Tag: Richard Torrez Jr.

Emanuel Navarrete outworks Oscar Valdez to win one-sided decision in spirited brawl

Emanuel Navarrete outworked Oscar Valdez to win a one-sided decision in a spirited brawl Saturday in the Phoenix area.

Throw a lot of punches and good things happen.

Emanuel Navarrete is the poster boy for that approach to boxing. The 140-pound titleholder threw 1,038 punches and more than enough of them landed to beat Oscar Valdez decisively in an entertaining scrap Saturday at Desert Diamond Arena outside Phoenix.

The official scores were 119-109, 118-110 and 116-112. Boxing Junkie scored it 117-111 for Navarrete, nine rounds to three.

The lopsided scoring doesn’t reflect the intensity of the fight, which was compared in the lead-up to such all-Mexican matchups as Marco Antonio Barrera vs. Erik Morales.

This bout didn’t live up to the Barrera-Morales standard in their trilogy — few do — but it was fun to watch.

Navarrete (38-1, 31 KOs) did what he always does, throw a lot of punches from crazy angles to both the head and body for almost the entire fight. He misses a lot of his shots but he generally outlands his opponents, as he did Saturday.

According to CompuBox, Navarrete was 216 of 1,038 (21%) while Valdez was 140 of 436 (32%).

And, underscoring his toughness, the winner didn’t stop throwing punches even thought he injured his right (power) hand sometime in the middle of the fight.

Meanwhile, while Valdez was outworked, the numbers indicate that he punched more accurately. He also landed many of the biggest shots in the fight, which made the fight competitive even though he couldn’t connect enough to win more than a few rounds.

Valdez also fought the last several rounds with a right eye that was swollen shut, which is a daunting handicap given Navarrete’s offensive capabilities.

In the end, Navarrete, a three-division champion, successfully defended his title and won his 33rd consecutive fight. Valdez gave an admirable effort. And the fans got their money’s worth.

Rematch? The one-sided result doesn’t call for one. And Navarrete, the WBO beltholder, has other good options, most notably the three other titleholders — Joseph Cordina (IBF), Hector Luis Garcia (WBA) and O’Shaquie Foster (WBC).

However, he’s open to a second meeting with his Mexican rival

“I’ll leave it in the hands of the fans,” he said through a translator. “They’re ultimately the best judges. If they want to see this fight again, I know they’ll … push for it.”

Meanwhile, Valdez (31-2, 23 KOs) was devastated after the fight.

The former two-division titleholder has now lost two of his last three fights, including a one-sided setback against Shakur Stevenson in a title-unification bout in April of last year. He’ll have to work hard if he hopes to reclaim what he has lost.

However, he was more concerned about those who were rooting for him on Saturday.

“He’s just a warrior,” Valdez said of Navarrete. “I tried my best. That’s all I can say. … I’m sorry I disappointed everybody who came here to support me. I feel terrible. I’m hoping to do it again.”

No one outside of Valdez’s inner circle was all that disappointed, which is why they wouldn’t mind seeing him and Navarrete do it again.

In other featured fights, unbeaten 140-pound contender Lindolfo Delgado (18-0, 13 KOs) outpointed Jair Valtierra (16-3, 8 KOs) 99-91, 99-91 and 98-92 in a 10-round battle of Mexicans.

And Olympic silver medalist Richard Torrez Jr. (6-0, 6 KOs) stopped Willie Jake Jr. (11-4-2, 3 KOs) in the first round of a scheduled six-round heavyweight fight.

Emanuel Navarrete outworks Oscar Valdez to win one-sided decision in spirited brawl

Emanuel Navarrete outworked Oscar Valdez to win a one-sided decision in a spirited brawl Saturday in the Phoenix area.

Throw a lot of punches and good things happen.

Emanuel Navarrete is the poster boy for that approach to boxing. The 140-pound titleholder threw 1,038 punches and more than enough of them landed to beat Oscar Valdez decisively in an entertaining scrap Saturday at Desert Diamond Arena outside Phoenix.

The official scores were 119-109, 118-110 and 116-112. Boxing Junkie scored it 117-111 for Navarrete, nine rounds to three.

The lopsided scoring doesn’t reflect the intensity of the fight, which was compared in the lead-up to such all-Mexican matchups as Marco Antonio Barrera vs. Erik Morales.

This bout didn’t live up to the Barrera-Morales standard in their trilogy — few do — but it was fun to watch.

