Richard Torrez Jr., American heavyweight boxer Be well aware of the warnings about moving too quickly.
The 2020 Olympic silver medalist witnessed firsthand how his fellow Top Rank Promoter Jared Anderson defeated Martin Bakole in August. It was stopped within five rounds.
Torrez (11-0, 10 knockouts) trusts the process of Hall of Fame pairing Bruce Tramler and Brad Goodman, but that doesn’t mean the 25-year-old from Tula Re California with only 11 fights under his belt. Not yet ready to face a highly reliable competitor
Torrez’s next leg of development south continues Saturday against Issac Munoz Gutierrez 18-1-1 (15 KO) on the undercard of the fight between Oscar Valdez and Emmanuel Navarte at Center Footprint in Phoenix on ESPN.
“If it was up to me. Tomorrow I will take another step,” Torrez told BoxingScene. “I feel ready. I am eager, willing and able, but I am following the plan that Top Rank has given me. They have a tradition and a legacy of creating champions. I’m not one to rush the process. I am following the plan they gave me. If they decide tomorrow to give me the championship I won’t deny it I’m jumping at it. But I understand that it is a process and that the big guys take a little longer to develop and progress.
“I trust Top Rank and my father a lot. I am not worried about this plan because I know there is a plan.”
Torrez’s most recent development in September featured Joey Dawejko. Dawejko, a fight-tested veteran, was banned from the bout for five rounds. But in the end, he was disqualified for repeatedly spitting out his mouthpiece.
Torrez got the victory as expected. But the knockout streak to start his career had to come to an end.
“It was a little annoying that I didn’t get knocked out. But I haven’t heard the final bell yet,” Torrez said. “Maybe it relieves a little bit of pressure for me to not have to worry about advancing to the next knockout round. So it might be a good thing in the long run.”
Torrez wants to return to knockout action against Gutierrez who had only fought in Mexico in one event That’s other than the only loss of his career to Jermaine Franklin Jr.
“He has a pretty good style,” Torrez said. “I respect his boxing ability. I knew he was coming to fight. I never went in there to predict knockouts. Because if I look for it, it will never come. My prediction is that you will see my box and show some defense and head movement because this guy is punching. You will see great results and I guarantee it will be a boring battle.”
Torrez is the favorite to be one of the next heavyweights. As soon as the old guard walked off into the sunset Torrez sees the likes of Fabio Vardley, Jared Anderson, Gourgen Hovhannisjan, Guido Vianello, Efe Ajaba and Fraser Clark are the next flag bearers for the glamorous sports department.
“We’re in a similar zone and similar space,” Torrez said. “Next year is a good year to make my name. I don’t deny quarrels. I’m all about that action.
“I want to prove that I am making progress in the right direction. People say I’m a one-style fighter. And I just come in and slug. People have a lot of preconceived notions about who I am as a fighter. I want to broaden their perspective.”
Manuk Agopyan is a sports journalist, author, and broadcast reporter whose credits include ESPN, Fox Sports, USA Today, The Guardian, Newsweek, Men’s Health, NFL.com, Los Angeles Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, Ring. Magazine and more. He has written for BoxingScene since 2018. Manouk is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached at X (formerly Twitter)– Instagram– Linkedin and Youtubevia email manouk(dot)akopyan(at)gmail.com or via www.ManoukAkopyan.com–
