Olympic silver medalist and heavyweight contender Richard Torrez Jr. blasted out San Antonio native Tyrrell Anthony Herndon via second-round TKO.
Torrez was aggressive from the opening second, cutting the distance to land short combos from his southpaw stance.
Eventually, Torrez dropped him with a left hand in the second round. The blow began an onslaught, forcing referee Alejandro Leon to stop the fight. Time of stoppage: 1:26.
Heavyweight Richard Torrez Jr.
“This is a process. Top Rank has the best matchmakers, and I fight whoever they put in front of me. If they say I’m ready to fight eight-rounders next, I’ll be ready,” said Torrez.
“I’m not expecting knockouts. When I don’t expect them, that’s when they happen. It’s a Catch-22. If I expect the knockouts, then they don’t happen.
“I just want to show my boxing ability, and I got two rounds this time. I’m looking forward to the next one.”
Results:
Heavyweight: Italian standout Guido Vianello (11-1-1, 9 KOs) scored a workmanlike eight-round unanimous decision win against veteran Curtis Harper (14-10, 9 KOs). Vianello struggled to land cleanly on a slippery Harper but out-landed him in every round. Scores: 80-72 and 79-73 2x.
Junior Welterweight: Houston native Giovanni Marquez (7-0, 5 KOs) knocked out Donte Strayhorn (12-5-1, 4 KOs) in the second round. Marquez hunted Strayhorn from the opening round, launching power shots and picking off any return fire with blocks and rolls. Marquez caught Strayhorn with consecutive uppercuts in the second round and dropped him. He dropped him once more before a fight-ending flurry. Time of stoppage: 2:47.
Featherweight: U.S. Olympic silver medalist Duke Ragan (9-0, 1 KO) overcame an almost one-year layoff to narrowly defeat Jose Perez (11-2-2, 5 KOs) by an eight-round split decision. Ragan had trouble shrugging off the ring rust and was even dropped in round five with a left hook. Despite the setback, he returned strong with power shots in the final rounds. Scores: 76-75 2x Ragan and 76-75 Perez.
Davis
Junior Welterweight: Kelvin Davis (10-0, 6 KOs), Keyshawn’s older brother, toppled Spanish veteran Narciso Carmona (11-2-1, 6 KOs) via an eight-round unanimous decision. Davis controlled most of the fight with quick shots from the outside, though he was stunned late in the seventh round with a right hook as he engaged inside. Scores: 80-72, 79-73 and 77-75.
Junior Welterweight: Alan “Kid Kansas” Garcia (10-0, 8 KOs) tallied a six-round decision victory against Nelson Hampton (10-8, 6 KOs). Garcia had trouble finding Hampton in the early rounds but effectively targeted the body by the final rounds. Scores: 60-54 3x.
Junior Lightweight: Humberto Galindo (14-3-2, 11 KOs) and Oscar Bravo (25-13-1, 11 KOs) fought to an eight-round majority draw. Galindo established an early lead with combinations from the outside, but Bravo came on strong in the later rounds. Scores: 76-74 Galindo and 75-75 2x.
Heavyweight: Uzbek phenom Jakhongir Zokirov (1-0, 1 KO) made a successful pro debut by vanquishing Guillermo del Rio (4-5-1, 2 KOs) via fourth-round TKO. Time of stoppage: 0:39.
