Wilfredo Rivera was a mainstay in the white-hot welterweight division in the mid 1990s-early 2000s. During that time, the talented Puerto Rican challenged for a world title on three occasions against two superstars – Pernell Whitaker (twice) and Oscar De La Hoya – and fought several other big names of the era, including Shane Mosley and Fernando Vargas.

Rivera was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico on May 4, 1969. His early years were particularly difficult.

“My mother raised us alone, and there was no ASUME (government-sponsored child support). My father was not obliged to give us [assistance], and we went hungry,” Rivera told The Ring. “To make matters worse, my mother is schizophrenic, and when they put her away, they divided us into different homes and I didn’t hear from my brother or sister again until Mom came out to pick us up. I suffered from mistreatment; everyone gave me lashes to make me respect them, and on top of that they punished us, hardly giving us food.”

The youngster found boxing by accident when he was 8 years old.

“My dad took my brother and me to live in the house of an older brother [of his] who was right next to a boxing gym,” he recalled. “Playing around, I realized that there was a noise, like bursts of shots, and out of curiosity I went to see what it was. I entered – there were men hitting a large bag, others jumping rope, others lifting weights. A world unknown to me and apparently fun. 

“I started going every day, and trainer Don Eusebio saw my interest in learning and being part of his team of boxers. I had my first fight with him and I won.”

Rivera (left) defeated former 140-pound titleholder Lonnie Smith in 1993 en route to winning a welterweight tournament at the Forum in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Holly Stein /Allsport via Getty Images)

Rivera had a successful amateur career, winning national titles from the youth to senior level and represented Puerto Rico in four international tournaments, where he claimed a bronze and a gold medal. 

He won a tournament to qualify for the Seoul Olympics in 1988. However, the Puerto Rican boxing Federation chose another boxer to compete in his weight class.

Rivera, who went 51-6 as an amateur, turned professional at 18 as a junior lightweight, scoring a fourth-round stoppage over fellow debutant Ivan Centeno in April 1988. He won five more fights and was then matched against future lightweight titlist Leavander Johnson. At the conclusion of four rounds, the fight was ruled a draw. 

Rivera moved up in weight as his body matured. He maintained his unbeaten record and impressively won three fights against Ariel Chaves (RTD 6), former junior welterweight titleholder Lonnie Smith (UD 10) and experienced campaigner Stephan Johnson (UD 10) on his way to claiming first place in the Budweiser 147-pound tournament at the Forum in Inglewood, California, in 1993.

Pernell Whitaker made a big impression on Rivera during their two fights. (Photo by Al Bello /Allsport via Getty Images)

“I won the welterweight tournament that was supposed to give me the opportunity to fight for the title in or before six months, and it wasn’t until 1996 that I got it,” he revealed. He says he was also supposed to receive $50,000 and a Grand Marquis car, but those rewards were also elusive. “They only gave me $5,000 and I never saw the car. Some charlatans!”

Car or not, Rivera became the No. 1 ranked fighter in the IBF, WBA and WBC. The opportunity to become a world champion in one of boxing’s showpiece divisions arrived in the form of WBC titlist and pound-for-pound No. 1 Pernell Whitaker. They would face off on the tropical Caribbean Island of Saint Martin in April 1996, with the fight televised on HBO.

“Saint Martin, it was a beautiful adventure, its charming beaches and pleasant weather. Very similar to the town of Loiza in Puerto Rico, where we also have beaches and even rivers. It was an unforgettable experience.”

Although the supremely talented Whitaker was the pre-fight favorite, Rivera had youth on his side and boxed the fight of his life.

“You will notice that I dominated him in his boxing, because I did the same thing to him that he did to all his opponents –  fight against him – and that frustrated him,” said Rivera, who lost a hotly contested 12-round split decision. “[He] maliciously headbutted [me] and caused a deep wound on my forehead. I was bleeding from the second round to the end. The referee was bothering me throughout the fight and even deducted a point from me.”

Whitaker claimed that a case of the flu had hindered his performance, and due to the closeness of the first fight they met in a direct rematch in Miami in September 1996.

“I was the aggressor and I [pushed] Whitaker backwards all the time, and not because he was boxing. Even when he was fighting me, my bodyshots hurt him and he started to complain,” Rivera said. “I knocked him to the ground three times because of how strong I felt, even though referee Frank Santore Jr. very [wrongly] did not [deliver a count] for two of the three knockdowns, in obvious favoritism and following orders from their promoting bosses.

“In the last few rounds, Whitaker was already looking tired and sore, very different from the Whitaker he always looked after his fights with the others. If the referee had counted even one more fall from the three I gave him, it would have been a draw on one card and a win for me on the other two. Still, the decision was only by a few points on the three judges’ scorecards.”

Rivera’s fight against De La Hoya was his third attempt to win a world title. (Photo by Tom Mihalek/AFP via Getty Images)

Rivera  licked his wounds and rebounded with four wins over the next 15 months to earn a third world title tilt against Whitaker’s conqueror, unbeaten four-division titleholder Oscar De La Hoya, in Atlantic City.

