The power of heavyweight Richard Torrez Jr. was too much for fellow unbeaten Brandon Moore on Saturday night at Pechanga Arena.
Torrez, the 2020 Olympic silver medalist, unleashed a series of devastating punches that Moore could not withstand as the bout was stopped in a fifth round at 1:39. The bout was halted when Moore’s corner threw the towel in after Moore had been dropped and reeled in the contest.
“I give Moore a lot of respect,” said Torrez Jr. “Anyone who goes toe-to-toe like that deserves my respect. I expected a lot from him, but I followed the game plan and got the job done. He took some really good shots, but at the end of the day, you can only take so much."
Torrez, now 10-0 with 10 knockouts, handed Moore, 14-1 (8 KOs) his first professional loss. The fight was part of a Top Rank card headlined by Mexico’s three-division titleholder Emanuel Navarrete, who was vying for the vacant WBO lightweight belt against Ukraine’s Denys Berinchyk.
“Sometimes it feels like television, the only person I can hear in the corner is my dad (Richard Torrez Sr.). I am okay with that, sometimes that crowd can get ahead of you a little bit, but it is really nice to have the crowd [cheering]. In the Olympics, I didn’t have any, because of [COVID-19], being able to have the atmosphere is amazing.
“He took some really good shots and I commend him for that, but at the end of the day, you can only take so much. I am really thankful for my coaching and just my preparation.”
“I am not going to lie, (Oleksandr) Usyk is a role model of mine. I admire what he does, I admire the entire Ukrainian team to be honest with you. (Vasiliy) Lomachenko, Usyk, and what those guys do is insane and incredible. I try to match that a little bit with the Mexican style.
“You can’t let (your amateur background) go unnoticed. What I did in the Olympics, I have been on the United States team since 14 or 15 years old, I just want to give a big shout-out to the USA [boxing] team, who are going to their last-chance qualifier over in Thailand.
“We got this belt (regional title) going back to Cali to Central California to Tulare, California, I did it for you guys.”
