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Followers of Mexican Twitch streamer Samy “Rivers” Rivera are no strangers to the unfortunate events that seem to happen wherever she goes. One of her biggest powers, according to Twitch lore, is the ability to make the soccer team she’s cheering for lose their games. It therefore came as no shock last Sunday when Rivera announced on social media that she had missed her train from Valencia to Barcelona because she went to the wrong station. What was surprising, however, was that hundreds of miles away, I missed my train to Barcelona, as well.
I was traveling to Barcelona from Madrid for a chance to interview Rivera about her upcoming fight in La Velada del Año III, or “The Night of the Year III.” Organized by megapopular Spanish streamer Ibai Llanos, the event is a streamer vs. streamer boxing match and was the most-viewed event on Twitch last year. On the morning of my trip, something was apparently going on in Spain’s capital city—a frequent venue for races and demonstrations, among other events—which closed many of the streets around the train station. The closures forced my taxi driver to essentially drive in circles, and I didn’t make it to the station in time.
I ended up getting on the next train out. In spite of the drawback, a small part of me thought it was kind of funny. I felt like Rivera’s bad luck even extended to those who were going to see her.
“I’m a magnet for misfortune,” Rivera said on Twitter on Sunday when asked why these kinds of things always happen to her. “That’s the way God made me.”
Where she is not unfortunate, though, is online. With more than four million Twitch followers, the 24-year-old from Monterrey, Nuevo León is one of Mexico’s biggest streaming stars and is known by fans as “la patrona,” which means “the boss” in Spanish. Rivera streams herself doing a variety of activities, from playing video games like Rust and making crafts to cooking and watching soccer.
According to Streams Charts, she is currently the most popular female Twitch streamer in any language by hours watched this year, with 8.88 million hours notched as of May, and is the second-most popular female streamer on any platform. There aren’t many streamers who’ve achieved the kind of success Rivera has so quickly, Streams Charts told Gizmodo, which makes her Twitch story even more remarkable.
Rivera has managed to shoot to the top of the streaming charts in just two and a half years—she started to stream during the pandemic—and her growth shows no signs of stopping. Besides fighting against Spanish TikToker Marina Rivers (La Rivers) in La Velada del Año, she also leads two soccer teams in Gerard Piqué’s Kings League and Queens League, a pair of videogame-style indoor soccer competitions tailor-made for streaming on Twitch.
Rivera, a passionate soccer fan, enthusiastically cheers on her male and female teams every weekend, both of which are named “PIO FC,” and inevitably gets blamed by fans for jinxing them when they lose. Fun fact: The team name itself is a nod to her community, which she affectionately calls her “baby chicks.” In Spanish, the word “pío” is used to describe the sounds birds make when they chirp.
Even though I was traveling to Barcelona to talk to her, it wasn’t guaranteed that I would get an interview. Rivera was scheduled to stream one of PIO FC’s games live at the Cupra Arena, the small stadium where Piqué’s tournament is held, and would be shooting her first penalty kick during the game. When I got there, Kings League officials weren’t even sure she was going to make it because she had missed the train to Barcelona and was heading there by car. I had faith, though. After traveling thousands of miles from Mexico to Spain, there was little chance the streamer would miss the chance to watch PIO FC.
Part of my faith came from the fact that I’m a fan of Rivera’s work, so I think I can say that means I know her a bit. I grew up in Brownsville, Texas, a town on the U.S.-Mexico border, and watching her streams makes feels like I’m back there, listening to my mom’s wacky friends scream profanities like “chingada madre!” or call each other “pendeja.” When you watch Rivera’s streams, it feels like she puts her heart into everything she does, especially when it involves her community. Given that PIO FC is one of the biggest things she shares with her fans—her weekend game streams regularly bring in tens of thousands of viewers—I knew that Rivera would do everything possible to come watch her team play in person.
I was right to believe. Rivera made it to the Cupra Arena with just enough time to chat with her team and put her soccer cleats on. I approached her right before she went into the stadium, telling her I was a reporter who had traveled to Madrid to interview her about her upcoming Velada fight. She said thank you and, as she hurried toward her streaming booth, told me we would chat after her team played.
Over the next hour and a half, Rivera’s team won, although she missed her penalty kick (she would redeem herself on Monday in the Queens League). PIO FC celebrated, and one player threw her over his shoulder and carried her on the field in celebration. Once the sun started to go down and I got kicked out of the stadium with the rest of the day’s spectators, I started to get nervous. What if she said it was too late to do an interview?
As I crossed and uncrossed my fingers, Rivera popped out the stadium’s front door, flanked by her boxing trainer and her videographer. It briefly looked like someone in her entourage would pull her away and lead her somewhere else, but then I heard her say, “I have to do an interview.” She looked out into the small crowd nearby, where I was waiting, and waved when she saw me. After she took pictures with fans and members of her team, she came over to chat.
