Rivera Holds Out for Shot at Glory
by Stephen Tobey (February 12, 2003)
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Jose Antonio Rivera has been fighting professionally for 10 years, working and waiting for the day when he would get to fight for a world title, so what’s a few more months?
Last fall, Rivera’s management team was trying to get him a fight with Ricardo Mayorga for Mayorga’s World Boxing Association welterweight title. Mayorga ultimately ended up facing World Boxing Council title-holder Vernon Forrest, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Rivera (36-3-1, 24 knockouts) still plans to challenge for Mayorga’s titles, but first he has to face Felix Flores on Feb. 15 for the U.S. Boxing Association 147-pound title and the WBA’s no. 1 ranking. The bout will take place on the undercard of the Tim Austin-Rafael Marquez fight at Ceasars Palace in Las Vegas.
“We thought Mayorga was going to be my next opponent, but he went with more money,” said Rivera. “Now we’re going this route. I was a little surprised he fought Forrest first, but I understand why he did it.”
As was the case with many people, Rivera was also surprised by Mayorga’s third-round stoppage of Forrest.
“With one punch anything can happen,” he said. “I was also surprised by Mayorga’s ring generalship and how he got Forrest to fight his fight.”
While Rivera believes that his fight with Mayorga is merely delayed pending a victory over Flores (19-3, 15 K Os), there was one big one that got away.
In 1998, he had a fight scheduled against Fernando Vargas, but he sustained an elbow injury that put him out of action for a year. When Rivera returned, he campaigned at 154 pounds, but after losses to Pat Coleman and Robert Frazier he decided to drop back down to 147.
“I really wasn’t a solid 154,” he said. “I was lifting weights to fight at that weight. Then I figured I’d make my name at 147.”
Rivera won the North American Boxing Association welterweight title in May of 2001 with a decision over Patrick Byrd. He defended it successfully against Frankie Randall and Bobby Heath.
Then he signed a promotional contract with Don King and in his first fight with his new promoter, he stopped Elias Cruz in two rounds in July of 2002.
“I’ve dealt with many different promoters and they’ve never stepped up to the plate,” said Rivera. “With Don King, you can take him for his word. What he says he’ll do, he does it.”
Rivera is one of several welterweights that King has signed in recent years. Mayorga, International Boxing Association champion Michelle Piccirillo and Corey Spinks are some of the other 147 pounders that King has under contract. It’s easy to see an elimination tournament between King’s welterweights unfolding. Rivera doesn’t know anything about such plans, but he’s happy to be in the mix.
“You can never figure it out,” said Rivera. “Don King does whatever he does.”
Though the record books list Philadelphia as Rivera’s hometown, he has lived in Worcester, Mass. for over a decade. He’s never received the attention that some other New England fighters such as Micky Ward, Dana Rosenblatt, Vinny Paz, and John Ruiz have enjoyed, but that’s never bothered him.
“All those guys are great friends of mine,” said Rivera, who is represented by Tony Cardinale, the same attorney who helps guide Ruiz’s career. “We all came up together. I always want to see them win. When they do well, we all get more notoriety and more respect.”
Now that Rivera is one fight away from the fight he’s always wanted, he may be a little more difficult to ignore.
“I need to stay strong and focused with no distractions,” said Rivera. “My goal is to fight for a world title. It’s the fight I’ve always wanted and it will happen soon.”
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