Richie “Popeye” Rivera makes his return to the ring on Saturday, January 11th at the Palladium in Worcester, Massachusetts.  After nearly a year out of the ring, Rivera will be fighting Roger Guerrero, who has a professional record of 17 wins and 8 losses.  Rivera doesn’t believe ring rust will be an issue. “I'm not your typical boxer,” he said.  I don’t walk around much heavier than my fighting weight.  And everything I do in life incorporates some form of athleticism.” Whether or not the time away from the ring will cause Rivera problems remains to be seen, however,  the 34 year-old light heavyweight is confident that his everyday life keeps him prepared for battle. "When I teach young kids, I’m not just standing there giving instruction, I’m moving around,” added Rivera. "With my personality, I don’t even walk to my car, I run; it’s just who I am. I'm no stranger to this sport, and I know what it takes to prepare. I'm a professional.”  

When asked if there are any major concerns about this fight, Rivera responded with confidence. “Not at all. I know many people are concerned about training camps during the holidays because they’re afraid of their weight getting out of control.  Once again, that’s not a problem for me.  I value my success more than eating another chicken leg.” Rivera, who sports a record of 26 wins and 2 losses is promoted by Star Boxing. In August of 2022, he moved up to cruiserweight and challenged Badou Jack, losing a very competitive split decision. [Jack now holds the WBC cruiserweight title]. If Rivera is to get back to world title contention, a dominant win over Guerrero is a must.

Rivera has added an element to his training camp that he hopes will pay dividends on fight night. “It’s been an interesting training camp.  I’ve done my normal training in Connecticut but I went to Bradenton, Florida to train with several other professionals at Rude Dog Boxing IV.  Florida was fun, but we got some serious work done.”

According to Rude Dog owner and boxing trainer Paul Iannuzzi a focused Rivera will be a problem for even some of the light heavyweight division's top fighters. “Popeye is a natural athlete who can knock you out with either hand, from any angle, at any time,” said Iannuzzi. "He reminds me a lot of Prince Naseem Hamed. I found it fascinating to watch him go through our double sessions as such a killer in the ring, and yet between rounds, give people a smile in the gym that would charm the birds out of the trees and onto his arm.  The kid is great for the sport of boxing," added Iannuzzi.

Also on the January 11th card will be Rude Dog Boxing fighters Dylan “Pootie Tang” Roberts, Jesse “King Kong” Davis and Matthew “Johnny Holmes” Chuck.