Speaking in the dark with only a bit of light from some nearby lamp posts, we talked about why she decided to participate in the Velada, what makes the event unique, and what role her Twitch community has played throughout the process. Rivera was open and friendly, clearly excited about getting in the ring in a few days and putting on a show for her loved ones and her community. On a personal level, she told me she was proud of how far someone like her, a self-described person “who sits in their room all day and eats junk food,” had come.
“I’ve proven to myself that if I put my mind to something, I can do it,” Rivera told me. “I can be disciplined, and I can do things the way they’re meant to be done, even if at first I thought that I wasn’t going to be able to.”
Rivers vs. La Rivers is the second scheduled fight in La Velada del Año III on Saturday. The event is free to watch on Llanos’ Twitch channel, and the livestream will begin at 11 a.m. ET.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Gizmodo: What motivated you to sign up for the Velada and how did you react when they accepted you as a participant?
Rivera: I think it was two things. First, I felt like I needed to do some exercise and be more disciplined because I’ve always had unhealthy eating habits. I hadn’t exercised in a long time, and I thought, “If they don’t make me do it, I’m not going to do it.” It was that, and my friends in general. Ari [Gameplays], who participated last year, told me it was an incredible experience and that I should live it.
So, it was a mix of those two things. I wanted to be disciplined and consistent in something, and my friends supported me and told me it was really cool. I also wanted to do it. When they invited me, the truth is that at first, I said, “Will I be able to do it? Will I really be able to commit to training and eating well for three or four months?” I doubted for a bit. But then after thinking about for a while I told myself, “How could I not be able to do it? I have to be able to do it. I’m just going to be doing this for a while, and that’s that.”
Gizmodo: Before watching Ari fight and participating yourself, were you familiar with the Velada? Had you seen it before?
Rivera: No, I didn’t watch the first Velada [in 2021]. I hadn’t entered the world of Twitch yet and I didn’t exist on social media. I learned about it during the second Velada, which is the one Ari participated in.
Gizmodo: When Ari participated and you learned about the Velada for the first time, what was your impression?
Rivera: I actually came to Spain to watch the Velada in person. I think it was the first streamer-run event I saw with an audience, and it made an impression on me, to tell you the truth. I was blown away because there were so many people inside the event, outside, everywhere. The public was chanting the streamers’ names. There were people who were very into the streaming world, and I hadn’t ever seen an event like that in person. It was very impressive and very cool.
Gizmodo: For a lot of online communities, the Velada is super important because they love to see their streamers train and prepare themselves for the event. Did you consider how your community would react when you decided to participate?
Rivera: Yeah, in fact, a big part of why I decided to participate, which I forgot to mention earlier, was my community. I wanted to give them something different, show them this process, and show them that someone who sits in their room all day and eats junk food can get up, do exercise, follow a diet, and be disciplined. I thought a lot about their reaction. I knew they would be divided and that some would say, “Wow, that’s so cool,” while others would say, “Oh no, that’s so scary,” but it’s all good. They’ve supported me a lot and have been super attentive throughout the entire process. I love them so much.
Gizmodo: What has the Velada meant for you on a personal level and as a streamer?
Rivera: I’ve proven to myself that if I put my mind to something, I can do it. I can be disciplined, and I can do things the way they’re meant to be done, even if at first I thought that I wasn’t going to be able to. I thought I was going to train for a month and then stop or get lazy or something like that. But that hasn’t happened. I’ve gotten more involved over time. In fact, I really like boxing and I think I’m going to continue with the sport after the Velada. I also really like exercising.
Gizmodo: Can you talk to me about how you’ve prepared for the Velada? For instance, how many months have you trained? How has your day to day changed?
Rivera: I think we’ve been training for roughly three months. In that time, I’ve had a lot of trips scheduled and a lot of work, so we’ve been training on and off. We started off at an easy level but have been increasing intensity as I’ve gained conditioning. At first, I didn’t really watch my diet because of the travel I was doing, but I began being stricter with that about two months ago because I had to gain weight for my fight. We did manage to gain some weight, which is something I struggled with a lot, but I gained some.
Gizmodo: Something that’s really stood out to me is the fact there’s a lot of preparation and training involved for the Velada. It’s not like they just grab streamers and throw them in a ring and tell them to punch each other. You have professional boxing trainers, and you train for months. What do you think about all the personal preparation involved in the Velada?
Rivera: I think it’s a good decision because at the end of the day, we’re going to entertain people and I think that if you don’t prepare well, you don’t give people the show they want to see. So, I think you’re better equipped to give people what they want to see the more you prepare. Ronny, my trainer, has really helped me a lot since the beginning. He was also Ari’s trainer last year. He knows what the experience is like and what the event is like, and we’ve been preparing all we can to give the best fight possible.
Gizmodo: During this entire process, what role has your community played?
