Jan Paul Rivera takes unanimous decision over Andy Beltran

Jan Paul Rivera proved too strong for Andy Beltran in a thrilling encounter Friday at Coliseo Roger L. Mendoza in Caguas, Puerto Rico, recording a competitive unanimous decision win.

Puerto Rico’s Rivera (11-0, 7 KOs) was ruthless throughout the eight-round contest, wobbling Beltran (8-1, 5 KOs) with power shots. The fighters started the bout by exchanging powerful shots, but Rivera made use of his jabs to keep Mexico’s Beltran at bay.

In the second round, Rivera landed a big right hook that troubled his opponent. Rivera followed up with another big right hand that wobbled Beltran, who responded in equal measure.

Moments later, Beltran nearly visited the canvas from a right hook, but he stood firm to take the punishment. The third and fourth rounds saw Rivera attack more frequently, landing combinations to the face and body of Beltran.

Beltran did not succumb to Rivera’s shots and came back into the fight by landing clean shots. At this stage, the fight started getting intense, as both fighters went trading. However, Rivera landed the lion’s share of the punches, connecting with a right hook to the jaw of Beltran.

As Beltran came forward, Rivera maintained his composure in the fifth round, eating punches with vigor. In the sixth and seventh rounds, Rivera maintained the pressure with two quick left hooks that dazed Beltran, but the resolute Puerto Rican kept his composure.

In the final round, Rivera relied on his jabs to keep Beltran at bay, knowing he had cruised to an emphatic win, which the judges scored 80-72, 80-72 and 79-73 in his favor.

On the undercard, Puerto Rico’s Krystal Rosado (5-0, 2 KOs) cruised to a unanimous decision victory over Perla Lomeli (6-3) in a women’s bantamweight contest. Also, welterweight Elijah Flores (9-0, 3 KOs) triumphed over Omar Rosario (13-2, 4 KOs) via an eighth-round unanimous decision victory.

Bernard Neequaye is a sports journalist with a specialty in boxing coverage. He wrote a boxing column titled “From The Ringside” in his native Ghana for years. He can be reached on X (formerly Twitter) at @BernardNeequaye, LinkedIn at Bernard Neequaye and through email at [email protected].