Michel Rivera will be a very interested observer of Saturday night’s Vasiliy Lomacehnko-Jamaine Ortiz showdown. The two will square at Madison Square Garden’s Hulu Theater in New York in an ESPN+ main event.
The fast rising lightweight is interested in facing any and all of the top fighters in the division,
Lomachenko (16-2) is listed as high as a 10-1 favorite by some oddsmakers but Rivera believes that Ortiz (16-0-1) has a chance to pull off the upset.
If Lomachenko comes through unscathed, Top Rank’s Bob Arum would like to match him against undisputed lightweight champion Devin Haney in the spring.
“It is a very interesting fight. I believe that Ortiz is a very good fighter. It is a tough fight but he has his opportunity to show what he can do and he has a chance to win,” said Rivera.
Ortiz comes into the fight off of a win over former champion Jamel Herring in May. He has won two fights in a row since a draw against Joseph Adorno last year.
Lomachenko will also enter the fight with two wins in a row. Both coming after being upset by Teofimo Lopez.
“Ortiz has some advantages in the fight. He is naturally the bigger and stronger fighter while Lomachenko has more experience and has been in much bigger fights. That’s what makes it so interesting. May the best man win,” Rivera told BoxingScene.com
Rivera was last in action on October 15th when he outpointed Jerry Perez in Brooklyn in a stay busy fight. He hopes to fight for a title in his next ring appearance.
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