Perez to Rivera Before Albuquerque Homecoming: 'Rest Up, We've Got Business'

ALBUQUERQUE - Two years after a near-fatal drowning left him in a coma and hearing he might never walk again, Abraham Perez stood in his hometown Thursday and told Yankiel Rivera to rest up.

"I'm glad he made it here safely. I'm glad he showed up," Perez said at the final press conference for Saturday's WBA interim flyweight title fight. "All I can tell him now is to rest up, because Saturday night we have business to handle."

Perez (15-0, 7 KOs) makes the first defense of his interim belt live on DAZN at 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT) from Kiva Auditorium, in a homecoming card promoted by Salita Promotions and Legacy Boxing Promotions in association with Wynn Records. Rivera (8-1-1, 4 KOs), of Puerto Rico, is here to take the strap back with him.

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"I know we're in his hometown. I know the crowd will be behind him. That doesn't change what I came here to do," Rivera said. "We're taking that belt back home to Puerto Rico."

What Perez Said

Perez framed the night as proof against everyone who wrote him off. "To the people who said I would never get back in the ring: Here I am," he said. He thanked God, his father, who has coached him since he was four, and the people who prayed for him.

He also made it clear he expects a long night. "It's going to be fireworks. I see it going all 12 rounds, and I'm prepared for every one of them."

Fighting at home, he said, hits different after going on the road in Detroit for his last bout. "Being able to prepare here at home and have that support around me feels even better. Now I get to bring that energy into the ring in front of my hometown."

Rivera's Redemption Pitch

Rivera owned his last outing. "In my last fight, I was asleep, and that was my mistake. I have to take responsibility for that," he said. "But that fight doesn't decide what happens between me and Perez."

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He called this his shot to reset the division. "This is my opportunity to redeem myself in the division and in the sport, and I'm coming to take it."

The Rest of the DAZN Card

Undefeated light heavyweight contender Atif Oberlton meets Deontay Wilder stablemate Deon Nicholson (23-1, 19 KOs) in a 10-round co-main. Oberlton kept it short and loud: "Young Handsome Lord Pretty Calvo. I'm the future, and Saturday night is another opportunity to show that." Nicholson said camp with Wilder has him ready: "I have to be the equalizer. Bring my style, bring my experience and be who I am."

Brooklyn heavyweight Pryce Taylor (13-0, 8 KOs) faces former Ukrainian Olympian Tsotne Rogava (13-1, 8 KOs), and unbeaten Sardius Simmons (10-0, 6 KOs) opens the DAZN show against Cesar Navarro (15-4, 13 KOs).

Wynn Records Network streams the prelims at 4:30 p.m. ET (1:30 p.m. PT) at watch.wynnrecordsnetwork.com, headlined by Pedro Taduran defending his IBF mini flyweight title against undefeated mandatory Brandon Moreno. Parminder Pannu, fresh off Pan Am gold, makes his pro debut on that undercard.

Tickets are on Ticketmaster.com. Promoters say the building is tracking toward a sellout, with surprise celebrity guests and Hall of Famers expected in the house. Teddy Atlas is on the DAZN call.

The Kimster's Take

Albuquerque built its boxing reputation on lower-weight homecomings — Johnny Tapia, Danny Romero, nights that felt bigger than the venue. Perez is trying to write himself into that line after a story that should have ended in a hospital bed. Rivera is not here to clap. A hometown interim defense only becomes a real Albuquerque night if the challenger believes the belt is leaving New Mexico. Both men said the quiet parts out loud Thursday. Saturday, we find out who meant it.

Got a round call on Perez-Rivera? Lock it in on Fight Picker, and catch Taduran-Moreno on the Wynn prelims beforehand.

Sources: Salita Promotions final press conference release, Nov. 5, 2026. Photos: Stephanie Trapp / Salita Promotions.