Photo: Emily Harney
By Scott Ploof
Photo: Emily Harney
Worcester, MA’s own three-time world champion Jose Antonio Rivera (39-6-1, 24 KOs) recently announced his decision to come out of retirement. After an almost two and a half year layoff, Rivera, who recently has been in training, is looking to make one last run at getting another shot at a world title. He will begin his journey in the main event on Saturday April 9th at the Palladium in his hometown of Worcester, MA on a card promoted by Jimbo Isperduli’s Paxton Promotions. At this time Rivera’s opponent has yet to be determined. Matchmaker for this event is Ted Panagiotis.
When asked what prompted his decision to return to the ring, Rivera stated to FightNews, “Well recently I began training in the gym to challenge myself because I got up to 190 pounds. I wanted to challenge myself to see if I could get back into the optimal condition that I once used to be in, back when I fought in a world championship fight. I began then working with the kids in the gym. My body felt good, and my conditioning was there, so I said to myself, why not fight and let’s see how things go.”
