Richard Torrez Jr. extends his knockout streak and stops Brandon Moore

Richard Torrez Jr.’s left-handed punches are repetitive and damaging at their best – and his heavyweight opponent Brandon Moore could do nothing to stop that power as it was fully unleashed Saturday night at Pechanga Arena from San Diego.

Seconds after the 2020 Olympic silver medalist put Moore back with a crushing blow in the fifth round, Torrez knocked him down with another shot.

Referee Tom Taylor let Moore recover his lost mouthpiece during another barrage, but it was only a brief reprieve. A final attack from Torrez prompted Moore’s corner to throw in the towel.

Torrez, 10-0 (10 KOs), recorded his final knockout a minute and 39 seconds into the fifth, leaving Moore, 14-1 (8 KOs), with his first loss. The fight was part of a premier card featuring Mexican three-division titleholder Emanuel Navarrete’s pursuit of the vacant WBO lightweight belt against Ukraine’s Denys Berinchyk.

Also on the undercard:

Top Rank gave hometown premier lightweight Jonny Mansour, 1-0 (0 KO) of nearby La Mesa, a four-round slot, and he showed quick hands and the ability to slip punches whilst being light on its toes. Mansour posted a three-score unanimous decision victory of 40-36 over Anel Dudo, 3-6 (1 KO).

Emiliano Fernando Vargas, 10-0 (8 KOs), son of Oxnard legend Fernando Vargas, defeated Angel Varela, 10-3 (7 KOs), with both hands throughout their fight, winning a technical knockout in the sixth round when referee Ray Corona ended the punishment at 1:01 of the sixth and final round.

Top Rank’s enthusiasm for 140-pound prospect Alan “Kid Kansas” Garcia continued to intensify with his performance on Saturday, as he improved to 13-0 (10 KO) with a clean sweep – 80-72 on all three scorecards – against Wilfredo Flores. , 10-3-1 (5 KOs).

Junior lightweight Jonathan Lopez improved to 15-0 (11 KOs) with his eighth-round TKO of Edgar Ortega, 14-3-2 (7 KOs). The stoppage time was 2:39. Lopez, who is fighting on the card thanks to the options available to Top Rank, is not yet signed by the company, but another convincing triumph on Saturday improved his chances of joining Garcia in Bob Arum’s stable.

To open the card, welterweight Art Barrera Jr., 5-0 (4 KOs), was forced to go the distance for the first time, still en route to victory over Levy Garcia Benitez, 3-2-1 ( 2 KO), by three unanimous decision scores of 40-35.