Navarrete (38-1, 31 KOs) did what he always does, throw a lot of punches from crazy angles to both the head and body for almost the entire fight. He misses a lot of his shots but he generally outlands his opponents, as he did Saturday.

According to CompuBox, Navarrete was 216 of 1,038 (21%) while Valdez was 140 of 436 (32%).

And, underscoring his toughness, the winner didn’t stop throwing punches even thought he injured his right (power) hand sometime in the middle of the fight.

Meanwhile, while Valdez was outworked, the numbers indicate that he punched more accurately. He also landed many of the biggest shots in the fight, which made the fight competitive even though he couldn’t connect enough to win more than a few rounds.

Valdez also fought the last several rounds with a right eye that was swollen shut, which is a daunting handicap given Navarrete’s offensive capabilities.

In the end, Navarrete, a three-division champion, successfully defended his title and won his 33rd consecutive fight. Valdez gave an admirable effort. And the fans got their money’s worth.

Rematch? The one-sided result doesn’t call for one. And Navarrete, the WBO beltholder, has other good options, most notably the three other titleholders — Joseph Cordina (IBF), Hector Luis Garcia (WBA) and O’Shaquie Foster (WBC).

However, he’s open to a second meeting with his Mexican rival

“I’ll leave it in the hands of the fans,” he said through a translator. “They’re ultimately the best judges. If they want to see this fight again, I know they’ll … push for it.”

Meanwhile, Valdez (31-2, 23 KOs) was devastated after the fight.

The former two-division titleholder has now lost two of his last three fights, including a one-sided setback against Shakur Stevenson in a title-unification bout in April of last year. He’ll have to work hard if he hopes to reclaim what he has lost.

However, he was more concerned about those who were rooting for him on Saturday.

“He’s just a warrior,” Valdez said of Navarrete. “I tried my best. That’s all I can say. … I’m sorry I disappointed everybody who came here to support me. I feel terrible. I’m hoping to do it again.”

No one outside of Valdez’s inner circle was all that disappointed, which is why they wouldn’t mind seeing him and Navarrete do it again.

In other featured fights, unbeaten 140-pound contender Lindolfo Delgado (18-0, 13 KOs) outpointed Jair Valtierra (16-3, 8 KOs) 99-91, 99-91 and 98-92 in a 10-round battle of Mexicans.

And Olympic silver medalist Richard Torrez Jr. (6-0, 6 KOs) stopped Willie Jake Jr. (11-4-2, 3 KOs) in the first round of a scheduled six-round heavyweight fight.

Good, bad, worse: Eimantas Stanionis sharp, no Olympic gold for U.S., rogue judge

Good, bad, worse: Eimantas Stanionis sharp, no Olympic gold for the U.S and a rogue judge.

A critical look at the past week in boxing

GOOD

Sometimes it doesn’t matter much whether you win or lose.

Welterweight Eimantas Stanionis had enough time to make a statement against 40-year-old Luis Collazo even though their fight was cut short and ruled a no-decision as a result of a clash of heads Saturday night in Minneapolis.

Stanionis, a 26-year-old from Lithuania, looked like a legitimate contender by pounding his game, but overmatched opponent from the opening bell to the moment their heads collided in the fourth round, which ended the fight because Collazo couldn’t continue.

The fight was declared a no-decision because it didn’t go four full rounds but we saw what we saw: an efficient offensive machine who landed damaging shots at a remarkable rate of accuracy. Indeed, Collazo, who has a good chin, might’ve been fortunate that the fight ended as early as it did because he was destined to take a prolonged beating.

We shouldn’t read too much into Stanionis’ strong performance. After all, Collazo is at the end of career. However, the New Yorker still has some fight in him and remains crafty. And Stanionis had his way with him for as long as the fight lasted.

Can Stanionis compete with the best 147-pounders in the world? I don’t know. It’s difficult to imagine him beating the likes of Terence Crawford, Errol Spence Jr., Manny Pacquiao and a few other top welterweights. He’s not as quick, athletic or dynamic as they are.

At the same time, relentless and intelligent pressure from a good fighter like Stanionis can make the life of any opponent difficult. I won’t be surprised if he finds a way to win a coveted title sometime in the near future.

The only thing I know for sure is that he’s earning the right to give it a try.

***

BAD

I wrote last week that we should be encouraged by the performance of the American boxers in the Olympics. They won four medals (three silver and a bronze), their best output since the 2000 Games in Sydney.

That said, an 0-3 record in gold medal matches was disappointing.

