Things you didn't know about Richard Rivera
Richard Rivera facts
British boxer Ben Whittaker (11-0-1 8 KOs) defends his WBC Silver light-heavyweight title in his Stateside debut against Richard Rivera (27-2 20 KOs) on Saturday, June 27 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
The 2020 Olympic silver medalist destroyed Braian Suarez in Liverpool a fortnight ago to rubber-stamp his trip to the USA, five months after making his promotional debut under Eddie Hearn.
The flashy fighter could make a big statement with a third consecutive KO across the Atlantic to send a message to the talent-laden 175lb division – the exact same prize on offer for Rivera if he can hand a first pro defeat to his 28-year-old foe.
But who is his next opponent? BBN found out a whole host of facts about him below.
Richard Rivera facts
Richard D. Rivera was born on November 20, 1990 in East Hartford, Connecticut.
Growing up, he had an abusive father and overworked mother who were unable to provide a stable household. At one point in his childhood, he was kicked out of the family home and forced to apply for foodstamps and other government benefits to survive.
In 2015, aged 14, he begun working at the Hartford Boxing Club.
As an amateur, he won the 2016 Rocky Marciano tournament. He too part in several regional New England tournaments and also boxed in national competitions.
His boxing nickname is Popeye The Sailor Man, bestowed upon him for his unusually large forearms just like the timeless cartoon character. He ran with this alias because he describes his fights as being "Quick to the finish cos' I eat my spinach!" His devoted fans - young and old - love how he embraces the character and he poses for photographs in his sailor hat and pipe.
He believes his best education in boxing was developed in his role as a sparring partner for world champions Peter Quillan, Chad Dawson and Star Boxing stablemate Joe Smith Jr.
His pro debut was in January 2017 in Worcester, Massachusetts, which he won against Devonte Hopkins via second-round knockout. The 2660-capacity Palladium entertainment venue has played host to Bob Dylan, B.B.King, Wiz Khalifa and Kanye West.
He won his first pro title - the Universal Boxing Federation All America light-heavyweight title - at that same venue in his sixth fight in 2019 against Kevin Cobbs via third-round KO, just 13 months after his pro bow.
In April 2018, he KO'd Randy Campbell in the first round, breaking his ankle with the force of his knockout punch.
In June 2018, he KO'd Jaime "Zarco" Solorio in round eight to capture the vacant ABF Continental cruiserweight title at the Xfinity Centre in Hartford, but it was later changed to a No Contest.
He has also won a NBA Continental and United States Boxing Federation title, making him a four-belt champion.
In June 2019, he was visibly hurt by Brian "MVP" Howard by a thunderous right hand during their Catskills fight, but he intelligently switched to fighting on the inside and battered the body to win a 79-73 points win and collect the ABO Americas cruiserweight title.
Rivera has lost just twice from 30 fights, to unbeaten Luis Antonio Tejeda (MD) in Dominican Republic and to three-weight world champion Badou Jack (SD) in Saudi Arabia, both times splitting the judges at ringside. He felt very hard done by in his loss to Jack, believing he had outboxed him for 90% of the fight.
His quickest KO took just 35 seconds and he has two wins which came in under a minute.
Richie has scored 20 knockouts from 30 bouts and his KO ratio is 74.07%. On average, he scores a knockout every five rounds.
He stands at 6′ 0″ / 183cm.
He was trained by Tony Blanco and Michael Tran out of the Hartford Boxing Center gym, but now trains in Orlando, Florida.
The 35-year-old is managed by New York promoter Joe DeGuardia, who puts on at least six shows a year in the Big Apple.
Rivera has fought in America, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Puerta Rico, Dominican Republic, Colombia.
The likeable light-heavyweight has called out Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol for the last couple of years, also calling for the Badou Jack rematch too.
He is something of a folk hero in his local area of Hartford, with busloads of fans travelling in all weathers to watch him. He is seen as the saviour of boxing in Connecticut, single-handedly bringing back the sport to the area for the first time since Hall of Fame legend Willie Pep headlined. Other notable Connecticut boxers include world champ Marlon "Magic Man" Starling, world title contenders Gaspar "El Indio" Ortega and Isreal "Pito" Cardona, and 1996 Olympic Team captain Lawrence Clay-Bey.
Other famous people from Hartford include Katharine Hepburn; author Mark Twain; Nicolas Cage's father August Coppola; firearm inventor, Samuel Colt; Martha Roosevelt, the mother of president Theodore Roosevelt; financier J. P. Morgan; and Steve Potts, who played 399 games for West Ham United over a 17-year period.
He has a girlfriend called Tashie, who he calls his Olive Oil.
What has he said?
Rivera: “The British are coming, the British are coming! If Ben Whittaker thinks he is going to my backyard to make a statement, history will repeat itself. I’m not gonna need a can of spinach for this fight. Ben might have the boxing world fooled, but I’m not convinced.”
