Michel “La Zarza Ali” Rivera (24-1) is chomping at the bit to get back in the ring.
The former lightweight contender who fights under the Premier Boxing Champions banner, will return to action in the super lightweight division on November 25th. He will face former world champion Sergey “Samurai” Lipinets (17-2-1).
The fight will be on the David Benavidez versus Demetrius Andrade undercard at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas and will be part of a special two-fight Showtime countdown show that takes before the Benavidez-Andrade pay-per-view card begins.
The 25-year-old Dominican Republic native was last in action on December 17 when he lost a unanimous decision to Frank Martin. He had been admitted to a hospital for dehydration just days before the fight and is determined to prove that was just a bad night.
He believes that a win over a former champion like Lipinets on such a high profile card will lead him to a world title shot in a brand new division.
“He is a great rival. He was a world champion for a reason and has a lot of experience at the highest level. This is the perfect fight for me to start campaigning in the 140 pound division,” Rivera told Boxingsscene.com.
“I am super focused on this fight to show the boxing public that haven’t seen me in a while that I am back. I will show them the talent that I possess. Winning this fight will be huge for me and should lead me to a world title shot in the very near future.”
Lipinets last fought in August of last year when he stopped Omar Figueroa and eight rounds. Figueroa would later announce his retirement from the sport.
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