Carlos Rivera

Carlos Rivera is a Venezuelan bantamweight boxer ranked sixth in the world, nicknamed "A King Without a Crown" because rumor has it the reigning world champion is too afraid to ever face him in the ring. Youko Shiraki brings him over to Japan specifically to help pull Joe Yabuki out of a rough patch in his career, setting up a twelve-round match between the two fighters that becomes a turning point for Joe.

After that fight with Joe, Carlos travels to Mexico City to finally get his long-awaited shot at champion Jose Mendoza, but the match ends almost as soon as it starts, with Carlos knocked out in just over a minute and a half. His manager later claims that Carlos was not really beaten by Mendoza at all, insisting instead that the damage was already done by his earlier fight with Joe, which had quietly left him punch-drunk without anyone fully realizing it at the time.

Though Mendoza offers him a rematch, Carlos's manager turns it down flat, saying Carlos should never step into a ring again. His brief, bruising encounter with Joe ends up defining the rest of his career far more than his years as a top-ranked contender ever did.