This was Torres' first defeat as a pro, and the only time he was ever stopped. Thanks again to Raging B(_)ll for this footage. [yt]DaKKcUBCvZs[/yt] At this time, Torres was an unbeaten, rising MW prospect. He was a quick, aggressive fighter with powerful combination punches. However, being a Cus D'Amato fighter, he had thus far been carefully managed and protected. Most of his opponents had been 2nd and 3rd raters, with his only real step up being a match with future welter champ Benny Paret, which ended in a draw. Meanwhile, Fernandez had once been one of the top contenders at MW, and he had given champion Gene Fullmer all he could handle in a title challenge. He was a good boxer, but was known mainly for his bone-crunching left hook. Since losing to Fullmer, however, his career had gone into steep decline as he was battered into a stoppage by Dick Tiger and then shockingly blasted out in 1 round by an up-and-coming Ruben Carter. Although it seemed Fernandez was finished as a serious contender, he still was considered the most dangerous opponent Torres had fought up to this point. The fight was a significant crossroads fight in both fighters' careers. As it turned out, Fernandez completely outclassed Torres. He outskilled him at close quarters and then overwhelmed him with superior firepower. Torres was down in the 2nd round and then again in the 5th, and was being hammered mercilessly when the fight was stopped. The win over Torres briefly put Fernandez back into the big picture, but his momentum was squandered by losses to Rocky Rivero and Jose Gonzales, and after a crushing KO loss to Jimmy Lester he faded into obscurity for good. Torres of course went on to have a very successful career and only ever lost to one other fighter (Dick Tiger); however, I've always suspected that D'Amato was careful to maneuver him away from big punchers for the rest of his career, as he never really fought one on Fernandez's level again.
Man, these guys were physical specimens. Fernandez just seemed too damn strong for Torres at that time. I'd like to see Floro in the ring today. I bet he'd leave a guy like Abraham lying concussed on the floor.
These threads of yours are great M2S. Keep them coming if you will please. Thats was pretty brutal, Fernandez just wouldn't stop, Torres had no chance once he smelt blood. Bert Sugar said the first time he ever went to MSG was to see Fulmer-Fernandez btw.
Fernandez broke Fullmer's ELBOW with a punch, for pete's sake...think of who all he'd mess up today...