“I lost due to a lack of good preparation with Oscar De La Hoya,” he said. “There was never any certainty that this fight would take place until three weeks before the fight … and I started training very late. I was in the middle of a divorce; my ex-wife’s lawyers were already asking for half! That didn’t allow me to prepare like when I faced Whitaker.

“When the boxers are going to put the wraps on their hands, as a general rule a trainer representing each corner must be present to see the opponent’s wrapping. The De La Hoya team was present when they put the wraps on me, but one of my coaches was not allowed to see Oscar De La Hoya’s wraps! Nobody said or did anything.

“He cut my right eyebrow with the first blow he could give me. I stood up and fought him, winning rounds five, six and seven, on all three scorecards, but in the eighth, Oscar threw a flurry of punches, hitting me with none and referee Joe Cortez stopped it for no reason. Honestly, if I had been prepared like Whitaker, I would have knocked him out!”

Rivera got back to winning ways in his next fight, besting veteran Carlos Palomino (UD 10) before his next big opportunity came against Shane Mosley in September 1999.

“I [didn’t have] the preparation [that I had] for Whitaker,” said Rivera. “I was going through an unfair divorce, for which I was stripped of all the money earned, since the court freezes the accounts until the case is resolved in order to divide the shared assets. The divorce took four years to resolve the shared assets. For that reason, I agreed to fight for only $125,000.”

Rivera was ahead on one scorecard when he was stopped by Mosley in Round 10. 

Rivera did well on the scorecards against Shane Mosley but was stopped in the 10th round. (Photo by Donald Miralle /Allsport via Getty Images)

He wasn’t finished, however, and won two fights before meeting former junior middleweight titlist Fernando Vargas on two weeks’ notice in May 2001.

Although Rivera dropped Vargas early in the fight, “El Feroz” rebounded and stopped him in the sixth round.

The Vargas loss signaled the home stretch of Rivera’s career, and he fought for the final time in July 2005. He retired with a record of 35-7-1 (21 knockouts).

“I retired and worked driving trucks; I worked as a security guard in warehouses,” he said. “My ex-wife took all my money and that’s why I was homeless. I ended up sleeping and living in my car.

“The honorable mayor Ramón Luis Rivera Cruz of Bayamon, Puerto Rico, called me to give me the gigantic opportunity to work on what I am most passionate about and what I know best, which is to be a boxing coach.”

Rivera, now 55, has five children, who all live in the U.S. He lives in Bayamon. He graciously took time to speak to The Ring about the best he fought in 10 key categories. 

Fans of Sweet Pea won’t be surprised by his choices …

BEST JAB

Pernell Whitaker: “The jab is the most important punch for every boxer. Whitaker was a southpaw and used his jabs very fluently to hit very hard.”   

BEST DEFENSE

Whitaker: “His defense was based on the ability to move around the ring, as well as having good movement at the waist. A boxer who can move, punch and dodge at the same time is a tough boxer to hit, and that’s what Pernell Whitaker did. That gave him time to dodge his opponents’ blows and immediately counterattack, making himself untouchable. The guy was a defensive master.”

BEST FOOTWORK

Whitaker: “Whitaker was quick with his hands and feet, moving with ease and speed in the ring. He played with most boxers, including the great Mexican champion Julio Cesar Chavez. The footwork was unbelievable, the angles he would create through movement.”

FASTEST HANDS 

Whitaker: “Whitaker was very fast. His speed was something else, and also the angles he would use. And when I tried to counterattack, he’d be right on top again.”

SMARTEST 

Whitaker : “I was boxing since I was 8 years old, and when I got in there with Whitaker, I saw a guy that knew just as much as me, if not more. In his movements, counterattack, the ring generalship, his defense, speed … I was very impressed by the pedigree; the guy was an all-around general. I hadn’t ever experienced anyone in the ring so in tune with everything.”

STRONGEST 

Shane Mosley: “Mosley was very strong. I was hitting him with things and he kept coming forward. I just felt he was the strongest all-around.”

BEST CHIN

Whitaker: “I went 24 rounds with that guy and hit him with everything. Sure, he went down, but he did get back up. Despite the fact [that Felix] Trinidad knocked him to the ground; he could not finish it by knockout. That’s why Whitaker gets credit for having a jaw of steel.”

BIGGEST PUNCHER

Cassius Clay Horne (April 1995, Las Vegas): “When he hit me with a left hand, I was almost out on my feet. The pain would not go away, even after I knocked him out in the eighth round. If I remember correctly, I felt the pain in my face, which got better when I finally got to Puerto Rico!”

BEST BOXING SKILLS

Whitaker: “Skill-wise, he was incredible. His ring generalship, he would be dancing while boxing. He’s a lefty, but he’d move the opposite way and throw a jab and still hit you. He’d hit you to the body and go up top.”

BEST OVERALL

Whitaker: “He was the best all-around. His conditioning was unbelievable, he was a lefty, he was fast, the agility, had a chin and a never-give-up attitude. Whitaker was a super champion, just like Sugar Ray Leonard was.”

Mauricio Gonzalez helped translate and make this feature possible. The Ring appreciates his assistance.

Questions and/or comments can be sent to Anson at [email protected].

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