TEMECULA, California – Richard Torrez Jr.’s second professional fight went much smoother than his pro debut.
The 2021 Olympic silver medalist stopped overmatched Roberto Zavala Jr. just 58 seconds into their six-round heavyweight fight Friday at Pechanga Resort Casino. The left-handed Torrez tattooed the shorter, slower Zavala with several flush punches, which quickly caused referee Eddie Hernandez Sr. to step between them and end their fight.
Zavala (2-2-1, 2 KOs), of Del Rio, Texas, remained on his feet when their brief bout was halted and protested the stoppage.
ESPN televised Torrez-Zavala as the opener of a tripleheader that’ll feature unbeaten junior welterweights Arnold Barboza Jr. (26-0, 10 KOs) and Danielito Zorrilla (16-0, 12 KOs) in the 10-round main event. After going less than one round, Torrez (2-0, 2 KOs) will make a quick return in another fight ESPN will air August 27 as part of the Jose Pedraza-Richard Commey undercard from Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Torrez, of Tulare, California, dropped Allen Melson three times and knocked him out in the second round of Torrez’s pro debut March 4 at Fresno State University’s Save Mart Center.
Melson (6-4, 3 KOs), of Gadsden, Alabama, was wild and awkward, but Torrez handled him well after suffering a significant cut along his right eyebrow just before the first round ended.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.