Richard Torrez Jr opens up on leaving father-trainer for Terence Crawford’s coach ahead of biggest fight of career

Richard Torrez Jr’s next fight against Frank Sanchez will be full of firsts.

It will be the first time he competes in a world title eliminator, the first time he boxes in the shadows of the Pyramids of Giza, and the first time as a professional that he won’t have his father in his corner.

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Instead, this weekend, Torrez Jr will be led into battle by the man responsible for Terence Crawford‘s meteoric rise, Brian ‘BoMac’ McIntyre.

“He’s actually my trainer now, [we linked up] late last year,” Torrez Jr told talkSPORT.com.

“He’s going to be in my corner [for the Sanchez fight].

“It’s incredible being able to see Crawford every now and then.

“Also, a lot of my old training partners are with BoMac, like Jamar Talley, and Jared Anderson was training with me as well.

“It’s been some great work, and I’m really thankful for it.

“We started training together in December, early January, to see if it fitted, and everything was going pretty well.”

Asked how this will affect his dad, Richard Torrez Sr’s role, Torrez Jr expanded: “My dad is taking more of a father role now and just being ringside, cheering me on, while BoMac becomes my main guy.

“But with that being said, my dad did teach me everything I know, and I’ve even heard from BoMac that I have all the tools necessary to be successful.

“We just have to know when to implement them.

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“So, I’m always thankful for everything my dad has given me, and moving forward. I’m just excited for the future.”

Torrez Jr vs Sanchez postponed

Torrez Jr was initially supposed to box Sanchez on March 28 on the Sebastian Fundora vs Keith Thurman bill.

However, the fight was postponed after Sanchez sustained an injury to his problematic right knee.

It proved to be a blessing in disguise for Torrez Jr, who not only got more time to work with ‘BoMac’ but also got the chance to showcase his skills on a bigger stage.

“On my arm, right here, I have it written ‘This too shall pass’, ” said Torrez Jr as he pointed to a tattoo on his forearm while discussing the rescheduling of his fight to the Oleksandr Usyk vs Rico Verhoeven undercard on May 23.

“It’s one of the quotes I’m trying to live by, and it came to fruition this time.

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“I was upset and a little discouraged that my eight-week camp had been shoved away, and then a week later, I found out I had the opportunity to fight in front of the pyramids.

“I’ve had a very long and extensive camp. I’ve been in camp since January, and it could be for the benefit now because this is one of the biggest cards I have ever been on, and I’m taking it in my stride.”

If Torrez Jr can beat Sanchez in Egypt, he will become the mandatory challenger for the IBF heavyweight title, currently held by Saturday’s headliner, Usyk.

While the idea of testing himself against one of the best fighters of this generation no doubt excites the young, hungry American, his eyes are firmly set on Sanchez.

“I’m thinking about fighting Frank Sanchez, this is the guy I want to fight,” added Torrez Jr.

“After this fight, then we can talk about everything else, but right now, this is all that matters.

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“The one thing I learned in the amateurs is that you can never look past your opponent because you never know who you are going to get…

“This is the opportunity to cement my name as a heavyweight contender and a top 10 guy, so this is all I care about right now.

“But after this, if I get to fight Usyk, that would be so cool.

“I have played as him in a video game. He’s lit, he’s a legend. If I get to fight a legend, I would love that.

“I’ve got the point finally, where every guy I fight is going to be a heavy hitter, and that is something I’m excited about because when I fought these guys when I was first starting, and no one knew who they were, it was almost scary to me.

“If you lost to that guy, everything was all a hype job; now, at least I’m fighting guys that I feel like I should be sharing the ring with.”

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