Olympic silver medalist Richard Torrez Jr. is a pro boxer. Will his debut be in Fresno?
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Now Richard Torrez Jr. can call himself a professional boxer.
The Tulare-born boxer signed with Bob Arum’s Top Rank Boxing on Wednesday.
“It’s something that I can finally brag to my friends,” Torrez said. “ All my friends used to call me a pro boxer and I would have to tell them I wasn’t a pro. Now I can say, ‘Yeah. Now I’m a professional.’
“I’m excited to begin.”
Torrez said other companies pursued him but Top Rank was a better fit.
“We were courted by a lot of different companies, but overall I have seen what Top Rank has to offer and it is something special,” he said.
“They came to me with a very strong offer and through that I made my decision. They are renowned for making legends and creating legacies for fighters, and I hope to be a product of that.”
The 6-foot-2 Torrez is coming off a silver medal at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo after a decision loss to Bakhodir Jalolov in the final. He became the first U.S. Olympic super heavyweight to medal since Riddick Bowe took silver in 1988.
Torrez finished with an impressive 154-10 amateur record that included a gold medal in the 2017 and 2018 U.S. national championships, and three U.S. Youth National titles from 2014-2016.
Torrez graduated from Mission Oak in 2017 as a valedictorian.
Said Arum: “Richard Torrez Jr. is a southpaw pressure fighter who will instantly become a heavyweight fan favorite.”
Torrez joins former world champion Jose Ramirez of Avenal and Bryan Lua of Madera as fighters currently signed to Top Rank.
Torrez said he made a pact with himself that the day he turns pro, his father, Richard Sr., will be in his corner. His father has been in his corner for all his amateur fights.
Top Rank said Torrez will make his pro debut in early 2022.
Will it be in Fresno?
Ramirez will make his return to the ring Feb. 5, likely at the Save Mart Center.
Whether Torrez will make his pro debut in Fresno remains to be seen.
Torrez didn’t reveal those plans, but said he’s already in the gym and will begin training camp “soon.”
“I’ll be 100% ready for this fight,” he said.
