Olympic silver medal winner Richard Torrez defeated Italian Olympian Guido Vianello via 10-round unanimous decision (98-91 2x and 97-92) Saturday evening at Pearl Concert Theater at Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas.
From the start, Torrez (13-0, 11 KOs) bull-rushed Vianello, swinging wildly with overhand lefts and right hooks. Vianello (13-3-1, 11 KOs) clinched him to avoid damage, so much so that he was deducted a point in the second.
Vianello attempted to counter as Torrez continued forward, landing shots as he could, though taking an occasional punch on the way in.
Vianello connected with a chopping shot in the fifth round, but Torrez returned fire and stunted his momentum. The two went toe-to-toe in the eighth, and Torrez stunned him in the ninth before controlling the final round.
Torrez said, “I was trying to set up my feints and my body shots. Then, my body shots started landing more and more. From there, other shots started landing like my hooks. That was the plan that we had.”
“He’s an Olympian. I give him all the credit. He’s a great fighter. I have nothing but respect for him, but Tulare, California, came out today.”
“I don’t say no to fights. I want that to be clear. I want that to be known. Whoever you guys give me, I’m going to say yes to.”