Torrez to potentially face most promising young fighter in Britain.
Richard Torrez Jr. is undoubtedly America’s biggest heavyweight hope. The 26-year-old from California is a former Olympic silver medallist and is undefeated as a professional.
Winning his first ten fights inside the distance, Torrez looked very promising early on, but lacked a victory that truly provided an insight into how good he actually was.
His acid test would arrive in the form of Guido Vianello, the 13-2-1 Italian who had ran Efe Ajagba close and stopped Arslanbek Makhmudov.
Torrez would defeat Vianello in a performance that was scrappy, yet ultimately effective. While there were still questions to be asked about the American, he’d certainly answered a few of them.
After initially turning down an IBF eliminator against Cuban contender Frank Sanchez, Torrez would accept the fight when he was offered it for a second time.
Torrez and Sanchez were set to square off on the undercard of Sebastian Fundora’s WBC super-welterweight title defence against Keith Thurman on the 28th of March. However, the bout was pulled after Sanchez’s right knee became inflamed following it being surgically repaired.
Torrez-Sanchez is expected to be rescheduled, and Francis Warren (son of Queensberry Promotions boss Frank) already has eyes on the winner.
Specifically, Warren is looking to lodge a petition to the IBF for the winner to face off against Moses Itauma, Britain’s unbeaten heavyweight force.
Itauma was previously ordered to fight Sanchez himself, but turned it down to instead face Jermaine Franklin Jr., who he will throw down with this Saturday.
A fight between the most exciting heavyweight contender from Britain and America can’t help but deliver, and with Top Rank now being part of DAZN (as Queensberry also is), it looks more possible now than ever.
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