CSUSB Student, Colton Resident, Entrepreneur and Boxer Does Balancing Act

As if pursuing a college degree weren’t challenging enough, try adding a boxing career and running the family restaurant, too. Artemio Reyes Jr., who is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in business administration with an accounting concentration at Cal State San Bernardino, also has a professional boxing career as well as the task of managing the family’s Mexican restaurant, which he has done since 2008 when his father became incapacitated. Reyes will headline the fight card on Friday, July 26, at the Doubletree Hotel in Ontario in an eight-round bout with veteran boxer Sergio Perez. The welterweight boxer has a record of 19 wins with 15 knockouts—including a second-round knockout of Rodolfo Armenta at his last fight on Feb. 22—against two losses. According to his online fight record, Reyes had won his last four bouts in a row since being stopped in the first round at the hands of Alan Sanchez in April 2012. Reyes said that fight happened just one week after his father died, but fulfilled his commitment because that’s what his father would have wanted. Reyes, who had previously been managed and trained by Ruben Castanon, recently signed a managerial contract with Cameron Dunkin, allowing Castanon to focus exclusively as Reyes’ trainer. He is promoted by Thompson Boxing. During high school, Reyes enrolled in a self-defense course because he “lived in a rough neighborhood” and wanted to learn how to protect himself. His father, Artemio Reyes Sr., encouraged and supported him in this endeavor, and eventually transitioned into amateur boxing. At age 21, he became a professional boxer. Asked about his upcoming July 26 match in Ontario, he said, “I feel good about it and believe I’m well prepared. I’ve followed a rigorous diet and training schedule, training twice a day, six days a week.” The Colton resident, who will turn 27 in September, started CSUSB in 2011 after transferring from Riverside Community College, where he graduated with distinction with an associate’s degree. He plans to receive his bachelor’s degree by December 2014. Reyes says the best thing about attending CSUSB and his major is that it has taught him the overall scope of business administration, which has become very helpful as he manages the family restaurant, El Taquito, in Colton. “My education helps make me a well-rounded individual,” said Reyes. “Not only has it taught me the business aspects of managing a small business, but it has improved my communication skills. For example, it’s helped tremendously when I’m interviewed as a boxer by the media, and it has also helped me in managing the restaurant’s employees and interacting with vendors.” His father, who was left in a coma for four years after being struck by a car in 2008, never regained consciousness and died last year. As Reyes recounted the story of his father’s condition during the four years, he explained that he and his mother, Fatima Reyes, were the primary caregivers for Reyes Sr., choosing to care for him at home instead of a nursing facility. “He took care of me for 18 years,” said Reyes Jr. “The least I could do was take care of him during the four years of his coma.” Prior to his father’s accident, Reyes Jr. would help out at the restaurant, working in the kitchen or taking orders. Today, as owner and manager, he handles the restaurant’s inventory, marketing and payroll for all the employees. “I was a 21-year-old kid when I took over the restaurant, but became a 21-year-old man overnight, managing all aspects of the business,” said Reyes Jr. “It was sink or swim because I was just thrown in there.” The youngest of three siblings and the only male, Reyes said he feels it is his responsibility to keep it together. As a result, he has a very limited social life, focusing on his top priorities. He attributes his ability to manage the multiple demands of student, entrepreneur and boxer to good time-management skills and improved communication techniques. His mother says he is “her right hand” and that’s from where she draws her strength.