Heavyweight prospect Richard Torrez Jr., the U.S. Olympic silver medalist who has knocked out every man he’s faced, hopes to extend his streak of fallen foes. Torrez steps up against fellow unbeaten Brandon Moore on Saturday, May 18 at Pechanga Arena San Diego.
The eight-round televised opener joins a loaded bill headlined by the vacant WBO lightweight world title showdown between Mexican three-weight world champion Emanuel “Vaquero” Navarrete and Ukraine’s Denys Berinchyk. The 12-round welterweight co-feature, a match of undefeated contenders, will see San Diego native Giovani Santillan fight Brian Norman Jr.
Navarrete-Berinchyk, Santillan-Norman and Torrez-Moore will be broadcast LIVE on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.
“Richard Torrez Jr. is one of the most explosive and powerful young heavyweights I’ve seen, and he’s in for a big test against Brandon Moore,” said Top Rank Chairman Bob Arum. “These are two unbeaten, skilled big men and a great addition to an already loaded card at Pechanga Arena San Diego.”
Torrez (9-0, 9 KOs), from the Central Valley town of Tulare, California, has been a whirlwind during his two-plus years as a pro. He has five first-round knockouts on his ledger, including a first-round TKO over Don Haynesworth last month in Glendale, Arizona. The high school valedictorian who can complete a Rubik’s cube in minutes hopes to solve his most difficult professional puzzle. Moore (14-0, 8 KOs), a 6-foot-6 boxer-puncher from Lakeland, Florida, signed with Top Rank last year. He has since won a pair of eight-round shutouts, turning away Robert Simms last November and overcoming a hard-charging Helaman Olguin in March.
Promoted by Top Rank, tickets are on sale now via AXS.com.