Wilfredo Rivera (proper) went head-to-head with WBC welterweight titleholder Oscar De La Hoya on December 6, 1997. (Picture by Jon Levy/AFP through Getty Photos)
Wilfredo Rivera was a mainstay within the white-hot welterweight division within the mid Nineties-early 2000s. Throughout that point, the gifted Puerto Rican challenged for a world title on three events in opposition to two superstars – Pernell Whitaker (twice) and Oscar De La Hoya – and fought a number of different huge names of the period, together with Shane Mosley and Fernando Vargas.
Rivera was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico on Could 4, 1969. His early years have been notably tough.
“My mom raised us alone, and there was no ASUME (government-sponsored little one help). My father was not obliged to offer us [assistance], and we went hungry,” Rivera advised The Ring. “To make issues worse, my mom is schizophrenic, and after they put her away, they divided us into totally different properties and I didn’t hear from my brother or sister once more till Mother got here out to select us up. I suffered from mistreatment; everybody gave me lashes to make me respect them, and on high of that they punished us, hardly giving us meals.”
The teen discovered boxing by chance when he was 8 years previous.
“My dad took my brother and me to reside in the home of an older brother [of his] who was proper subsequent to a boxing gymnasium,” he recalled. “Taking part in round, I spotted that there was a noise, like bursts of pictures, and out of curiosity I went to see what it was. I entered – there have been males hitting a big bag, others leaping rope, others lifting weights. A world unknown to me and apparently enjoyable.
“I began going daily, and coach Don Eusebio noticed my curiosity in studying and being a part of his group of boxers. I had my first combat with him and I received.”
Rivera (left) defeated former 140-pound titleholder Lonnie Smith in 1993 en path to successful a welterweight event on the Discussion board in Inglewood, California. (Picture by Holly Stein /Allsport through Getty Photos)
Rivera had a profitable novice profession, successful nationwide titles from the youth to senior stage and represented Puerto Rico in 4 worldwide tournaments, the place he claimed a bronze and a gold medal.
He received a event to qualify for the Seoul Olympics in 1988. Nonetheless, the Puerto Rican boxing Federation selected one other boxer to compete in his weight class.
Rivera, who went 51-6 as an novice, turned skilled at 18 as a junior light-weight, scoring a fourth-round stoppage over fellow debutant Ivan Centeno in April 1988. He received 5 extra fights and was then matched in opposition to future light-weight titlist Leavander Johnson. On the conclusion of 4 rounds, the combat was dominated a draw.
Rivera moved up in weight as his physique matured. He maintained his unbeaten file and impressively received three fights in opposition to Ariel Chaves (RTD 6), former junior welterweight titleholder Lonnie Smith (UD 10) and skilled campaigner Stephan Johnson (UD 10) on his strategy to claiming first place within the Budweiser 147-pound event on the Discussion board in Inglewood, California, in 1993.
Pernell Whitaker made an enormous impression on Rivera throughout their two fights. (Picture by Al Bello /Allsport through Getty Photos)
“I received the welterweight event that was supposed to offer me the chance to combat for the title in or earlier than six months, and it wasn’t till 1996 that I received it,” he revealed. He says he was additionally speculated to obtain $50,000 and a Grand Marquis automobile, however these rewards have been additionally elusive. “They solely gave me $5,000 and I by no means noticed the automobile. Some charlatans!”
Automobile or not, Rivera turned the No. 1 ranked fighter within the IBF, WBA and WBC. The chance to develop into a world champion in one in every of boxing’s showpiece divisions arrived within the type of WBC titlist and pound-for-pound No. 1 Pernell Whitaker. They’d face off on the tropical Caribbean Island of Saint Martin in April 1996, with the combat televised on HBO.
“Saint Martin, it was a stupendous journey, its charming seashores and nice climate. Similar to the city of Loiza in Puerto Rico, the place we even have seashores and even rivers. It was an unforgettable expertise.”
Though the supremely gifted Whitaker was the pre-fight favourite, Rivera had youth on his facet and boxed the combat of his life.
“You’ll discover that I dominated him in his boxing, as a result of I did the identical factor to him that he did to all his opponents – combat in opposition to him – and that annoyed him,” mentioned Rivera, who misplaced a hotly contested 12-round cut up choice. “[He] maliciously headbutted [me] and brought about a deep wound on my brow. I used to be bleeding from the second spherical to the tip. The referee was bothering me all through the combat and even deducted some extent from me.”
Whitaker claimed {that a} case of the flu had hindered his efficiency, and as a result of closeness of the primary combat they met in a direct rematch in Miami in September 1996.
“I used to be the aggressor and I [pushed] Whitaker backwards on a regular basis, and never as a result of he was boxing. Even when he was combating me, my bodyshots harm him and he began to complain,” Rivera mentioned. “I knocked him to the bottom 3 times due to how sturdy I felt, despite the fact that referee Frank Santore Jr. very [wrongly] didn’t [deliver a count] for 2 of the three knockdowns, in apparent favoritism and following orders from their selling bosses.
“In the previous couple of rounds, Whitaker was already wanting drained and sore, very totally different from the Whitaker he all the time taken care of his fights with the others. If the referee had counted even yet another fall from the three I gave him, it might have been a draw on one card and a win for me on the opposite two. Nonetheless, the choice was solely by just a few factors on the three judges’ scorecards.”
Rivera’s combat in opposition to De La Hoya was his third try to win a world title. (Picture by Tom Mihalek/AFP through Getty Photos)
Rivera licked his wounds and rebounded with 4 wins over the subsequent 15 months to earn a 3rd world title tilt in opposition to Whitaker’s conqueror, unbeaten four-division titleholder Oscar De La Hoya, in Atlantic Metropolis.