Rivera: The truth is they’ve played a very important role. They’re always paying attention to what I’m doing, they always want to see more content. So, we’re always trying to make the best content possible for them. We’ve been preparing a documentary of my experience since the beginning, since day one, that I’m going to publish the day after the Velada.
I’ve been trying to do different things to show my community. I’ve gone to different places, I’ve gone to climb mountains, and done this and that to give them cool content that they’ll enjoy. They’ve truly been very important, especially when they send me messages of support. A lot of people send me messages and tell me that they signed up for boxing or that they started to exercise because they watch me doing it, and it encourages them. That makes me very happy. It’s very cool to hear that.
Gizmodo: What’s been the hardest part about this entire process for you?
Rivera: Time. When I agreed to participate in the Velada, I had so many things on my plate. The Kings League, the Queens League, my normal stress. I stream daily now because I’m involved in the Kings League and Queens League, and I don’t have enough time. It’s been what I’ve struggled with the most. I’ve had to miss out on some obligations and cancel some things so I wouldn’t have to miss out on streaming, which is my priority. Doing everything I have to do in one day is what’s been the hardest for me. The thing I need the most is time.
Gizmodo: I can imagine. I reached out to your agency and asked them to interview you. They wanted to schedule something, but said it was going to be hard because of time.
Rivera: I have so many things to do right now, so many things. And then I have to rest too so I can be okay for my stream, because at the end of the day if I’m not feeling good, my stream isn’t good either. So there has to be a balance between everything I do, and I’ve been adapting.
Gizmodo: You’ve appeared in your streams a few times with a black eye while training for the Velada. How many have you gotten?
Rivera: Two. I got one while sparring with three girls and another when I sparred with a professional boxer. I dropped my guard twice and I got hit twice, but it’s all good, that’s how you learn. I’m grateful that my trainer puts me through such difficult tests because that’s how I can improve.
Gizmodo: Some of the streamers in the Velada have mentioned that one of the biggest things they’ve had to learn is to not be afraid of getting hit. Has it been the same with you?
Rivera: I was never scared, I don’t know why. I used to be a goalkeeper when I played soccer, and there would be these crazy shots all the time and I would stop them with my face, and I didn’t care. So, I’ve never had that reflex to be afraid of getting hit. I don’t know why.
Gizmodo: How are you feeling about your fight?
Rivera: Good, good. I feel confident, I’m happy and excited. I want the day to come already, and I want to see all the people there, experience the moment of the fight and enjoy it.
Gizmodo: What do you think an event like the Velada means for the streaming industry?
Rivera: I think it’s important because it brings a lot of communities and streamers together in person. In fact, I was talking about it with my community the other day. I think it’s the only event, besides the ESLAND Awards, that brings together a lot of people. Almost everyone comes to the Velada. They take the time to come a few days before and stay a few days after to spend time together. The audience likes it, our communities like it, and we as streamers really enjoy it.
Seeing your internet friends in real life is really cool. I think the Velada is really important. At the end of the day, it’s a very good show.
Gizmodo: What do you think makes the Velada so special? Is it the fact that it brings the community together, like you mentioned before, or something else?
Rivera: I think it’s that and also the fact that you’re taking your favorite streamer out of their natural environment, which is being at their house playing games or doing whatever, and putting them in a boxing ring and telling them: “Okay, do what you can.” I think that really grabs people’s attention. So in the end, you bring communities together, you bring streamers together, and you’re watching your streamer outside of their comfort zone. I think it’s very moving to see that, so I think the combination of those things is what makes the Velada really important.
Gizmodo: What does the fact that the Velada is a project from the Spanish-speaking Twitch community, from a Hispanic streamer, mean to you?
Rivera: It’s incredible. Ibai does so many things. He does all the things he’s involved in very well and I think he’s the right person to organize this event. I’m so glad he does. I hope he continues to put it on for a long time because he does it a very good job. I’ve always told him that and I always remind him. He puts on a good show, the organization of the event is really good. Everything is really well done for the participants and for the fans.
Gizmodo: The event is called “The Night of the Year.” In your opinion, will it be the event of the year for Twitch community?
Rivera: It could be. It was last year. I think we have to wait to see how it turns out this year, but I would say yes.
Gizmodo: Do you think it’ll break the concurrent viewing record on Twitch this year again? (Last year, the Velada was watched by 3.3 million concurrent viewers and holds the Twitch world record for most live viewers ever).
Rivera: I hope so. I think there are more people on Twitch every year, so I think it’s possible.
Gizmodo: What message would you send to the public about the Velada?
Rivera: That they should watch it. They’re going to have fun and distract themselves for a while. It lasts for a long time, so they can rest while they watch it. There are going to be artists performing, there are going to be streamers fighting, there’s going to be drama. It’s going to have so many things, including laughter, everything. You never know what to expect. I think it’s going to be something very fun.
Gizmodo: And finally, do you have a message for your community?
Rivera: Yes, that I love them very much. I’m grateful for all the support that they always give me and I’m going to try to win for them.
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