In the co-feature bout of the Claressa Shields vs. Vanessa LePage-Joanisse card, which aired live on DAZN, Dominican boxer Michel Rivera (26-1, 14 KOs) defeated Hugo Roldan (22-3-1, 7 KOs) by split decision.
Michel Rivera was under fire early on in the match as he faced an opponent in Hugo Roldan who was determined in regards to fighting off the front foot and getting inside. However, as the fight went on, Rivera was able to settle in, make his opponent miss, and then make him pay.
Back in December 2022, it was a battle of unbeaten lightweight prospects as Michel Rivera faced Frank Martin. Unfortunately for Rivera, Martin dominated the contest and won by way of unanimous decision.
Shortly after the bout, Rivera suffered more misfortune as he was issued a six-month suspension by the Nevada State Athletic Commission for testing positive for two banned diuretics.
Rivera would make his return to the squared circle in November 2023 as he made his debut at super-lightweight. The Dominican boxer was able to cruise to a unanimous decision victory over Sergey Lipinets.
In his second fight in his new weight class, Michel Rivera was set to face Hugo Roldan. The super -lightweight division is a talent rich division, and if Rivera wants to establish himself at 140, he needed to produce an impressive performance against a tough competitor.
Hugo Roldan was very aggressive in the opening round as he pressed forward and landed a big left hand that momentarily stunned Rivera. In the second round, Roldan continued to attack, but at the midpoint of the second, Rivera set his feet and landed a sharp combination.
In rounds 3 and 4, Rivera began to to take over as he dictated the pace of the fight by using his jab and attacking the body. Rivera featured the right hand in the fifth, as his right hand shots were very accurate.
Rivera seemed relaxed and in control as he landed a lead uppercut followed by a right hand in the final minute of the seventh round. Roldan remained determined as he continued to awkwardly press forward and was able to land a solid right hand in the 8th.
In the 10th and final round, Rivera took a step back, and landed a sharp right hand shot that sent Roldan down to the canvas. The Argentine boxer Roldan was able to get up and finish the round. At the conclusion of the 10-round contest, Michel Rivera won via split decision.
For some odd reason, one judge scored the bout 95-94 in favor of Roldan, but that card was overruled by the other two judges who scored the contest in Rivera’s favor by the scores of 99-90 and 98-91.
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