14 photos of a Camden fighter with a surprising day job
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Lifelong Camden resident Vidal Rivera is an avid boxer who is training for a match in Atlantic City on Aug. 5, 2017.
Thom Carroll/PhillyVoice
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Rivera trains at the Camden Boxing Academy at 715 Florence Street in Camden, NJ.
Thom Carroll/PhillyVoice
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Rivera arrives at the boxing gym on Tuesday, July 11, where he trains every weeknight following a shift patrolling Camden as a cop.
Thom Carroll/PhillyVoice
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Miguel Figueroa, assistant to Rivera's head coach, works closely with Rivera during a training session on July 11, 2017.
Thom Carroll/PhillyVoice
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Rivera wraps his knuckles to protect them during a training session in Camden, NJ.
Thom Carroll/PhillyVoice
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The boxing gym at 714 Florence Street in Camden is loud, sweaty, and bustles with energy as two boxers spar.
Thom Carroll/PhillyVoice
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Miguel Figueroa laces up Rivera's boxing gloves as they work through a series of training exercises.
Thom Carroll/PhillyVoice
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The walls of the gym are covered with an archive of dozens of boxing event posters dating back to the 1990's.
Thom Carroll/PhillyVoice
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Coach and mentor Chris Williams looks on as Vidal Rivera swiftly moves around the ring during a recent training session.
Thom Carroll/PhillyVoice
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Rivera trains with his coach, Chris Williams, who is also a father figure.
Thom Carroll/PhillyVoice
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A package of newly-printed event posters for Rivera's upcoming Aug. 5 match in Atlantic City showed up partway through his training session.
Thom Carroll/PhillyVoice
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Vidal Rivera, who fights as "The Pride of Camden" and works as a police officer, is surrounded by motivators in his hometown.
Thom Carroll, File/PhillyVoice
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Camden County police Officers, from left, Vidal Rivera, Tim Freeman and Luis Sanchez stand at 4th and York streets during a foot patrol on Wednesday, June 28, 2017.
Thom Carroll/PhillyVoice
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Camden County police Officer Vidal Rivera drives through a North Camden neighborhood on patrol on Wednesday, June 28, 2017.
