Diego Torres is undefeated and has knocked out all but one of the opponents he has faced since he made his pro debut four years ago.
The 26-year-old Mexican knockout artist hasn’t fought anyone nearly as good as Raymond Muratalla, though, which makes their 10-round lightweight fight Saturday night the most meaningful moment of Torres’ career. The Zapopan native called it his “introduction to the big leagues of boxing” during a press conference Thursday.
“I want everybody to remember my career,” Torres said, according to his translator. “So, in order to be a world champion I need to fight the best. And Raymond is one of the best fighters. So, he’s in my path to the world title.”
Muratalla (18-0, 15 KOs), of Fontana, California, is ranked ninth by both the WBC and WBO in the lightweight division. He is also rated 11th by the IBF.
Torres (18-0, 17 KOs) is not ranked by the IBF, WBA, WBC or WBO, thus this is a huge opportunity for the unknown, unproven power puncher.
“I want everybody to know what I’m capable of,” Torres said, “and know my name, and what I can do.”
ESPN+ will stream Muratalla-Torres as its co-feature Saturday night from the brand-new Tahoe Blue Event Center in Stateline, Nevada. Nigerian heavyweight contender Efe Ajagba (18-1, 13 KOs) and Australia’s Joe Goodall (10-1-1, 9 KOs) are set to square off in the 10-round main event of a Top Rank card scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. EDT and 3 p.m. PDT.
Torres has beaten opponents who had a combined record of 230-207-31 when they entered the ring to face him.
Muratalla, 26, impressively knocked out Namibian contender Jeremia Nakathila in the second round of his last fight. He hurt Nakathila (23-3, 19 KOs) with a right hand late in the second round and followed up with several flush power shots that caused referee Robert Hoyle to stop their scheduled 10-rounder at 2:48 of the second round on the Devin Haney-Vasiliy Lomachenko undercard May 20 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Muratalla and Torres were supposed to fight on the Emanuel Navarrete-Oscar Valdez undercard August 12 at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona. Their bout was postponed during fight week because Muratalla suffered an undisclosed injury while training, but he is eager to re-establish his momentum almost three months later.
“It’s just gonna be another great performance,” Muratalla said. “Like you said, every fight I’m learning and learning and working on my craft. So, come Saturday night it’s gonna be another hell of a show, and it’s gonna be a great night for me.”
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.