 |
||||||||
 |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
A hard-hitting career
By JOEL POILEY WESLEY CHAPEL -- As the thud of his opponent's foot slammed into his chest, followed by a glove to the head jarring his senses, Olando Rivera knew he had found his sport. It wasn't the pounding he was absorbing, but how he could deliver his own blows in return that clicked with Rivera, then 18. After years of dedicating himself to the body and mind, the yin and yang of martial arts, Rivera enjoyed the freedom of flying through the air to kick an opponent or throw a combination of punches that kickboxing entails. "When I got hit for the first time I went, 'Whoa, I like this,' " said Rivera, who lives in King's Landing. "All those years in the martial arts I had been trained to make light contact or no contact. With full contact you actually got to feel the shock waves go through your body and feel that adrenaline rush. "I think it clicked with me because I started with martial arts at 9 years old. That's why I love the kickboxing, because it's been a way of life with me since then." Along with personal training, it also has been his livelihood. Rivera, dubbed the Warrior, recently defended his International Sports Karate Association light heavyweight (175-180 pounds) title, winning a 12-round unanimous decision in Atlantic City. That goes with his Karate International Council of Kickboxing and Worldwide Kickboxing Association titles. He sports a 31-3-1 record with 20 knockouts and is unbeaten in the past eight years. The ISKA bout woke up the 38-year-old Rivera because though he won easily, he said he took 23-year-old Kadir Kadri of Long Island lightly. "I don't usually do that," said Rivera, who when he was 35 was the youngest kickboxer inducted into the Karate Hall of Fame. "I was never in danger, but he came prepared and lasted 12 rounds. It made me think that I need to stay motivated." Rivera took up boxing two years ago when he and his family moved to Florida from Brooklyn after his wife, Deena, accepted a job transfer. Tampa didn't afford as many professional kickboxing opportunities, and boxing had just the lure to keep Rivera energized. His goal is to become the first Latin American to hold world titles in both sports as a light heavyweight. A participant in all sports growing up, Rivera said he was able to make the transition to boxing because of his conditioning from kickboxing. "I wish I would have grasped boxing earlier in my career because you have better paydays," Rivera said. "Which is a shame, because we work and train just as hard as boxers do." Rivera, who will bring a 5-1-2 record into his bout Thursday in St. Petersburg against Danny Santiago, has proven a quick study. His first love will always be kickboxing, and he plans to defend his title one last time before retiring at the end of the year. But Rivera respects the differences between the sports, such as two-minute rounds with eight mandatory kicks in kickboxing compared to three-minute sessions in boxing. Most kickboxers are stronger kickers than punchers because they come from a martial arts background. Boxers know how to use their head and shoulders better than kickboxers. "That extra minute may not seem like much, but it changes the strategy of a fight," Rivera said. "In kickboxing, you go in, work hard and get your minute rest. But I'm learning that boxing isn't such a rushed sport, because that extra minute gives you more time to be more poised in your fighting." Rivera plans to use his conditioning to pressure Santiago. "He's a boxer, but he hasn't been pushed," Rivera said. "I'm going to get in his face and put pressure on him from the moment the bell rings to the last bell." Dual personalityDon't let the tough talk and international kickboxing experience fool you, however. The sculpted 6-foot, 175-pound Rivera always has been able to separate his ring image from the person who has trained more than 5,000 people. He's been told numerous times he doesn't look or act like a fighter. "When I'm in the ring, that's when the Warrior takes over," the softspoken Rivera said. "Outside the ring, you have to know how to separate it and be a regular person. You can't let your ego destroy your friendships and potential relationships with clients." Rivera's love of training and conditioning helped him form his Warrior Training program at Club BodFit in Carrollwood. He also teaches the high intensity program, which incorporates calisthenics, kickboxing, punching, jumping rope, outdoor training, flexibility, stretching and yoga, at Ultimate Fitness Training in South Tampa and Lifestyle Family Fitness in Carrollwood. The mix and intensity of exercises sounds rigorous and not for the faint of heart. Rivera disagrees, challenging the fit or unfit to give the workout a whirl. "It is for everyone," he said. "The serious individual who wants to burn fat, tone up and see results; or the person who is interested in changing their life through fitness training." Naz Agemy falls somewhere in between. At 40, he worked out to lose weight, but not on a regular basis. He wanted to be pushed, and Rivera's firm but guiding hand was a good fit. "I weighed 280 when I started and couldn't do 20 pushups," said Agemy, who owns the Discount Nutrition Center in Gold's Gym in Town & Country. "Now I'm down to 245 and can go the full hour. "Olando's up front with you. He jumps rope with you, runs with you. He lets you know you'll go through it together. More than showing you what to do, he's more of a motivator. He changes your mind about how you train and keeping yourself healthy." Rivera wants to open his own training facility in South Tampa in January. He had that and more in his native New York. He was a local celebrity who owned his own studio and says he worked out with actors such as Wesley Snipes and appeared with Chuck Norris on Walker, Texas Ranger. Rivera had to re-establish himself and his business when he moved to Florida. Ty Pena, co-owner of Club BodFit, said he was sold on hiring Rivera before hearing his credentials. "Once you sit down with him, in a 10-minute conversation you feel like you've known him a lot longer," Pena said. "He has a good heart, and people can see that right away. He articulates what he wants to do and he knows how to explain his philosophy to people and how he can help them." Olando Rivera offers a few tips for finding a trainer who meets your needs: Find out if the trainer is certified and what national board certified him, Rivera says. Find out what types of tests the trainer took to become certified. "A personal trainer or boxer or kickboxer should have working knowledge of the sport," said Rivera, who holds a fifth-degree black belt in karate. The trainer should "know more of how the body works and what the recovery time is for the body to endure the training. What I don't like is when you have people who watched videos and are self-proclaimed trainers." Rivera's Warrior Training groups have 15 people maximum. The class costs $199 for club members, $249 for non-members and includes two hourly sessions a week for four weeks. To reach Rivera, call (813) 494-1456
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 
|
From the Times |