Featherweight Duke Ragan came the closest to becoming Olympic champion, losing a 3-2 split decision to Albert Batyrgaziev of the Russian Olympic Committee. Lightweight Keyshawn Davis, perhaps the U.S.’ best hope, fell by a 4-1 split decision to quick, talented Andy Cruz of Cuba. And super heavyweight Richard Torrez Jr. lost a 5-0 unanimous decision to hulking Bakhodir Jalolov.

A victory be just one of them would’ve given the U.S. its first men’s gold medal since Andre Ward in the 2004 Olympics, 17 years ago. Claressa Shields won back-to-back gold in the 2012 and 2016 women’s competitions.

Again, the four medals — including a bronze by women’s welterweight Oshae Jones — were encouraging. However, those of us hoping for a just a little more will have to wait until the 2024 Paris Games.

The good news is that some good professionals will emerge from the Games. My favorite was Davis, who is already 3-0 as a pro. He didn’t win the gold but he lived up to the hype. He has natural gifts, plenty of skill and poise, qualities that should lead to a successful career in the paid ranks.

I can’t wait to see how he develops.

***

WORSE

The scoring in the Gabriel Maestre-Mykal Fox fight on the Stanionis-Collazo card was disturbing on the surface but got worse the more we learned.

Fox, a tall, athletic welterweight, outboxed Maestre and put him down in what seemed certain to be a one-sided victory for the late replacement. The judges somehow saw it differently, handing Maestre a 115-112, 114-113, 117-110 unanimous decision and the WBA “interim” title.

The 117-110 score, from judge Gloria Martinez-Rizzo, was particularly disturbing. And it wasn’t just the fact that she gave Maestre nine of the 12 rounds, which reflects horribly on her and the WBA.

According to a report on BoxingScene.com, Martinez-Rizzo has posted racist tweets. In one, she refers to former First Lady Michelle Obama as “monkey face.” Fox, who is black, reportedly responded to the tweets: “Wow, I was never gonna win on her card.”

Only in boxing.

After the fight and the ensuing public outcry, WBA President Gilberto Mendoza promised to conduct an investigation of the scoring and indicated that a rematch is possible. That’s the least that can be done for Fox, who turned in the performance of his career.

And we can only hope that we never see Martinez-Rizzo sitting ringside at any fight again.

[lawrence-related id=22341,22337,22333,22322,22316,22301,22256]

Good, bad, worse: Eimantas Stanionis sharp, no Olympic gold for U.S., rogue judge

Good, bad, worse: Eimantas Stanionis sharp, no Olympic gold for the U.S and a rogue judge.

A critical look at the past week in boxing

GOOD

Sometimes it doesn’t matter much whether you win or lose.

Welterweight Eimantas Stanionis had enough time to make a statement against 40-year-old Luis Collazo even though their fight was cut short and ruled a no-decision as a result of a clash of heads Saturday night in Minneapolis.

Stanionis, a 26-year-old from Lithuania, looked like a legitimate contender by pounding his game, but overmatched opponent from the opening bell to the moment their heads collided in the fourth round, which ended the fight because Collazo couldn’t continue.

The fight was declared a no-decision because it didn’t go four full rounds but we saw what we saw: an efficient offensive machine who landed damaging shots at a remarkable rate of accuracy. Indeed, Collazo, who has a good chin, might’ve been fortunate that the fight ended as early as it did because he was destined to take a prolonged beating.

We shouldn’t read too much into Stanionis’ strong performance. After all, Collazo is at the end of career. However, the New Yorker still has some fight in him and remains crafty. And Stanionis had his way with him for as long as the fight lasted.

Can Stanionis compete with the best 147-pounders in the world? I don’t know. It’s difficult to imagine him beating the likes of Terence Crawford, Errol Spence Jr., Manny Pacquiao and a few other top welterweights. He’s not as quick, athletic or dynamic as they are.

At the same time, relentless and intelligent pressure from a good fighter like Stanionis can make the life of any opponent difficult. I won’t be surprised if he finds a way to win a coveted title sometime in the near future.

The only thing I know for sure is that he’s earning the right to give it a try.

***

BAD

I wrote last week that we should be encouraged by the performance of the American boxers in the Olympics. They won four medals (three silver and a bronze), their best output since the 2000 Games in Sydney.

That said, an 0-3 record in gold medal matches was disappointing.

