Torres wins photo by Mikey Williams – Top Rank
In the 10-round main event, it was the big boys with 6’2” undefeated Top Rank contender Richard Torrez Jr. putting his impressive 12-0, 11 KOs record on the line in a step-up fight against Italy’s 6’6” Guido Vianello, who came in at 13-2-1 with 11 KOs. A win for either fighter would significantly affect the direction of their career at this point. A great, solid matchup by Top Rank.
In the main event build-up, Torrez said he was having some surreal moments seeing his face towering over Las Vegas on hotels. But, once the bell rang, he was looking to show that he was more than the seek and destroy knockout bomber that he has shown in stopping 11 of 12 opponents. He said that he was “really excited to show some different aspects of my game.” Torrez wanted to “show my boxing abilities and show that I belong here”.
Vianello had nothing but respect for Torrez but indicated he was more than ready as he was coming out of “the hardest training camp of my career”.
Could Torrez mix in some boxing with his power to get to Vianello? Could Vianello keep Torrez on the end of his long jab and land hard shots from the outside?
In the end, their styles made for a messy fight, with Vianello draping himself over Torrez for much of the fight. Round 5 saw Vianello catch Torrez with a hard shot, but it was a rare moment in the fight.
Torrez got the job done. Mixing a balance of boxing, good movement, and power, he got the UD 10 and added an impressive win to his resume. While Vianello landed the odd big shot, he was simply outworked by a motivated and focused Torrez.
This is a setback for Vianello and he will now have to take a look at where he goes next.
Torrez had to contend with a lot of holding from Vianello but was able to land hard lefts off of his southpaw jab. Torrez also showed good head movement and feints in setting up his power shots.
For Torrez, who has now banked a signature win look for Top Rank, look for more tests as he ascends to what they hope will be world title contention.
Semi-Main
WBC/IBF Jr. Welter title eliminator Lindolfo Delgado (23-0, 16 KOs) W MD Elvis Rodriguez (17-2-1, 13 KOs).
A big fight with a big upside for the winner, as a title shot is on the table. Lots of punches thrown between orthodox Delgado and southpaw Rodriguez. Fighting from opposite stances can make for complicated footwork but it didn’t stop the action. In the end, they went the full 10 in a competitive bout with both fighters having their moments, but the judges favored Delgado in a very close fight. Scores 95-95 and 96-94 x 2. Rodriguez, at the very least, earned a rematch.
Undercard
USBA/NABF lightweight title – Abdullah Mason (18-0, 16 KOs) TKO 6 Carlos Ornelas (28-5, 15 KO)
Featherweight – Albert Gonzalez (13-0, 7 KOs) W UD 8 Dana Coolwell (13-4, 8 KOs)
NABF Junior Bantam title – Steve Navarro (6-0, 5 KOs) TKO 4 Juan Garcia (14-2-2, 11 KOs)
Welter – Art Barrera Jr. (8-0, 6 KOs) KO 2 Daijohn Gonzalez (12-6, 6 KOs)
Middle – Jahi Tucker (14-1-1, 6 KO) UD 10 Troy Williamson (20-4-1, 14 KOs)
Jr. Light – DJ Zamora (16- 0, 11 KOs) KO 4 Hugo Castaneda (15-2-1, 11 KOs)
Jr. Welter – Sammy Contreras (1-0, 1 KOs) TKO 1 Robert Jimenez (2-3-1, 1 KOs)
