Tokyo Olympics super heavyweight silver medalist Richard Torres said he hopes to serve as a sparring partner for former boxing champion Anthony Joshua. Torres insists that he is the only one who can help Joshua prepare for his second clash with Olekosan Usyk.
Joshua’s team admitted that it is not easy to find a sparring partner similar to Usyk, but the 23-year-old Torres exactly meets the relevant conditions. He is also a left-hander and has a similar build to Usyk. More importantly, Torres’ compact, fast style will be ideal for Joshua as he prepares for his fight with Usyk.
Torres said: "I hope Joshua will consider me because I have Usyk's style. I haven't received a call from Joshua yet, if it happens, then it happens. If anything else If a heavyweight boxer wants to fight me, or wants to see my style, I am more than willing and obligated to do so."
Some people think that there are few southpaw heavyweight boxers who can compare with Usyk, but Torres is obviously an exception. , he is similar to Usyk in many ways, and his offensive power is even better than that of his opponent. Torres said: "In the heavyweight class, there are really very few left-handers as fast as us. Usyk's feints and lateral movements are great. This is also something worth learning for me."
When asked what he thinks about the contract Ya VS Usyk rematch? Torres said: "Joshua needs to let go and attack, he really needs to. Joshua has the offensive and power advantage, his power will never fade and if Joshua's punches land, anyone will get hurt, I think he can contain Usyk with more consecutive punches, which will be an interesting fight, but to be honest, I am more inclined to Usyk winning again.” There isn’t much of an advantage in boxing, but he believes shorter fighters can still reach the top of their division. Torres said: "I'm here to show the same thing, everyone talks about me being a small heavyweight and they feel like I should go to cruiserweight, whereas what I'm saying is, like Joe - Frazier , Mike Tyson were all small guys who turned out to be legends, and I can do it too. Now, here I am, and Usyk has shown that even small guys can do it. I should thank him for the success.”
In his amateur days, Torres was one of the very few boxers who deliberately increased his weight to compete at a higher level, because most people would compete at a lower weight, which would make their advantages more obvious. There is no doubt about Torres' talent and strength. He reached the Olympic super heavyweight finals in one breath and lost to Bahodir Jajalov who was 2.01 meters tall. However, he achieved the highest score in the United States since the 1988 Seoul Olympics. The best result in the super heavyweight boxing world, and in the duel with Jajalov, Torres worked very hard. It was not so much that he lost because of his skills, but because of his height and physique.
Torres turned professional boxer in March this year. He knocked out Alan Meyerson in the first two rounds and won. However, he injured his forehead in the melee and took a period of rest. On July 16th, Beijing time, Torres will face Robert Zavala Jr. in his hometown of , California. His opponent has a record of 2 wins, 1 loss, 1 draw and 2 KOs. I believe that if nothing happens, Torres will win easily.
Torres has now signed an agreement with a famous top promotion company. He hopes to achieve the same achievements as Jarrell Anderson under the operation of the other party. Anderson and Torres are both the current hopes of the United States in the heavyweight boxing world. The former has a professional record of 11 wins and 11 KOs against his opponents. Torres and Anderson had played against each other in amateur times, in 2017, when Torres defeated Anderson on points. Anderson is now also a rising star that top promotion companies are trying to build, and Torres hopes to meet Anderson again one day.
Torres said: "I would love to congratulate Anderson and support him all the time, but one day we will fight again. To those boxing fans who think Anderson is the best, I just want to say, please wait and see me, I am Let’s put on a good show.”
Torres said: "I would love to congratulate Anderson and support him all the time, but one day we will fight again. To those boxing fans who think Anderson is the best, I just want to say, please wait and see me, I am Let’s put on a good show.”
