Pro debut earmarked for March fourth under the auspices of Top Rank. That places it on the José Carlos "Jaguar" Ramírez vs. José "Sniper" Pedraza González undercard on ESPN+. Lotta eyeballs. This content is protected Good get by Bob. I've thought for a while that RTJ has the right stuff for a successful transition. Even getting shut out by Bakhodir Jalolov in the gold medal match at last summer's Olympics he looked impressive, and was just unfortunate to have run into an elite at the top of his game. Torrez brought excellent form and would have beaten lots of top international super heavies that day - he was just outmatched in virtually every category (except maybe nicknames...as "Kiki" may not be great, but is a hell of a lot better than "Big Uzbek"! ). For most of the second half of 2021 speculation was rampant as to whether & when he would turn over. I know he originally wanted a crack at redemption in the next Games in Paris in 2024, but there was a cloud of uncertainty over a) whether pros would continue to be allowed to compete and b) whether boxing might be dropped altogether from the list of events in light of AIBA corruption scandals. He is only 22 years old, so it wouldn't have been a major setback to sit tight a while to see which direction the winds blew, but...money talks. I'm looking forward to seeing how TR brings him along.
Very likeable and marketable young lad. I dont expect big things of him but I think he will develop a bit of a following on his way towards fringe contender status where he will plateau. Gives me some Joe Mesi vibes.
