Torrez believes his pressure and conditioning can push him into the heavyweight title picture on May 23
Richard Torrez Jr. believes his May 23 fight against Frank Sanchez will show he belongs among boxing’s top heavyweights. Torrez said a strong performance against Sanchez would push him closer to the heavyweight title picture.
“This fight will cement me in the top heavyweight division,” Torrez said during an interview with Fight Hub TV.
“Being able to take out Frank or do what I need to do against him is going to make it known throughout the entire boxing community that I’m not a hype job and I’m supposed to be here.”
Torrez enters the fight with confidence in both his pace and conditioning, which he believes separates him from many of the division’s larger heavyweights.
“I firmly believe that I have the best conditioning in all the heavyweight division,” said Torrez.
That confidence is part of the reason he expects Sanchez to struggle with his pressure over a long fight. Sanchez was stopped by Agit Kabayel earlier this year after fading under sustained body attacks and pressure.
Torrez believes his own style creates different problems than the ones Sanchez dealt with against Kabayel.
“Mine’s more of a jittery pressure,” said Torrez.
“A feint and keeping you on edge the entire time.”
Torrez also believes the heavyweight division itself is changing stylistically, with smaller, more active heavyweights beginning to replace the older generation of one-punch punchers.
“It’s like a tank and a minigun,” Torrez said while describing the contrast between modern pressure heavyweights and the division’s traditional power punchers.
He pointed to fighters like Usyk and rising contender Moses Itauma as examples of heavyweights using activity, movement, and pressure rather than waiting for one big shot.
Torrez sees himself fitting into that group as well.
“We’re getting more guys that want that action,” said Torrez.
“We’re going out there and actively trying to win the fight.”
A win over Sanchez would easily become the biggest result of Torrez’s career and move him closer to the title level he says he has been preparing for since his Olympic days.
