By Vince Dwriter: The year 2022 has been a good year for the Dominican boxers, and recently another talented Dominican fighter was added to the Deontay Wilder-Robert Helenius October 15 undercard as undefeated lightweight contender Michel Rivera (23-0, 14 KOs) will clash with Jerry Perez in a 10-round bout at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
Rivera has spent most of the year campaigning for a fight with undefeated WBA (Regular) champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis, but unfortunately the potential matchup never materialized. Rivera feels he’s one of the elite in the lightweight division, but he doesn’t receive the same type of attention as the other top guys, and he’s finding difficulty securing a bout with the big name boxers.
The last time Rivera was in action occurred seven months ago when he faced the heavy handed fourteen win undefeated fighter Joseph Adorno. Rivera established his jab early as he used it to control the distance and set up his combinations. He fought a very intelligent fight and he was able to earn a unanimous decision victory.
After posting his twenty-third career win, Michel Rivera started seeking an opportunity to fight a top contender because he believes he’s at the point of his career where every time he stepped inside the squared circle, he should be competing against a fighter who is at the top of the food chain. On October 15 he won’t be facing an opponent that is rated as one of the elite, but he is a formidable opponent who can’t be overlooked.
Jerry Perez (14-1, 11 KOs) was a fast-rising undefeated prospect until April 2021, when he was stopped in the seventh round by Frank Martin. After a 13-month hiatus from the ring, Perez made his return and scored a TKO victory in the fifth round against Erick Lanzas Jr. Now Perez is hoping to collect an upset victory on Saturday night and, in the process, add a win versus a high-quality 135-pound opponent on to his resume.
Michel Rivera feels that he’s one of the best in the extremely talented lightweight division; however, for some reason, he doesn’t receive the opportunities he deserves. Rivera is confident he can beat the top guys, and he wants to fight the elite class, but unfortunately he was unsuccessful in landing one of those premiere matchups in 2022.
Both Michel Rivera and Jerry Perez are ending the year with a chance to set up career advancement. For Perez, a victory over Rivera would equate to the biggest win of his career, and it would open doors for bigger and better opportunities in 2023.
In Michel Rivera’s case, he most definitely needs to win, but he has to do it in impressive fashion. If Rivera wants to be considered for the big opportunities to face the upper echelon of the division, he has to make a statement Saturday night and deliver a dominant performance.