“I misplaced attributable to a scarcity of fine preparation with Oscar De La Hoya,” he mentioned. “There was by no means any certainty that this combat would happen till three weeks earlier than the combat … and I began coaching very late. I used to be in the course of a divorce; my ex-wife’s attorneys have been already asking for half! That didn’t permit me to arrange like after I confronted Whitaker.
“When the boxers are going to place the wraps on their palms, as a basic rule a coach representing every nook have to be current to see the opponent’s wrapping. The De La Hoya group was current after they put the wraps on me, however one in every of my coaches was not allowed to see Oscar De La Hoya’s wraps! No person mentioned or did something.
“He lower my proper eyebrow with the primary blow he might give me. I stood up and fought him, successful rounds 5, six and 7, on all three scorecards, however within the eighth, Oscar threw a flurry of punches, hitting me with none and referee Joe Cortez stopped it for no cause. Truthfully, if I had been ready like Whitaker, I might have knocked him out!”
Rivera received again to successful methods in his subsequent combat, besting veteran Carlos Palomino (UD 10) earlier than his subsequent huge alternative got here in opposition to Shane Mosley in September 1999.
“I [didn’t have] the preparation [that I had] for Whitaker,” mentioned Rivera. “I used to be going by means of an unfair divorce, for which I used to be stripped of all the cash earned, for the reason that courtroom freezes the accounts till the case is resolved to be able to divide the shared property. The divorce took 4 years to resolve the shared property. For that cause, I agreed to combat for less than $125,000.”
Rivera was forward on one scorecard when he was stopped by Mosley in Spherical 10.
Rivera did effectively on the scorecards in opposition to Shane Mosley however was stopped within the tenth spherical. (Picture by Donald Miralle /Allsport through Getty Photos)
He wasn’t completed, nonetheless, and received two fights earlier than assembly former junior middleweight titlist Fernando Vargas on two weeks’ discover in Could 2001.
Though Rivera dropped Vargas early within the combat, “El Feroz” rebounded and stopped him within the sixth spherical.
The Vargas loss signaled the house stretch of Rivera’s profession, and he fought for the ultimate time in July 2005. He retired with a file of 35-7-1 (21 knockouts).
“I retired and labored driving vehicles; I labored as a safety guard in warehouses,” he mentioned. “My ex-wife took all my cash and that’s why I used to be homeless. I ended up sleeping and residing in my automobile.
“The honorable mayor Ramón Luis Rivera Cruz of Bayamon, Puerto Rico, known as me to offer me the big alternative to work on what I’m most obsessed with and what I do know finest, which is to be a boxing coach.”
Rivera, now 55, has 5 kids, who all reside within the U.S. He lives in Bayamon. He graciously took time to talk to The Ring about the most effective he fought in 10 key classes.
Followers of Candy Pea received’t be shocked by his decisions …
BEST JAB
Pernell Whitaker: “The jab is an important punch for each boxer. Whitaker was a southpaw and used his jabs very fluently to hit very onerous.”
BEST DEFENSE
Whitaker: “His protection was based mostly on the flexibility to maneuver across the ring, in addition to having good motion on the waist. A boxer who can transfer, punch and dodge on the identical time is a troublesome boxer to hit, and that’s what Pernell Whitaker did. That gave him time to dodge his opponents’ blows and instantly counterattack, making himself untouchable. The man was a defensive grasp.”
BEST FOOTWORK
Whitaker: “Whitaker was fast along with his palms and toes, transferring with ease and velocity within the ring. He performed with most boxers, together with the nice Mexican champion Julio Cesar Chavez. The footwork was unbelievable, the angles he would create by means of motion.”
FASTEST HANDS
Whitaker: “Whitaker was very quick. His velocity was one thing else, and in addition the angles he would use. And after I tried to counterattack, he’d be proper on high once more.”
SMARTEST
Whitaker : “I used to be boxing since I used to be 8 years previous, and after I received in there with Whitaker, I noticed a man that knew simply as a lot as me, if no more. In his actions, counterattack, the ring generalship, his protection, velocity … I used to be very impressed by the pedigree; the man was an all-around basic. I hadn’t ever skilled anybody within the ring so in tune with all the pieces.”
STRONGEST
Shane Mosley: “Mosley was very sturdy. I used to be hitting him with issues and he stored coming ahead. I simply felt he was the strongest all-around.”
BEST CHIN
Whitaker: “I went 24 rounds with that man and hit him with all the pieces. Positive, he went down, however he did get again up. Regardless of the actual fact [that Felix] Trinidad knocked him to the bottom; he couldn’t end it by knockout. That’s why Whitaker will get credit score for having a jaw of metal.”
BIGGEST PUNCHER
Cassius Clay Horne (April 1995, Las Vegas): “When he hit me with a left hand, I used to be virtually out on my toes. The ache wouldn’t go away, even after I knocked him out within the eighth spherical. If I keep in mind accurately, I felt the ache in my face, which received higher after I lastly received to Puerto Rico!”
BEST BOXING SKILLS
Whitaker: “Ability-wise, he was unbelievable. His ring generalship, he can be dancing whereas boxing. He’s a lefty, however he’d transfer the alternative approach and throw a jab and nonetheless hit you. He’d hit you to the physique and go up high.”
BEST OVERALL
Whitaker: “He was the most effective all-around. His conditioning was unbelievable, he was a lefty, he was quick, the agility, had a chin and a never-give-up angle. Whitaker was a brilliant champion, similar to Sugar Ray Leonard was.”
Mauricio Gonzalez helped translate and make this characteristic potential. The Ring appreciates his help.
Questions and/or feedback will be despatched to Anson at [email protected].
