Tulare native Richard Torrez Jr. made his Olympic debut at Kokugikan Arena in Tokyo squaring up against Algerian super heavyweight fighter Chouaib Bouloudinats.
Bouloudinats weathered a considerable physical toll exacted by the Central Valley native Torrez Jr. Despite persevering through tough hits, the writing of the fight seemed to be on the wall when the Algerian hit the canvas in the first round and never rebounded.
Torrez Jr. won each of the three rounds in his first Olympic bout unanimously by the judges, with two judges scoring the first and third round of the fight 10-8 in favor of the Tularean.
With the victory, Torrez Jr. advances to a Sunday quarterfinal showdown against Cuban super heavyweight fighter Dainier Pero. The bout is scheduled for 3 a.m. Pacific.
Torrez Jr. squared off against Pero once previously, in the 2019 Pan American Games in Peru. Pero managed to escape the fight with a 3-2 split decision victory over the Valley native.
Torrez Jr. earned a bronze medal at those games.
