Good fighter, though may have been lucky to catch Jeff Chandler at the right time. Would have won the fold in 1980.
No frills, well-schooled boxer-puncher who "busied" you to death. His very sound technique speaks to the wealth of experience he gained as a high-level amateur. Richie was solid. He didn't do himself any favors by staying so long at 118 though. The constant ballooning up to as high as 130 for non-title fights (he had a bunch) and then having to melt back down to 118 hurt him eventually. He looked like a ghost in there against Canizales, no disrespect to Gaby.
His solid technique is a tribute to the teaching ability of Tony Cerda. He trained both Sandoval brothers and Albert Davila, as an amateur, too. When Sandoval beat Chandler, they set him up at a table in a vacant shop just inside the center entrance to the Indian Hill Mall in Pomona. He was there for at least a couple weeks signing autographs and taking pictures with people. They would bring him food. You could literally watch him grow.
