Kevin Reynolds’ shot at the Canadian cruiserweight boxing championship is just around the corner.

And there are several reasons why Reynolds (a Comox Valley native who now operates Contenders fitness facility in Vancouver), as the #1 contender, is not fighting current champ Frank White for the belt next month in Edmonton.

In an e-mail response to questions about why #2 contender Ryan Henney is fighting White on Nov. 13, and why it has been 16 months since White defended his title when CPBF rules state a defence must be staged no later than six months after a title is won, Canadian Professional Boxing Federation secretary-treasurer Ed Pearson offered a detailed explanation of the situation.

After clarifying that the CPBF no longer sanctions Canadian championship matches (it is now the domain of the Canadian National Championships Committee), Pearson said the cruiserweight title bout “has been a long, drawn-out affair.”

Pearson noted White has offered to fight Reynolds twice in the recent past. “The first time, the parties could not agree on a purse for each fighter. It was alleged by White that Reynolds had priced himself out of contention on a fight that was to be promoted by White’s promoter.

“Reynolds disputes this, saying that there was a misunderstanding, and that could be true, but the fact is the fight was offered but never finalized,” Pearson said.

“The second time they were to fight, contracts were signed and the fight was set but Reynolds got hurt in training. White then contracted to fight another contender, a  fight which did not take place, which left White in a position where he had to defend within a very short time. Reynolds was again considered, but there was not a willing promoter for that fight,” Pearson told the Record.

Reynolds confirmed his training injury but denied money was ever an issue. “We agreed to fight on May 30 but I got cut three weeks before the fight and had to pull out. Frank has taken that as he now doesn’t have to fight me, and has taken the more money in Henney. I would fight him for no money, so his claims I was pricing myself out of the picture are ridiculous.

“I got paid $2,000 to fight on ESPN. I don’t fight for the money, I fight because I want to become a champion,” Reynolds said.

Regarding the Canadian CW title fight in Edmonton, Pearson noted the title has been inactive for over a year for various reasons. “We had asked (the promoter) to put Reynolds on the card but he flatly refused, for obvious reasons – there would be no draw for Reynolds vs. White in Edmonton.

“Our champion does not have a promoter, which is a difficult situation from our standpoint. We have been working in good faith with both our champion White and #1 contender Reynolds. We thought we finally had a match several months ago, but Kevin was injured in training, and that match was cancelled,” Pearson explained.

“Subsequently we understood that Kevin’s promoter was no longer promoting boxing, and that thought was solidified in our minds when he cancelled a boxing event. Apparently though we were mistaken. However, during that time, we received an offer to have White finally defend his title against the previous champion Ryan Henney in Edmonton.

“Given the length of the inactivity of the title, we reluctantly accepted, with the proviso that the winner must defend against Reynolds within 90 days or the title will be vacated – no exceptions this time.

“I understand Reynolds’ frustration, but it is not 100 per cent anyone’s fault. It was a combination of the availability of the fighters at various times, availability of a promoter (can’t have a fight without a promoter), injury, bad timing, misinformation and bad luck.

“Believe me, nobody is more frustrated than the National Championships Committee at the constant delays. With the title finally being defended, with the condition of the winner having to face Reynolds on a deadline – no excuses acceptable – we hope to have the title more active. In Canada, we have a pretty good CW division, and everyone is frustrated that we can’t seem to have the title more active – and that includes the boxers waiting for their opportunity,” Pearson said.

So, if injuries can be avoided and a promoter can be found, Reynolds should finally get his title shot no later than mid-February 2010.

The last word is Reynolds: “All I can do is wait to fight Henney because I don’t think there is any way White can beat him.”

sports@comoxvalleyrecord.com