Spitting image: Richard Torrez Jr. forces DQ as Joey Dawejko loses mouthpiece five times

GLENDALE, Arizona – Richard Torrez Jr. kept letting his hands go, and Joey Dawejko kept losing his mouthpiece.

The repeated cycle led to 2021 U.S. Olympic silver medalist Torrez (11-0) recording a victory by disqualification Friday night at Desert Diamond Arena as referee Wes Melton stopped the heavyweight fight at 2 minutes, 2 seconds of the fifth round when Dawejko (28-12-4) spit out his mouthpiece for the fifth time.

The Philadelphia fighter had suffered two prior one-point deductions from Melton after spitting out the mouthpiece four times in the fourth round.

Afterward, Torrez said he felt deprived of a true boxing match as he dealt with a covering-up opponent.

“I want to keep fighting,” Torrez said. “I’m going to listen to Top Rank. I’m going to listen to my matchmakers.”

Lance Pugmire is BoxingScene’s senior U.S. writer and an assistant producer for ProBox TV. Pugmire has covered boxing since the early 2000s, first at the Los Angeles Times and then at The Athletic and USA Today. He won the Boxing Writers’ Association of America’s Nat Fleischer Award in 2022 for career excellence.