Featherweight Duke Ragan came the closest to becoming Olympic champion, losing a 3-2 split decision to Albert Batyrgaziev of the Russian Olympic Committee. Lightweight Keyshawn Davis, perhaps the U.S.’ best hope, fell by a 4-1 split decision to quick, talented Andy Cruz of Cuba. And super heavyweight Richard Torrez Jr. lost a 5-0 unanimous decision to hulking Bakhodir Jalolov.

A victory be just one of them would’ve given the U.S. its first men’s gold medal since Andre Ward in the 2004 Olympics, 17 years ago. Claressa Shields won back-to-back gold in the 2012 and 2016 women’s competitions.

Again, the four medals — including a bronze by women’s welterweight Oshae Jones — were encouraging. However, those of us hoping for a just a little more will have to wait until the 2024 Paris Games.

The good news is that some good professionals will emerge from the Games. My favorite was Davis, who is already 3-0 as a pro. He didn’t win the gold but he lived up to the hype. He has natural gifts, plenty of skill and poise, qualities that should lead to a successful career in the paid ranks.

I can’t wait to see how he develops.

***

WORSE

The scoring in the Gabriel Maestre-Mykal Fox fight on the Stanionis-Collazo card was disturbing on the surface but got worse the more we learned.

Fox, a tall, athletic welterweight, outboxed Maestre and put him down in what seemed certain to be a one-sided victory for the late replacement. The judges somehow saw it differently, handing Maestre a 115-112, 114-113, 117-110 unanimous decision and the WBA “interim” title.

The 117-110 score, from judge Gloria Martinez-Rizzo, was particularly disturbing. And it wasn’t just the fact that she gave Maestre nine of the 12 rounds, which reflects horribly on her and the WBA.

According to a report on BoxingScene.com, Martinez-Rizzo has posted racist tweets. In one, she refers to former First Lady Michelle Obama as “monkey face.” Fox, who is black, reportedly responded to the tweets: “Wow, I was never gonna win on her card.”

Only in boxing.

After the fight and the ensuing public outcry, WBA President Gilberto Mendoza promised to conduct an investigation of the scoring and indicated that a rematch is possible. That’s the least that can be done for Fox, who turned in the performance of his career.

And we can only hope that we never see Martinez-Rizzo sitting ringside at any fight again.

[lawrence-related id=22341,22337,22333,22322,22316,22301,22256]

Olympics: Richard Torrez Jr. loses to Uzbek, leaving U.S. without gold

Richard Torrez Jr. lost a decision to Bakhodir Jalolov of Uzbekistan, leaving the U.S. boxing team without gold medal.

The U.S. boxing team had its best performance in the Olympics in 21 years but the men’s gold medal drought continued.

American super heavyweight Richard Torrez Jr. gave a gallant effort against the much bigger Bakhodir Jalolov of Uzbekistan but lost a unanimous decision in the gold medal match — and the final bout of the Tokyo Games — early Sunday Eastern Time.

The U.S. finished with four medals (three silver and one bronze), its best output since it also won four medals (two silver and two bronze) in the 2000 Games in Sydney.

The last American man to win a gold medal was Andre Ward in 2004. Claressa Shields won gold in women’s boxing in both 2012 and 2016.

Bakhodir Jalolov (left) becomes emotional after beating Richard Torrez Jr. to win the super heavyweight gold medal.  Danielle Parhizkaran / USA TODAY Sports

Torrez faced an uphill battle against Jalolov, who was five inches taller and at least 30 pounds heavier than the product of Tulare, Calif. Plus, Jalolov knocked out Torrez the last time they fought, in the 2019 World Amateur Championships.

The American certainly tried to turn the tables, fighting with do-or-die spirit from the opening bell. He actually got the better of Jalolov in the first round, bobbing and weaving his way inside the big man’s long reach to land some eye-catching blows.

However, the Uzbek, asserting himself, began to land punishing shots in the second round, the hardest of which resulted in a standing eight count.

Jalolov wasn’t quite as dominating in the third round but continued to land more punches than Torrez, who desperately tried to connect on a shot that could turn his fortunes around.

The final scoring was no surprise: 30-26, 30-26, 29-26, 29-27 and 29-27, all in Jalolov’s favor.

Thus, the U.S. men have gone 17 years since winning a gold medal. And they’ll have to wait at least three more to finally get back to the top of the medal podium.

[lawrence-related id=22337,22316,22301,22256,22252,22239]

 

Olympics: Richard Torrez Jr. loses to Uzbek, leaving U.S. without gold

Richard Torrez Jr. lost a decision to Bakhodir Jalolov of Uzbekistan, leaving the U.S. boxing team without gold medal.

