At the age of 13, Kali "K.O. Mequinanoag" Reis found refuge in a boxing gym, the only place she could calm her mind amid a tumultuous adolescence. But it wasn't until the Providence, Rhode Island-born world middleweight champion fought her way through hard-won battles as an adult that she found herself as a storyteller, finding new ways to share her personal journey and Native pride.
On Sunday, boxing's first Indigenous American female world champ faces a new challenge: vying for the female lead prize at Film Independent's 2022 Spirit Awards. She's nominated for her acting debut in the indie thriller "Catch the Fair One," which she also co-wrote with director Josef Kubota Wladyka.
Carving out new spaces for herself is nothing new to the Seaconke Wampanoag and Cape Verdean fighter and Native rights advocate. She's been doing it her whole life. "From where I'm from, I'm not supposed to be a world champion," says Reis, 35, Zooming in from her current home base of Philadelphia.
