THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, September 18, 1996 TAG: 9609180643
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEVE CARLSON, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: MIAMI LENGTH: 79 lines
Wilfredo Rivera had to go to work last week, wondering whether his pregnant wife and 19-month-old baby were alive after Hurricane Hortense battered his Puerto Rican home.
Rivera, who will fight for Pernell ``Sweetpea'' Whitaker's WBC welterweight crown here Friday, was holed up for training in a hotel about 30 minutes from his home in Luquillo, Puerto Rico. The flooding and widespread destruction knocked out power and phone services, and Rivera had no way to contact his wife or his parents. The aftereffects of the storm made the trip home impossible at first.
The biggest fight of Rivera's career was a week and a half away, and he couldn't have cared less.
``I was not myself,'' Rivera said through an interpreter Tuesday. ``It was very difficult to concentrate. I had a lot of faith in God and prayed all the time for all of them to be all right.''
After a day of angst, Rivera's brother Angel left the training camp to check on family members. He returned with good news: everyone was OK.
Rivera has not been to see his house since, but he knows it is standing. Windows were broken and there was water damage, but nothing irreparable.
He will get his first glimpse of his wife and baby since the storm hit when they arrive in Miami Thursday.
``I'm very anxious to see them,'' Rivera said. ``The most important thing is physically everyone is OK. The material losses, you can recuperate them later.''
Rivera has an unusual opportunity to recuperate from another loss when he fights Whitaker at the James L. Knight Center. Just five months ago, he was another in a string of no-name No. 1 contenders placed before Whitaker, who methodically bowls over everyone in his path.
But that night on the island of St. Maarten, Rivera gave Whitaker one of the toughest fights of the six-time world champion's 12-year professional career. Whitaker won a split decision, albeit a disputed one.
``I was very sure I won the fight,'' Rivera said. ``I was even more sure when I saw the tape than when I was in the ring. Everyone who saw the fight had that conclusion, that I won.''
Well, not everyone. But there was at least enough question whether the judges muffed the call that the WBC mandated an immediate rematch, a highly unusual move. It may have been a political move - the WBC and Whitaker's handlers at Main Events have a long history of contentiousness.
``They shouldn't have tried to circumcise the rules,'' Whitaker co-manager Lou Duva said Tuesday, uttering a Yogi Berra-like malaprop.
Surprisingly, Rivera (23-1-1) cut loose his trainer after the first impressive outing against Whitaker (38-1-1).
Rivera said he and Jose Bonilla began to have differences before the Whitaker fight. He became irked when Bonilla referred to Whitaker as ``The Michael Jordan of boxers.''
Rivera took that to mean Bonilla gave Rivera no chance to win.
The knockout blow was that Rivera did not like the way Bonilla had trained him for the fight. Rivera was too tentative, failing to take advantage of opportunities when he had Whitaker on his heels.
``Wilfredo was in excellent physical shape, but he threw one, two, three punches and stopped,'' new trainer Josue Marquez said through an interpreter. ``He didn't use the uppercut or any combinations.
``In boxing, just like actors, they have to have rehearsal before any event. He did basically what he did during training time. He was not fully prepared for the job that night.''
Rivera believes he is prepared this time. He has a rare opportunity as one of only three men who have been granted two shots at Whitaker, and the first to meet him in back-to-back bouts.
Since he pushed one of the best boxers in the world to the breaking point in his last outing, Rivera has sprouted confidence like an open field sprouts weeds. He believes it is his time.
So do his fans. Brother Angel said 500 Puerto Ricans will make the trek to Miami, and undoubtedly countless others from Miami's Hispanic community will turn out to pull for Rivera.
``Before nobody paid any attention to me,'' Rivera said. ``Now, my brother has to keep people away from me.''
In Puerto Rico, Rivera is known as ``The Champion Without a Crown.''
He wants to shorten that to ``Champion.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Hurricane Hortense gave Wilfredo Rivera some anxious moments. by CNB