Kali Reis


Kali Reis is an American professional female boxer. She is the first professional Native American boxer to hail from New England, and the first Native American fighter to win the International Boxing Association middleweight crown. She is also a former WBC World Middleweight Champion and WIBA World Champion.

Early life

Kali Reis was born in Providence, Rhode Island, on August 24, 1986 and is the youngest of five children. Kali has Cherokee, Nipmuc, and Seaconke Wampanoag ancestry. Reis and her siblings were raised by their mother in East Providence, Rhode Island. Reis was an athletic child often playing rough sports with the neighborhood boys. As a child she attended and competed in powwows regularly. Since junior through high school she was active on basketball and softball leagues. At age 15 she picked up boxing, and began to be coached by a friend of her mother's Domingo Tall Dog. Reis later went to school for criminology and also learned how to fix motorcycles at MTTI. Reis continued her training at Peter Manfredo's Sr. gym to improve her skills.

Later career

After competing in more than a dozen sanctioned and unsanctioned matches as an amateur, Reis turned pro in 2008. But she only had one bout in each of her first three years in the professional ranks. Reis stated, "I haven't been as busy as I wanted to be." In 2012, Kali was involved in a serious motorcycle accident which put her out for the boxing season, but she returned in 2013. Kali fought for the WIBA title in November 2013, but Virginia's Tori Nelson defended her Women's International Boxing Association crown with a unanimous decision. Reis gained further attention in the sport after the match. On November 12, 2014 Reis won the IBA crown defeating Teresa Perozzi in Bermuda. Reis also coaches boxing for youth and works as a trainer. In April 2016, Reis won her first major world title in New Zealand against Maricela Cornejo for the vacant WBC World Middleweight title.

Boxing titles

No.ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes
21Loss13–7–1 Cecilia BrækhusUD1005 May 2018 Stub Hub Center, Carson, California, USAFor WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO, and IBO female welterweight titles
20Win13–6–1 Tiffany Woodard625 Nov 2017 Mayflower Hotel, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
19Win12–6–1 Sydney LeBlanc619 Oct 2017 Mohegan Sun Casino, Uncasville, Connecticut, USA
18Win11–6–1 Ashleigh Curry611 May 2017 Mohegan Sun Casino, Uncasville, USA
17Loss10–6–1 Christina Hammer105 Nov 2016 Ballhaus Forum, Munich, Bayern, GermanyFor WBO & WBC World female middleweight titles
16Win10–5–1 Althea Saunders815 Jul 2016 Twin River Event Center, Lincoln, Rhode Island, USA
15Win9–5–1 Maricela Cornejo1016 Apr 2016 The Trusts Arena, Auckland, New Zealandvacant WBC World female middleweight title
14Win8–5–1 Victoria Cisneros1 1:3119 Feb 2016 Twin River Event Center, Lincoln, Rhode Island, USAvacant Universal Boxing Federation World female middleweight title
13Loss7–5–1 Hanna Gabriel1017 Oct 2015 Estadio Edgardo Baltodano, Liberia, Guanacaste, Costa RicaWBO World female super welterweight title
12Loss7–4–1 Christina Hammer102 May 2015 Sparkassen-Arena, Jena, Thüringen, GermanyWBO World female middleweight title
11Win7–3–1 Teresa Perozzi3 0:5121 Nov 2014 Fairmont Southampton Resort, Southampton, Bermudavacant International Boxing Association female middleweight title
10Lose6–3–1 Mikaela Laurén818 Jul 2014 Pabellon Municipal, Sedavi, Comunidad Valenciana, Spain
9Win6–2–1 Marva Dash4 1:4103 Mar 2014 Irish Cultural Center, Canton, Massachusetts, USA
8Loss5–2–1 Tori Nelson1007 Nov 2013 Martin's Valley Mansion, Cockeysville, Maryland, USAWomen's International Boxing Association World welterweight title
7Win5–1–1 Lyneisha Jefferson429 Jun 2012 Convention Center, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
6Win4–1–1 Marva Dash49 Mar 2012 Convention Center, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
5Win3–1–1 Kate Aversa2 9 Dec 2011 Civic Center, West Warwick, Rhode Island, USA
4Draw2–1–1 Sarah Kuhn628 Oct 2011 Empire State Plaza Convention Center, Albany, New York, USA
3Loss2–1 Aleksandra Magdziak Lopes69 Jul 2010 Twin River Event Center, Lincoln, Rhode Island, USA
2Win2–0 Aleksandra Magdziak Lopes46 Mar 2009 Memorial Hall, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA
1Win1–0 Betsy Rowell2, 1:166 Sep 2008 The Roxy, Boston, Massachusetts, USAProfessional debut