Daniel Reyes: Boxing Career and Notable Fights
Colombian boxer Daniel Reyes competed as a flyweight at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics before becoming a professional world champion.
From Atlanta to a world title
At the Olympics, Reyes won his opening two bouts, against Ethiopia’s Tebebu Behoneng and Syria’s Khaled Falah, then lost to Russia’s Albert Pakeyev in the quarterfinal. The Colombian Olympic Committee records the same run and identifies Reyes among the country’s leading boxing results in Atlanta.
Reyes later won the IBF minimumweight title by stopping Edgar Cárdenas. BoxRec lists his championship reign from October 2003 to September 2004, with one successful defense. His world championship came in the 105-pound professional division, after his Olympic appearance at flyweight.
Winning and defending the IBF belt
Reyes had first challenged Roberto Carlos Leyva for the vacant IBF minimumweight title on April 29, 2001, losing a twelve-round unanimous decision in New York. He eventually secured the championship on October 4, 2003, stopping Cárdenas in the sixth round at Staples Center in Los Angeles.
His successful defense brought a rematch with Leyva on April 10, 2004, in Cartagena. Reyes reversed their earlier result with a third-round stoppage, retaining the belt against the boxer who had denied him the vacant title three years before. Muhammad Rachman ended the reign by split decision in Jakarta on September 14, 2004.
The nickname “El Olímpico” connects those professional achievements to his amateur background. Olympedia records his fifth-place finish in Atlanta and includes him among Olympic boxers who later became professional world champions. His path therefore joins a quarterfinal run for Colombia with a later championship victory and a successful defense against a former titleholder.
Further career results
The championship sequence also followed a change in IBF ownership. Cardenas had taken the belt from Miguel Barrera in May 2003 but had not completed a successful defense before meeting Reyes in October. Reyes then defended against Leyva, giving his reign victories over two former titleholders. His win over Cardenas and rematch victory over Leyva were stoppages rather than points decisions.
Sources
Additional sources: https://boxrec.com/wiki/index.php/IBF_Minimumweight_Champion; https://boxrec.com/wiki/index.php/IBF_Minimumweight_Title_Fights
- Colombian Olympic Committee: Colombia at Atlanta 1996
- BoxRec: Daniel Reyes profile
- BoxRec: IBF minimumweight champions
- Semana: Reyes wins the IBF minimumweight title