The U.S. boxing team had its best performance in the Olympics in 21 years but the men’s gold medal drought continued.

American super heavyweight Richard Torrez Jr. gave a gallant effort against the much bigger Bakhodir Jalolov of Uzbekistan but lost a unanimous decision in the gold medal match — and the final bout of the Tokyo Games — early Sunday Eastern Time.

The U.S. finished with four medals (three silver and one bronze), its best output since it also won four medals (two silver and two bronze) in the 2000 Games in Sydney.

The last American man to win a gold medal was Andre Ward in 2004. Claressa Shields won gold in women’s boxing in both 2012 and 2016.

Bakhodir Jalolov (left) becomes emotional after beating Richard Torrez Jr. to win the super heavyweight gold medal.  Danielle Parhizkaran / USA TODAY Sports

Torrez faced an uphill battle against Jalolov, who was five inches taller and at least 30 pounds heavier than the product of Tulare, Calif. Plus, Jalolov knocked out Torrez the last time they fought, in the 2019 World Amateur Championships.

The American certainly tried to turn the tables, fighting with do-or-die spirit from the opening bell. He actually got the better of Jalolov in the first round, bobbing and weaving his way inside the big man’s long reach to land some eye-catching blows.

However, the Uzbek, asserting himself, began to land punishing shots in the second round, the hardest of which resulted in a standing eight count.

Jalolov wasn’t quite as dominating in the third round but continued to land more punches than Torrez, who desperately tried to connect on a shot that could turn his fortunes around.

The final scoring was no surprise: 30-26, 30-26, 29-26, 29-27 and 29-27, all in Jalolov’s favor.

Thus, the U.S. men have gone 17 years since winning a gold medal. And they’ll have to wait at least three more to finally get back to the top of the medal podium.

[lawrence-related id=22337,22316,22301,22256,22252,22239]

 

Olympics: Duke Ragan comes up short against Russian in gold medal match

Olympics: American Duke Ragan came up just short against Russian Albert Batyrgaziev in the featherweight gold medal match in Tokyo.

Duke Ragan fell just short in his bid to become the U.S.’ first Olympic gold medal winner since 2004.

Albert Batyrgaziev of the Russian Olympic Committee defeated Ragan by a 3-2 split decision in the featherweight championship match early Thursday Eastern Time in the U.S., meaning the Cincinnati fighter had to settle for the silver medal in Tokyo.

Batyrgaziev, a lanky southpaw, used volume punching to keep Ragan on the defensive in the first two rounds, both of which the Russian won on four of five cards. The American landed some eye-catching shots but couldn’t keep pace with his opponent.

Then, fighting with more urgency, he matched Batyrgaziev punch for punch – and then some — to win the third round on four of five cards.

However, it was too late for Ragan. Three judges had Batyrgaziev winning, 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28, while two scored it for Ragan, 29-28 and 29-28.

Had Ragan gotten the nod, he would’ve been the first American Olympic champion since Andre Ward 17 years ago.

Batyrgaziev and Ragan are both 23 and in the early stages of their professional careers, to which they will now return.

Now it’s up to lightweight Keyshawn Davis and super heavyweight Richard Torrez Jr. to end the U.S. gold medal drought in the Olympics.

Davis will face Hovhannes Bachkov of Armenia in the semifinals early Friday ET. Torrez will face No. 1-seeded Bakhodir Jalolov of Uzbekistan in the gold medal match early Sunday ET. Jalolov is the reigning amateur World Champion.

[lawrence-related id=22256,22252,22239,22217]

Olympics: Duke Ragan comes up short against Russian in gold medal match

Olympics: American Duke Ragan came up just short against Russian Albert Batyrgaziev in the featherweight gold medal match in Tokyo.

Duke Ragan fell just short in his bid to become the U.S.’ first Olympic gold medal winner since 2004.

Albert Batyrgaziev of the Russian Olympic Committee defeated Ragan by a 3-2 split decision in the featherweight championship match early Thursday Eastern Time in the U.S., meaning the Cincinnati fighter had to settle for the silver medal in Tokyo.

Batyrgaziev, a lanky southpaw, used volume punching to keep Ragan on the defensive in the first two rounds, both of which the Russian won on four of five cards. The American landed some eye-catching shots but couldn’t keep pace with his opponent.

Then, fighting with more urgency, he matched Batyrgaziev punch for punch – and then some — to win the third round on four of five cards.

