Who is Richard Torrez Jr.? Exploring the American boxing star's record, coaching staff, and more ahead of Joey Dawejko clash
Richard Torrez Jr. is counted among the top young heavyweight prospects in professional boxing. In the amateur boxing realm, he'd captured the silver medal at super heavyweight at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. After turning pro in March 2022, his success story continued, and he's currently signed with the world-renowned Top Rank boxing promotion.
Torrez is fresh off a fifth-round TKO over Brandon Moore, whereby he captured the vacant WBC-NABF junior heavyweight championship, in May 2024. The 25-year-old fights veteran pugilist Joey Dawejko next.
Their clash was originally booked as an undercard bout for the Jaime Munguia-Erik Bazinyan boxing card that'll transpire on Sept. 20, 2024. The Torrez-Dawejko matchup was recently promoted and is listed as the event's co-headliner.
Who is Richard Torrez Jr.?
Richard Torrez Jr. was born in Tulare, California, U.S.A., on June 1, 1999, in a family of talented boxers. He boasts a professional boxing record of 10 victories and no defeats, with every victory coming via KO/TKO.
Back in 1920, his great-grandfather Juan Torrez immigrated from Mexico to the U.S. His grandfather, Manuel Torrez, notably became the Southwest USA Golden Gloves boxing champion. Additionally, Richard Torrez Jr.'s father, Richard Torrez Sr., partook in the U.S. Olympic boxing trials back in 1984 and became a quarterfinalist.
Torrez Sr. later transitioned to the role of a boxing coach and has long been his son's primary boxing trainer. They extensively train at the Tulare Athletic Boxing Club, collaborating with other fighters/camps too.
In addition, Jr.'s mother, Kim Torrez, is an accomplished nutritionist who oversees his diet. Kim joined the National Council on Strength & Fitness (NCSF) to broaden the horizons of her knowledge and help with her son's athletic endeavors.
Speaking to Muscle & Fitness in 2023, Kim asserted that her son generally consumes "a little over 5,000 calories" every day. Kim highlighted that she was working in collaboration with Taylor Maggio, the combative sports athletes' nutritionist at the Colorado Springs Olympic Training Center.
Richard Torrez Jr. has also devoted considerable time to ballet training. As reported by talkSPORT, the 6-foot-2 combatant acknowledged being a smaller heavyweight in the modern heavyweight division, but he believes his engine and skills make him a force to be reckoned with.
Torrez further alluded to being inspired by boxing legend Vasiliy Lomachenko, who'd extensively trained in the traditional Ukrainian dance, 'Hopak,' to help with his boxing.
In an interview with Sky Sports last year, Torrez credited ballet for helping improve his balance, footwork, and overall boxing performance. Honing his dancing skills at the College of the Sequoias, where he'd previously taken tap dancing classes, the fighter deftly played the role of 'Gaston' in a 'Beauty and the Beast' ballet performance.
Watch Torrez speak about his ballet journey below:
Furthermore, speaking to Boxing Scene earlier this year, Richard Torrez Jr. outlined his goal of becoming a boxing world champion. 'Kiki' aka 'The Gentleman Boxer' implied that he could do a regular job but wouldn't find it fulfilling.
Graduating as a valedictorian from Mission Oak High School, the ex-chess competitor and his father feel his boxing brilliance could fetch generational wealth. Torrez loves flying planes as well as farming (an activity he and his family credit for their incredible fitness). One of Top Rank's rising stars, Torrez has lately received a significant promotional push.