Richard Torrez Jr. prepares for first main event in Las Vegas since turning pro in 2022
Richard Torrez Jr. admits being in the spotlight will bring nerves as he walks to the ring April 5 in Las Vegas.
For the first time since turning pro in 2022, the Mission Oak grad will be in the main event of the Top Rank card against Guido Vianello in a 10-round heavyweight at the Pearl Concert Theater at Palms Casino Resort.
This latest clash will serve as a barometer for the Tulare native to see if he is ready to take the next step that Top Rank chairman Bob Arum wants to see between his two fighters.
“Top Rank has promoted Richard and Guido from the start of their respective professional careers, and I look forward to seeing how the fight unfolds at the Palms Casino Resort,” Arum said in a news release.
Torrez (12-0, 11 KOs) turned pro following the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 when he won a silver medal. He made his pro career in 2022 on the undercard at the Save Mart Center and racked up 10 straight knockouts since.
Now he faces the 6-foot-6 Vianello who signed with Top Rank in 2018 and is 13-2-1.
The event will be streamed on ESPN+.
“He’s a worthy opponent and it’s gonna be a battle,” Torrez said. “That’s what I’m excited for. That’s why I train hard. I want that competition and I’m excited to be able to have that coming.”
When Torrez is not boxing, he is taking online classes at College of the Sequoias. His online philosophy classes give him another avenue to focus on, even though he’s not pursuing a degree. He said he joined a philosophy club because he “likes reading.”
The 25-year-old said he is taking his time with college courses and taking some salsa classes that he enjoys doing, but the forefront of his career is boxing. When he is not taking classes, he is training at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Maybe his salsa classes will give him an added weapon in the boxing ring with quick feet action along with his powerful punches that will catapult Torrez to the next level in his pro career.
“That’s a beautiful reason why I signed with Top Rank,” he said. “Whenever I have a fight, they give me a great opponent, and I do my best. My goal is to (be a world champion). That’s what I’m going to do. The planning and everything like that, that’s one reason why I signed with Top Rank because they have one of the best matchmakers in the world, and I’m going to continue following that process.”
This story was originally published March 27, 2025 at 10:18 AM.
