Richard Torrez has officially reached phase two of his career.

Most promising prospects experience that first stage. They take on underwhelming fighters with horrific records and announce themselves to the boxing world. Depending on how they perform, determines their next steps.

Torrez was simply too good for the mundane competition he was facing. Top Rank, the promotional banner he competes under, placed a hand on their chin and said you know what? It’s time to push their young star to the next level.

This past Saturday night, the former Olympic silver medalist took a huge step up in competition when he jumped in the ring with Guido Vianello.

On paper, Vianello was supposed to push Torrez (13-0, 11 KOs) to the limit, but when the dust cleared, he was another innocuous nuisance on his way. With a clear-cut win over a solid contender, Torrez believes that he’s officially arrived.

“I think I’ve proven that I’m a force to be reckoned with in the heavyweight division,” Torrez told a group of reporters.

Usually, once you take one step forward, there is no looking back. Team Torrez could be malleable in their approach but putting their man in a position to fight for a world title in the somewhat near future is the goal.

The 25-year-old knows what he wants but he also isn’t delusional. Getting the likes of Daniel Dubois or Oleksandr Usyk isn’t realistic but according to ESPN figurehead, Tim Bradley, a showdown with Jared Anderson makes the most sense.

Torrez isn’t a call-you-out kind of guy. He’s much more subtle when it comes to that. With that said, he isn’t shy either. Whomever his handlers throw him in the ring with, all he wants is time to heal from a few bumps and scratches. Once he does, it’s go time.

“As soon as I get these bruises fixed up, I’m back in it.”