However, it was too late for Ragan. Three judges had Batyrgaziev winning, 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28, while two scored it for Ragan, 29-28 and 29-28.

Had Ragan gotten the nod, he would’ve been the first American Olympic champion since Andre Ward 17 years ago.

Batyrgaziev and Ragan are both 23 and in the early stages of their professional careers, to which they will now return.

Now it’s up to lightweight Keyshawn Davis and super heavyweight Richard Torrez Jr. to end the U.S. gold medal drought in the Olympics.

Davis will face Hovhannes Bachkov of Armenia in the semifinals early Friday ET. Torrez will face No. 1-seeded Bakhodir Jalolov of Uzbekistan in the gold medal match early Sunday ET. Jalolov is the reigning amateur World Champion.

[lawrence-related id=22256,22252,22239,22217]

Olympics: Richard Torrez Jr. of U.S. pounds way to gold medal match

Super heavyweight Richard Torrez Jr. of the U.S. won his semifinal match and will fight for a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics.

American super heavyweight Richard Torrez Jr. will be fighting for gold.

Torrez, seeded No. 3, dominated No. 2 Kamshybek Kunkabayev before their semifinal fight was stopped in Round 3 because of a bad cut on Kunkabayev’s nose at the Tokyo Olympics early Wednesday ET.

The more-experienced, slicker and taller Kazakhstani fighter tried to box Torrez from the outside but couldn’t dissuade the aggressive underdog, who forced his way inside and landed big shot after big shot.

A huge left hand put Kunkabayev down a split second before the bell to end Round 2, punctuating Torrez’s dominance.

Torrez won the first and second rounds, which gave him a 20-17, 20-17, 20-17, 20-17 and 19-18 lead going into the third. He could’ve cruised to victory but continued to push the action, which ended when one more left hand caused a gruesome gash near the bridge of Kunkabayev’s nose midway through the round.

Richard Torrez Jr (left) celebrates after stopping Kamshybek Kunkabayev to reach the super heavyweight gold medal match. Luis Robayo //AFP via Getty Images

The referee stopped the fight at that point, giving Torrez the victory and a chance to win a gold medal.

“That’s what we came for,” Torrez said as he left the ring after his victory.

The Tulare, Calif., fighter will face No. 1-seeded Bakhodir Jalolov of Uzbekistan in the gold medal match early Sunday ET. Jalolov is the reigning amateur World Champion.

If Torrez wins, he will be only the second American super heavyweight to win a gold medal. Tyrell Biggs was the Olympic champion in 1984, the first Games after the division was instituted.

[lawrence-related id=22252,22239,22217,22210]

Olympics: Richard Torrez Jr. of U.S. pounds way to gold medal match

Super heavyweight Richard Torrez Jr. of the U.S. won his semifinal match and will fight for a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics.

American super heavyweight Richard Torrez Jr. will be fighting for gold.

Torrez, seeded No. 3, dominated No. 2 Kamshybek Kunkabayev before their semifinal fight was stopped in Round 3 because of a bad cut on Kunkabayev’s nose at the Tokyo Olympics early Wednesday ET.

The more-experienced, slicker and taller Kazakhstani fighter tried to box Torrez from the outside but couldn’t dissuade the aggressive underdog, who forced his way inside and landed big shot after big shot.

A huge left hand put Kunkabayev down a split second before the bell to end Round 2, punctuating Torrez’s dominance.

Torrez won the first and second rounds, which gave him a 20-17, 20-17, 20-17, 20-17 and 19-18 lead going into the third. He could’ve cruised to victory but continued to push the action, which ended when one more left hand caused a gruesome gash near the bridge of Kunkabayev’s nose midway through the round.

Richard Torrez Jr (left) celebrates after stopping Kamshybek Kunkabayev to reach the super heavyweight gold medal match. Luis Robayo //AFP via Getty Images

The referee stopped the fight at that point, giving Torrez the victory and a chance to win a gold medal.

“That’s what we came for,” Torrez said as he left the ring after his victory.

The Tulare, Calif., fighter will face No. 1-seeded Bakhodir Jalolov of Uzbekistan in the gold medal match early Sunday ET. Jalolov is the reigning amateur World Champion.

If Torrez wins, he will be only the second American super heavyweight to win a gold medal. Tyrell Biggs was the Olympic champion in 1984, the first Games after the division was instituted.

[lawrence-related id=22252,22239,22217,22210]