Yankiel Rivera


Yankiel Rivera Figueroa is a Puerto Rican professional boxer. He is the only boxer in his country who qualified to participate in the 2020 Summer Olympics.

Amateur career

Rivera won bronze at the Pan American Youth Championships in Quito in 2014. He lost to Leandro Blanc in the quarter-finals of the 2016 continental Olympic qualification in Buenos Aires and competed at the 2017 World Boxing Championships in Hamburg, where he lost to the eventual runner-up Jasurbek Latipov in the preliminary round. At the 2018 Central American and Caribbean Games in Barranquilla and also at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, he won a bronze medal in the flyweight division.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the American-continental Olympic qualification tournament in Buenos Aires planned for May 2021 was canceled and a qualification based on the continental ranking was decided instead, which secured Rivera a starting place as number 3 in the ranking.

Professional career

Yankiel Rivera was scheduled to face Angel Gonzalez in San Juan, Puerto Rico on December 7, 2024. Rivera won the fight by TKO in the fourth round.

WBA interim flyweight championship

Rivera faced Angelino Cordova for the WBA interim flyweight title at the Caribe Royale in Orlando, Florida, on August 23, 2025. The fight ended in a majority draw.
He got a second chance at the still vacant WBA interim flyweight title against Jonathan González at Coliseo Roberto Clemente in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on January 3, 2026. Rivera lost by unanimous decision.

Professional boxing record

No.ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes
9Loss7–1–1Jonathan GonzálezUD12Jan 3, 2026Coliseo Roberto Clemente, San Juan, Puerto Rico|San Juan, Puerto RicoFor WBA interim flyweight title
8Draw7–0–1Angelino Cordova12Aug 23, 2025Caribe Royale Orlando, Orlando, Florida, U.S.For WBA interim flyweight title
7Win7–0Angel Gonzalez Jr.TKO4 2:14Dec 7, 2024Coliseo Roberto Clemente, San Juan, Puerto RicoRetained WBO Inter-Continental flyweight title. Won vacant WBC Silver flyweight title
6Win6–0Victor Efrain SandovalUD10Jun 15, 2024Coliseo Juan Aubin Cruz Abreu, Manati, Puerto RicoRetained WBC Continental Americas flyweight title. Won vacant WBO Inter-Continental flyweight title
5Win5–0Andy Dominguez VelasquezUD10Feb 24, 2024Caribe Royale Orlando, Orlando, Florida, U.S.Won vacant WBC Continental Americas flyweight title
4Win4–0Christian RoblesUD8Jun 24, 2023 Hulu Theater, New York City, New York, U.S.
3Win3–0Fernando Diaz8Feb 4, 2023 Hulu Theater, New York City, New York, U.S.
2Win2–0Ramon VelasquezKO3 0:25Nov 19, 2022 Cancha Ruben Zayas Montanez, Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico
1Win1–0Jose Antonio Jimenez1 1:01Sep 24, 2022Coliseo Elias Chegwin, Barranquilla, Colombia