Hammer Fisted Torres Blows out Vazquez.

In Hato Rey, Puerto Rico, Colombian tourist Ricardo Torres put on an impressive display to keep his number one WBO light welterweight ranking by battering hometown fighter Edwin Vazquez before referee Jose Rivera halted the action in the third. Vasquez, 20-9-2 (8), had started off strongly, trying to gain the respect of bomb-handed Torres, 28-0 (26), and having a measure of success by taking the first round. The thirty-three-year-old Puerto Rican couldn’t keep it up against the younger Torres however, as the unbeaten man patiently let his power shots gradually weaken his outgunned adversary. By the third round, Torres has managed to close the distance and Vasquez was gamely trying to stay alive by winging shots despite being out on his feet. As the third came to a close, the quicker, more lethal Colombian was banging shot after shot off the head of his reeling quarry, forcing the contest to be stopped less than thirty seconds from the end of the round.

Torres is the mandatory challenger to WBO champion Miguel Cotto but it’s open to debate as to whether or not the Puerto Rican hero will be able to stay at light welterweight after his upcoming defense against ex-WBC titlist Gianluca Branco. Cotto, who like IBF champion Ricky Hatton reportedly weighs as much as 156-pounds or more when they enter the ring, has had difficulty making the 140-pound limit in his last few bouts and has been rumored to be moving to welterweight in the near future.

Should Cotto move up, Torres would have an excellent chance to win the vacant the crown. In addition to being a concussive puncher, the South American banger applies educated pressure with good hand-speed and intelligent punch selection. While he effectively solved the challenge presented by Edwin Vazquez, Torres may have a more difficult time against his main WBO competition including Naoufel Ben Rabah, Junior Witter and Mike Arnaoutis.

Contact Curtis McCormick at thomaspointrd@aol.com