Michel Rivera returns to action to face Hugo Roldan on the Shields-Lepage card on July 27
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 fight will take place at the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan and will precede the main event between undisputed middleweight champion Claressa Shields and WBC women’s world title champion Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse.
Both fights will air live on DAZN (8 pm ET/ 5 pm PT).
Another thing that will happen on the Shields vs. Jonaisse will be a 10-round fight between former world junior welterweight titleholder Shohjahon Ergashev and Julian Smith.
“The junior welterweight division is one of the boxing that has the deepest talent and personality,” said Dmitriy Salita, President of Salita Promotions. “Shohjahon Ergashev and Michel Rivera are both top players and are among their live competitors who want to make their own name. These fights will be uphill and the winners have a chance to qualify for the world title.”
Rivera (25-1, 14 knockouts), who hails from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic and now resides in Miami, Florida, made his 140-pound debut on November 25, defeating former 140-pound world champion Sergey Lipinets in. unanimous decision.
In his last fight in December 2022, his last as a lightweight, Rivera lost to rival Frank Martin in a fight against the undefeated 135 pounds.
The 26-year-old recently signed a promotional deal with Salita Promotions. After defeating lightweights Joseph Adorno, Jose Matias Romero, Jon Fernandez, and Ladarius Miller, Rivera hopes to continue blazing another trail on his way to a world title.
“My fans can expect a real fast, explosive Michel Rivera,” said Rivera, who made his pro debut in March 2016. “I have a new team, but the same goal. And that will be the world champion and dominate the division (pounds 140).”
Roldan (22-2-1, 7 KOs), who lives in La Banda, Argentina, also faced Adorno, losing by unanimous decision in September 2022. About six months later, Roldan defeated -Jose Hugo Acevedo by unanimous decision.
In his last fight on September 30, Roldan took down Batyrzhan Jukembayev once, but failed, losing by split decision.
Despite the recent setbacks, the 31-year-old Roldan believes he has the talent and potential to defeat Rivera on July 27.
“We have fought twice in the United States and lost close decisions because of local bias,” 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 trains in Detroit, Michigan, challenged then-IBF world champion Subriel Matias on November 25, competing early in the fight, but he was forced to sit in his seat at the start of the sixth round.
In his last fight on March 28, Ergashev knocked out Juan Huertas in the opening round.
The 32-year-old has been part of the Showtime lineup, mainly on ShoBox cards, including wins over Sonny Fredrickson in January 2018, Mykal Fox and Abdiel Ramirez in 2019, and Adrian Estrella in January 2020.
Smith (8-2, 5 KOs) picked up an upset win in his last fight on February 2, stopping undefeated Orestes Velazquez in the ninth round. Smith also picked up a win over Alfredo Escarcega, who entered Smith’s fight undefeated.
The 33-year-old Smith, who lives in Country Club Hills, Illinois, has won his last two fights since losing to top contender Kevin Hayler Brown on May 26 of last year.
Francisco A. Salazar has written for The Ring since October 2013 and has handled boxing in Southern California and internationally since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (California) Star newspaper. They can be reached at [email protected]
