2020 Olympic silver medalist Richard Torrez Jr. 14-0, 12 KOs) stole the show last Saturday night, scoring a lightning-quick first-round TKO victory over the 6’3 1/2″ Tomas Salek (23-8, 14 KOs) at the Arena Coliseo, San Luis Potosi, Mexico.
A One-Round Demolition
With his fight buried at the rock bottom of Top Rank’s Rafael Espinoza vs. Arnold Khegai card last night, the southpaw Torrez Jr. showed what pure vintage Mike Tyson-like punching power can do, as he crushed the capable Czech in the first round of what was supposed to have been a moderately competitive fight.
In hindsight, Top Rank should have had Torrez Jr. as the co-feature on the card, as he outperformed the fighters above him, Emiliano Vargas and Lindolfo Delgado, by a long shot. Those guys lack the amateur blue-chip credentials that Torrez Jr. possesses.
Salek’s Nose Shattered
The 26-year-old Torrez Jr. backed Salek, 27, to the corner, hitting him with jabs to the head and breadbasket. Once he had his trapped prey, Salek cornered, Torrez Jr. nailed him with a powerful left uppercut that straightened him, and then connected with a hard, nose-shattering right hook to the head, causing blood to pour out in rivers all across his face.
The referee quickly stepped in and caused a timeout to have Salek’s nose examined by the ringside doctor. It was immediately clear that the contest needed to be halted due to the severity of Salek’s injured beak. The official time of the stoppage was 2:45 of round one.
“The quick result was because our camp went well,” Richard Torrez Jr. said. “We love to give the people a good show. I’m thankful that we had a good camp. A win is a win, and we’ll be back in the gym tomorrow.”
Fans Split on the Win
Some boxing fans on social media were less than enthusiastic about Torrez Jr’s win, criticizing him for fighting a low-level opponent and taking his career in a backward move after his recent lopsided 10-round unanimous decision victory over 2016 Olympian Guido Vianello on April 5, 2025.
Torrez Jr.’s promoters at Top Rank are still searching for a new broadcast platform for their fighters after their eight-year deal with ESPN expired last July. So, it wasn’t the time for Torrez Jr. to be matched against one of the cutting-edge contenders in the heavyweight division.
Itauma Callout Revisited
Torrez Jr. publicly called out #1 WBA and WBO-ranked contender Moses Itauma on September 17, 2025, saying, “I want that Itauma fight. I think that would be a great fight. Everyone wants to know if he’s ready for Usyk or not. Look at me, I’m a lefty. I’m a heavyweight. I move a lot. I have pressure. I punch a lot. Let’s see how it goes.”
Interestingly, there’s been silence from Itauma in response to the callout from Torrez Jr. That has to be interpreted as a signal that Itauma doesn’t fancy the fight, as Torrez Jr. is a pure pressure fighter with power and a good chin.
Is Itauma the Kryptonite Test?
As fans witnessed in Moses’ short, abbreviated amateur career, he struggled when he fought Greek heavyweight Stylianos Roulias at the 2022 IBA World Youth Championships Semi-Final and was put under intense pressure. Richard Torrez Jr. could be Itauma’s kryptonite.