GLENDALE, Arizona – Richard Torrez Jr. is surrounded by too much Hall of Fame-level talent to ever question the process.
The only demand of his all-star team by the 2020 Olympic Silver medalist is to immediately make up for lost time.
Theoretically, there isn’t any reason to put the unbeaten southpaw back in the mix after his latest hit, a first-round wipeout of Indianapolis’ Willie Jake Jr (11-4-2, 3KOs). Torrez floored Jake and had his overmatched opponent badly in trouble before the fight was stopped at 1:22 of round one in their ESPN-televised heavyweight bout this past Saturday from Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona.
“I was out for too long, I hope I never have to experience that again,” Torrez told BoxingScene.com. “I want to fight again a minimum of two more fights this year. I don’t care when or even who it is. I’m really thankful to have a top company. I just have to worry about fighting.”
That step was stuck in place for the past several months for Torrez (6-0, 6KOs), who had to withdraw from a previously scheduled March 25 date versus Jake after he suffered a training camp injury. The 24-year-old heavyweight prospect—who is promoted by Top Rank and managed by Shelly Finkel—fought five times through his first eleven months as a pro but was left idle for six months before Top Rank was able to land him on the Emanuel Navarrete-Oscar Valdez undercard this past weekend.
“It was tough,” Torrez admitted of the unwelcomed break. “It was almost like a pause in the motion. You get a knockout, then another. You get that ball rolling and then it just stops.”
He is back on a roll after his latest win, though the hope now is move up both in scheduled rounds and in opposition. Ironically, the six-round distance attached to every bout thus far has proven moot; Torrez has fought a combined 19 minutes through his first six bouts.
A move to scheduled eight-round contests is the likely next course of action, which in turn should attract stiffer competition. It doesn’t make any difference to Torrez, who will be ready for whatever is decided by his handlers.
“We’re [already] back in the gym,” insisted Torrez. “I train and my team decides when I fight next. They tell me to jump, and I say, ‘How high?’ I’m just excited to follow the process.”
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox