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“As I got better and as I was teaching, I was able to start moving more and showing techniques more and my body started responding and I was like, ‘Hey, man, I can still do this. Let’s go.’ My old teammates started reconnecting with me and I was training with them, and the more I did it, as time went on and with physical therapy, my body responded and I was like, ‘Well, I’m going to put the books back down and I’m going to pick the gloves back up and keep them on.’”
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In a metaphoric sense, he hasn’t taken them off. And as much as it’s been a hard road back, Reyes is more than convinced that it’s all been worth it, no matter what happens on fight night.
“I do enjoy the sport,” Reyes said when asked why he made this comeback when he did have other options outside of fighting. “And a lot of it, too, is principle. Life’s going to knock you down, and things aren’t easy. But I believe if you do the right things and you’re surrounded by the right people and you have the right mindset, you get back up. Every man gets knocked down, every man will suffer loss in their life, and you got to learn how to deal with it. You can either let it make you or you can let it break you. And this is one of those things. Every fighter has a tough road to get here, but it’s more principle for me in showing to my family and to my friends and supporters that, hey, life can knock you down, but you can get your ass back up, shake it off and get back in there and keep going.”