American heavyweight prospect Richard Torrez Jnr is fully aware of the cautionary tale of moving along too fast.
The 2020 Olympic silver medalist saw firsthand how his Top Rank promotional stablemate Jared Anderson bit off more than he could chew against Martin Bakole in August, getting stopped inside five rounds.
Torrez (11-0, 10 KOs) is trusting the process of Hall of Fame matchmakers Bruce Trampler and Brad Goodman, but that doesn’t mean the 25-year-old from Tulare, California, with just 11 fights under his belt, isn’t ready to take a crack at a highly credible contender.
The next leg of southpaw Torrez’s development will continue Saturday against Issac Munoz Gutierrez, 18-1-1 (15 KOs), on the undercard of the Oscar Valdez vs. Emanuel Navarette fight at the Footprint Center in Phoenix on ESPN.
“If it was up to me, I’d make the big step up tomorrow,” Torrez told BoxingScene. “I feel ready. I’m eager, willing and able. But I’m following the plan that Top Rank has provided me. They have a tradition and legacy of building champions. I’m not one to rush the process. I’m abiding by the plan that they have given me. If they decide tomorrow to give me a title shot, I’m not turning it down. I’m jumping at it, but I understand that it’s a process and heavyweights take a little longer time to develop and progress.
“I put so much trust in Top Rank and my dad. I’m not worried about the plan, because I know there is one.”
The recent installment of Torrez’s development in September featured Joey Dawejko. The battle-tested veteran Dawejko was being shut out through five rounds but was ultimately disqualified for repeatedly spitting out his mouthpiece.
Torrez got the expected win, but the knockout streak to begin his career came to an end.
“It’s a little annoying I didn’t get the knockout, but I still haven’t heard the last bell,” said Torrez. “Maybe it’s a little bit of a pressure relief for me not to worry about continuing the knockout streak, so it might be a good thing in the long run.”
Torrez would like to get back into the KO column against Gutierrez, who’s only fought in Mexico outside of the lone loss of his career to Jermaine Franklin Jnr.
“He has a pretty good style,” said Torrez. “I respect his boxing abilities. I know he’s coming for a fight. I never go in there predicting a knockout because if I look for it never comes. What I predict is that you will be able to see my box and show my defense and head movement because this guy throws punches. You will see a great performance and I guarantee it will not be a boring fight.”
Torrez is certainly a strong candidate to be one of the next faces of heavyweight boxing once the old guard walks off into the sunset. Torrez considers the likes of Fabio Wardley, Jared Anderson, Gurgen Hovhannisyan, Guido Vianello, Efe Ajagba and Frazer Clarke as the next flag bearers for the sport’s glamour division.
“We’re in a similar zone and similar area,” said Torrez. “Next year is a great year to establish my name. I don’t turn down fights. I’m about that action.
“I want to prove that I’m progressing in the right direction. People say that I’m a one-style fighter and I just come in there and slug. People have a lot of preconceived ideas of who I am as a fighter. I’d like to widen their perspective.”
Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer and broadcast reporter whose work has appeared on ESPN, Fox Sports, USA Today, The Guardian, Newsweek, Men’s Health, NFL.com, Los Angeles Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, Ring Magazine and more. He has been writing for BoxingScene since 2018. Manouk is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube, through email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com or via www.ManoukAkopyan.com.
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