Richie “Popeye” Rivera makes his return to the ring
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Saturday, January 11th at the Palladium, in Worcester, MA. After nearly a
year out of the ring, “Popeye” will be fighting cagey veteran Roger
Guerrero, who has a professional record of 17 wins and 8 losses. Rivera
doesn’t believe ring rust will be an issue. “I’m not your typical boxer,”
said Rivera. I don’t walk around much heavier than my fighting weight.
And everything I do in life incorporates some form of athleticism.” Whether
or not the time away from the ring will cause Rivera problems remains to be
seen, however, the 34 year-old
light heavyweight is confident that his everyday life keeps him prepared
for battle. “When I teach young kids, I’m not just standing there giving
instruction, I’m moving around,” added Rivera.
“With my personality, I don’t even walk to my car, I run; it’s just who I
am. I’m no stranger to this sport, and I know what it takes to prepare. I’m
a professional.”
When asked if there are any major concerns Rivera responded with the utmost
confidence. “Not at all. I know many people are concerned about training
camps during the holidays because they’re afraid of their weight getting
out of control. Once again, that’s not a problem for me. I value my
success more than eating another chicken leg.” Rivera, who sports a record
of 26 wins and 2 losses is promoted by Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing. In
August of 2022, he challenged Badou Jack for the world title and lost a
controversial decision. If Rivera is to get back to world title contention,
a dominant win over Guerrero is a must.
Rivera has added an element to his training camp that he hopes will pay
dividends on fight night. “it’s been an interesting training camp. I’ve
done my normal training in Connecticut but I went to Bradenton, Florida to
train with several other Professionals at Rude Dog Boxing IV. Florida was
fun, but we got some serious work done.” According to Rude Dog owner and
boxing trainer Paul Iannuzzi a focused Rivera will be a problem for even
some of the light heavyweight divisions top fighters.
“Popeye is a natural athlete who can knock you out with either hand, from
any angle, at any time,” said Iannuzzi. “He reminds me a lot of Prince
Naseem Hamed. I found it fascinating to watch him go through our double
sessions as such a killer in the ring, and yet between rounds, give people
a smile in the gym that would charm the birds out of the trees and onto his
arm. The kid is great for the sport of boxing,” added Iannuzzi.
Also on the January 11th card promoted by Rivera Promotions, will be Rude
Dog Boxing fighters Dylan “Pootie Tang” Roberts, Jesse “King Kong” Davis
and Matthew “Johnny Holmes” Chuck.
