Richard Torrez believes he has a chance against Frank Sanchez – and is using Agit Kabayel’s recipe for success as a guide.
Richard Torrez took a close look at how Agit Kabayel defeated Frank Sanchez – and now wants to use similar means. Before the IBF eliminator against the Cuban, the US American explained that constant pressure and hard body shots in particular could be the key to success.
Torrez will face Sanchez on Oleksandr Usyk’s undercard against Rico Verhoeven in Egypt on Saturday. The Cuban suffered his only defeat to date in May 2024 against Kabayel, who wore him down with consistent forward movement and heavy body shots. This is exactly where Torrez comes in. Although the Olympic silver medalist expects Sanchez to have a strong first few rounds, he believes he can increasingly take the fight to himself with his aggressive style and high intensity. Kabayel’s pressure in particular has shown what problems Sanchez can have.
However, Torrez also emphasized that he boxes differently to the German WBC interim world champion. His style is more hectic and explosive, but he still wants to incorporate similar tactical elements – especially working to the body. The winner of the eliminator is likely to move much closer to a world championship opportunity in the heavyweight division.
Text by Robin Josten