Oct 14, 2025
1 min read
The Ring's No. 8-rated light heavyweight contender Imam Khataev will target an impressive end to the year as he prepares for a 10-round contest against Richard Rivera on Dec. 13, his first appearance after a contentious defeat over the same distance by...
Light heavyweight contender Imam Khataev will return to action against Richard Rivera in Gatineau, Canada on December 11.
The scheduled 10-rounder will take place as the co-feature on an Eye of The Tiger event headlined by local ticket seller Alexandre Gaumont.
It will be the first time Khataev (10-1, 9 KOs) has boxed since losing a contentious 10-round split decision to David Morrell in New York as part of The Ring III card on July 12.
Meanwhile, Rivera (27-2, 20 KOs) like Khataev lost a debatable decision as a decided underdog when meeting Badou Jack back in August 2022. Since that setback, he's won six of his last seven fights.
Khataev, The Ring's No. 8-rated light heavyweight, was a decorated amateur, winning bronze at the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olmpics and the 2023 World Championships.
He turned professional between those tournaments in November 2021, with slow early progress before signing terms with EOTT.
The 31-year-old scored impressive wins over experienced Richards Bolotniks (TKO 6) in May 2024 and four months later against Ezequiel Maderna (TKO7) before losing his unbeaten record to Morrell.
Rivera meanwhile, turned professional in early 2017 and worked his way up largely on the Eastern seaboard with some keep-busy fights in Mexico.
His big opportunity came up at cruiserweight against Jack on the Oleksandr Usyk-Anthony Joshua 2 undercard in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Despite a strong performance, he fell short via 10-round split decision.
Since then, the now 34-year-old from Hartford, Connecticut, has fought all over, notching four straight stoppages before being upset via eight-round majority decision by unheralded Luis Antonio Tejeda in March 2024. He's pitched consecutive wins since.
Questions and/or comments can be sent to Anson at elraincoat@live.co.uk and you can follow him on X@AnsonWainwr1ght
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