Interview: Juan Rivera

What follows is a short interview with a boxer I met in Tijuana last year. While the conversation was short the words are powerful and poignant. Like many fighters that travel to fight in TJ he was alone in his preparation, getting his hands wrapped by the all purpose corner man that the promoter employs for the outta towners. The back stage area was so small that they moved out into the alley and it’s there that I captured the photograph and spoke to him.

Cual es su nombre? (What is your name?)

Juan Rivera

Que es el boxeo para ti? (What is boxing to you?)

El boxeo es mi vida. Toda mi vida es boxeado

(Boxing is my life. All of my life is boxing.)

Si? (Yes?)

Si. Ya voy a retirarme. Pronto me retiro.

(Yes. I’m going to retire. I’m retiring soon.)

29 years boxing

Juan went on and fight to a no contest that night. His life is the embodiment of a true tough boxers tale. A lifer in this sport, with more losses than wins. But he has no less value than a winning man. He’s invaluable to the sport, a necessity in the machine that is professional boxing. For every boxer that you see on tv, the household names that transcend the sport, there is thousands of fighters like Juan. With no glitz nor glam they step through the ropes time and time again. Without these valiant boxers battling in the shadows we wouldn’t have the millionaire dollar stars under the television lights. It was a honor to have met him and I’m grateful that he answered my questions. Support your local boxing scene!