago but the club and his memory both live on. “Gale brought so much to the local community,” says head coach Ron Gervais. “He was a good man.”

Now run by Ron and his wife Pat, the boxing club has a strong family atmosphere and supports a very multi-cultural group of fighters. “This is like the United Nations of boxing,” jokes Pat. “Different nationalities, different cultures, and everyone gets along – it’s great to see. But don’t let the upbeat atmosphere fool you,” she explains. “This is a competitive boxing club and we take our training and match making very seriously.”

So far this well structured approach has helped Rene to a winning record over his first 10 fights. Competing as a middleweight Rene brings a lot of athletic ability to the ring along with a keen interest and the ability to learn. His personal coach, Martin Luiz Rodriguez, once a professional fighter in Argentina, has high hopes for Rene, but realizes that this young man still has a lot of work ahead of him. “He must stay focused, keep improving and most importantly, stay active, “ explains Rodriguez. At 22 years of age Rene has to move fast if he wants to launch a successful pro career. “He needs active development including at least 2 fights per month against good opposition,” says Rodriguez. “If he does this for a year or two he has a good chance to make some money in this sport.”

Part of this active development came in Peterborough a couple of weeks ago as Rene defeated a local fighter in his first 4-round open-class fight. “It was real tough,” admits Rene. “I was really tired but my corner motivated me to keep going.” Instructed to just keep punching, Rene stayed busy enough to pull out the victory against a taller, rangier opponent. “He performed very well,” says chief second Ron Gervais who was very impressed with his young fighter’s first test in the open class. “After 10 fights competitors must move from the novice to the open class,” explains Gervais. “This means going from 3 two-minute rounds to 4 two-minute rounds. At first that extra round makes a real difference. Some guys run out of gas and start to panic, Rene, however, kept his wits about him, listened to his corner and won the fight.” If he can just get a few more wins under his belt over the summer, his coach feels he’ll be ready for the Ontario Championships in November.

When asked about his boxing idols Rene puts 3 names above the rest. Arturo Gatti for his tremendous heart. Oscar de la Hoya for his skill and intelligence in the ring, and finally Sugar Shane Mosley for his hand speed and creativity. “I love to watch these guys fight – they give me something to shoot for.”

Outside of the ring Rene is finishing his secondary education at a local adult High School and his future plans include a career in criminology.