Óscar Andrés "Kaboom" Rivas Torres

This heavily muscled Colombian isn't yet on many fans' radar, but his amateur credentials and refined predatory style (explosive power, stalking w/ head movement, solid footwork, and body punching) could bring him to the fore as an emergent contender in due time.

As an amateur...

He fared poorly against top Cubans, losing several times by wide margins to Robert Alfonso and Michel Lopez. (avenging himself once against Alfonso)

He enjoyed mixed success against top Americans, beating Mike Wilson and losing to Mike Hunter. (the former a 2-time national champ and the latter an Olympian)

He did very well against non-Cuban fellow Caribbeans, stopping Lequan Carlisle of the DR and dominating Gerardo Bisbal of PR.

His crowning achievement was spoiling Kubrat Pulev's dreams of an Olympic medal, shortly before Pulev's pro turn.

Besides Pulev, his campaign against cream-of-the-crop European amateurs saw him lose to Roberto Cammarelle and Vyacheslav Glazkov...but that's no black mark against him in either case.

Overall he went 19-10 in international tournament play, against some legitimate world class opposition.

As a professional, he is currently 12-0 (7) and has yet to step up - although he's auspiciously based out of Canada instead of his notorious padding haven native land of Colombia, and keeping an active schedule with nine appearances in 2011 & 2012 after taking 2010 completely off.


Rivas vs. Pulev in Beijing:
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Rivas' pro debut:
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Rivas against Latvian tomato can Edgars Kalnars last year:
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Rivas' latest bout, this month:
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He is a friend of light heavyweight prospect Eleider Alvarez. They were Olympic teammates and now stablemates under the GYM banner in Montreal.

Hopefully they are brought along in tandem and matched well. They could provide some thrilling doubleheaders for the Quebecois audiences hosting them. So far Alvarez has been moved quicker towards "live bodies", but they seem equally gifted.

 

This tubby guy, who's three inches shorter than Rivas and currently 7-1-1 (3) on the domestic circuit? :think

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Is this based on having seen an issue with his chin, or just because they're more established?

 

You were supposed to fight Rivas?

 

Man, you'd be quite a big step up for a dude in his thirteenth pro bout from the likes of Matt Greer and Laszlo Peczeli. I can't exactly say I blame them.

 

He was actually stopped once in the amateurs, by this dude:

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(6' 4" super heavyweight from Barbados, currently on the Mexico Guerreros roster in the WSB)