Richard Torrez

Torrez graduated from Palo Verde Elementary School in his native Tulare, California, in 2013. He competed on the chess team for Mission Oak High School,^[2] where he graduated as valedictorian in 2017.^[3][4] Torrez and his friends in the school's robotics club were nearly suspended for trying to develop more efficient rocket fuel.^[5] "At high school, I think what surprised me most is I liked hanging out with the nerds more than I liked hanging out with the athletes," he said.^[6] Citing how Vasyl Lomachenko learned dance to improve his boxing footwork,^[7] Torrez began studying ballet at the College of the Sequoias.^[8] He fell in love with it, and eventually played the part of Gaston in a production of Beauty and the Beast, an experience he found more terrifying than the Olympics.^[9]

He won a bronze medal at the 2019 Pan American Games in Super Heavyweight and placed 5th at the 2019 AIBA World Boxing Championships in the same weight class.^[10][11] He won a silver medal at the 2020 Olympics, losing to professional boxer Bakhodir Jalolov in the final.^[12][13]

Torrez Jr. represents the third generation of a boxing family from San Joaquin Valley, California. His great-grandfather, Juan Torrez, emigrated from Fresnillo, Mexico in 1920. His grandfather Manuel Torrez, was a southwest (USA) Golden Gloves champion and his father and coach Richard Torrez Sr. reached the quarterfinals in the U.S. Trials for the 1984 Olympics.^[24][25][26]

In his spare time, Torrez Jr. enjoys building rockets with his friends from high school.^[27]