By Jhonny Gonzalez
Former champion Jose Antonio "El Gallo" Rivera, 37-years-old, has been away from the ring for nearly two years. Rivera (39-6, 24KOs) has decided to give boxing another run and set a comeback for April 9 at the Palladium in Worcester, Massachusetts. The opponent has not been announced.
Rivera, a former WBA champion at welterweight and junior middleweight, will likely return at 160-pounds before dropping back down to 154. He last fought in August 2008, winning a decision over journeyman Clarence Taylor. In 2007, he suffered back to back knockout losses to Daniel Santos and Travis Simms.
"This return is a personal challenge to prove that I can still do it. I started training and I felt fine. I'm working on leg movements because I'm fast. I think the retirement was good for me because I rested my body and mind a lot. I love boxing, but I had a lot of problems. I do not want to blame anyone. They were more personal. We don't know who I'm fighting, but that's my first goal and then I want to go for the championship. My goal is to win another title fight in Puerto Rico," Rivera told Gerard Bonilla.
