krikya360.com's Jake Donovan broke the news last week that Michel "La Zarza" Rivera (17-0) will face Fidel Maldonado Jr. (27-4-1) on February 1st.  The fight will take place at the Beau Rivage Resort & Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi and serve as the co-feature bout underneath the Yordenis Ugas-Mike Dallas bout that will headline a Premiere Boxing Champions on FS1 card.

The 21-year-old Rivera fought 3 times in 2019, winning 2 of the bouts by knockout. He believes that Maldonado, who holds wins over fighters such as Pablo Cano and Luis Ramos Jr and a draw versus Art Hovhannisyan, represents the perfect next step in his career.

"The truth is that he is a very experienced fighter. He has been in many good fights and is a very hungry fighter.  I am too but I have different qualities and traits than he does. I know that this will be a tough fight and this fight is very important for the both of us to reach our destiny in the sport of boxing," Rivera told krikya360.com.

If everything goes well on February 1st, the Dominican believes that he will be ready to fight for a world title. The lightweight division hardware is currently held by Vasiliy Lomachenko and Teofimo Lopez.  A win over Maldonado likely won't lead to a direct title shot but could put Rivera in position to become ranked by the sanctioning bodies.

"I think I will be ready to fight for a world title after this fight. I am young and strong and at the best point of my career. I trust in my talent and I trust in God," Rivera stated.

Rivera's U.S. debut took place in June when he won a decision over Rene Tellez Giron on ShoBox. Giroz has since scored a big with his knockout of 2016 U.S. Olympian Karlos Balderas on December 21st. Rivera is promoted by Sampson Lewkowicz.

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