Michel Rivera is eager to make a name for himself as a contender at 140 pounds.
Rivera will face Hugo Roldan on July 27, Salita Promotions announced Monday afternoon. The 10-round bout will take place at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan and will precede the main event bout between undisputed middleweight champion Claressa Shields and WBC women’s world heavyweight titleholder Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse.
Both fights will stream live on DAZN (8 p.m. ET/ 5 p.m. PT).
Also taking place on the Shields vs. Jonaisse card will be a 10-round bout between former world junior welterweight titleholder Shohjahon Ergashev and Julian Smith.
“The junior welterweight division is one of boxing’s deepest in talent and in personality,” said Dmitriy Salita, President of Salita Promotions. “Shohjahon Ergashev and Michel Rivera are both top contenders and they are in with live challengers who are looking to make their own claim to fame. These fights are going to be barnburners with the winners in line for world title shots.”
Rivera (25-1, 14 knockouts), who is originally from Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic and now lives and trains in Miami, Florida, made his 140-pound debut on November 25, defeating former world 140-pound titleholder Sergey Lipinets by unanimous decision.
In his previous fight in December 2022, his last as a lightweight, Rivera lost to contender Frank Martin in a clash of unbeaten 135-pound fighters.
The 26-year-old recently signed a promotional deal with Salita Promotions. After wins over lightweights Joseph Adorno, Jose Matias Romero, Jon Fernandez, and Ladarius Miller, Rivera hopes to continue blazing another trail en route to a world title shot.
“My fans can expect a real fast, explosive Michel Rivera,” said Rivera, who made his pro debut in March 2016. “I’ve got a new team, but the same goal. And that’s to be a world champion and dominate the (140-pound) division.”
Roldan (22-2-1, 7 KOs), who resides in La Banda, Argentina, also faced Adorno, losing a close unanimous decision in September 2022. Almost six months later, Roldan defeated Jose Hugo Acevedo by unanimous decision.
In his last bout on September 30, Roldan dropped once-beaten Batyrzhan Jukembayev once, but came up short, losing by split decision.
Despite recent setbacks, the 31-year-old Roldan believes he has the skill-set and intangibles to outbox and defeat Rivera on July 27.
“We’ve fought twice in the United States and lost close decisions because of local favoritism,” said Roldan. “This time, we are not leaving it in the hands of the judges.”
Ergashev (24-1, 21 KOs), who is originally from Rakhmon, Uzbekistan and now lives and trains in Detroit, Michigan, challenged then-IBF world titleholder Subriel Matias on November 25, was competitive early in the fight, but was forced to retire on his stool at the start of round six.
In his last bout on March 28, Ergashev knocked out Juan Huertas in the opening round.
The 32-year-old was a staple on Showtime programming, particularly on ShoBox cards, including victories over Sonny Fredrickson in January 2018, Mykal Fox and Abdiel Ramirez in 2019, and Adrian Estrella in January 2020.
Smith (8-2, 5 KOs) scored an upset win in his last fight on February 2, stopping previously-unbeaten Orestes Velazquez after round nine. Smith also has a win over Alfredo Escarcega, who entered the Smith fight unbeaten.
The 33-year-old Smith, who resides in Country Club Hills, Illinois, has won his last two fights since losing to top prospect Kevin Hayler Brown on May 26 of last year.
Francisco A. Salazar has written for The Ring since October 2013 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (California) Star newspaper. He can be reached at santio89@yahoo.com
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