Richard Torrez Jr. becomes fighter to watch after fifth professional KO in a row against James Bryant in Glendale, AZ
GLENDALE – Tulare boxer Richard Torrez Jr. stretched his knockout streak to five after landing a textbook uppercut to knock out James Bryant in the first round.
In early January, Torrez was named a fighter to watch by Top Rank Boxing, the professional boxing association. He lived up to the title when he stretched his professional winning streak to five knockouts in a row on Feb. 3. Facing Pittsburgh-based heavyweight James Bryant, Torrez landed a clean uppercut with seconds remaining in the first round, sending Bryant sprawling against the ropes. Though Bryant got to his feet, his coach deemed him unfit to continue into the second round and Torrez was declared the winner.
“I was really trying to keep my composure. I felt like I got a little ahead of myself in my last fight,” Torrez said. “To be able to sit down my punches and kind of come in behind my jabs and feints [fake outs], and be able to see the shots before I necessarily went out and just try to throw them.”
Torrez’s patience paid off. He took his time as he faced Bryant and stayed at his own pace. Bryant was issued a warning early into the fight for nearly wrestling Torrez to the mat, but Torrez didn’t let it shake him. He fought at his own pace.
“You’ll want to go out there and make a big scene and have a good knockout for everybody. But if you go looking for the knockout it never comes,” Torrez said. “I think that I have a very lively fight style, where people really want to come out and watch because it’s going to be a pretty good show each time.”
Torrez’s fighting style has generally been faster than other heavyweights. He’s small for the heavyweight category, only 6-feet-two-inches tall and weighing in between 220 and 230 pounds at each fight. His quick footwork and emphasis on conditioning allows him to wear out his larger opponents, but waiting for them to tire requires a lot of patience.
This is Torrez’s fifth professional knockout in five professional fights. Since his debut on March 4, 2022, he has yet to lose a bout. In five professional fights, he’s never made it past the third round. He’s dangerously strong and accurate with his left hand. As he approaches the year anniversary of his first professional fight, he only seems to be getting better. According to Torrez, he owes his success to support from his hometown of Tulare.
“I feel like the community that I’ve grown up in has shaped and molded me into the individual that I am today,” Torrez said. “So I give thanks every single time. Slowly but surely I feel like more people are learning about Tulare, learning how to pronounce it the right way and I’m grateful to have a part in that.”
