Raymundo "Battling" Torres (17 February 1941 – 11 November 1972) was a

Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

junior lightweight Super featherweight, also known as junior lightweight, is a weight division in professional boxing, contested between and . The super featherweight division was established by the New York Walker Law in 1920, although first founded by the New ...

who fought from 1957 to 1967. Torres was a puncher, but proved to have difficulty taking punches himself. Thus, he was knocked out in many of his more important bouts, including his two attempts to capture a world title. He was known as El Nino Asesino Torres was born in Cerritos,

San Luis Potosí San Luis Potosí, officially the Free and Sovereign State of San Luis Potosí, is one of the 32 states which compose the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 59 municipalities and is named after its capital city, San Luis Potosí. It ...

, but was also known as the "Reynosa Rattlesnake" because he was raised in the bordertown of

Reynosa, Tamaulipas Reynosa () is a border city in the northern part of the state of Tamaulipas, in Mexico which also holds the municipal seat of Reynosa Municipality. The city is located on the southern bank of the Rio Grande in the international Reynosa–McAlle ...

. He first challenged for the world junior welterweight title when he faced champion Carlos Ortiz in February 1960. Ortiz prevailed in the hard fought contest when he scored a knock out in the tenth round. Prior to that loss, Torres had been undefeated in 31 contests. Torres' next crack at the title came when he challenged for the vacated WBA light welterweight crown in 1963. Although favored to win, he was knocked out in the first round by Roberto Cruz of the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

. Cruz lost the title a mere three months later when he was defeated by

Eddie Perkins Eddie Perkins (March 3, 1937 – May 10, 2012) was an American light welterweight boxer. He compiled an amateur boxing record of 26–10. Professional career Born in Clarksdale, Mississippi, Perkins turned professional in 1956. He was manag ...

and never contended for the title again. Torres retired with a record of 56 wins (46 by KO) and 9 losses. He was selected for the

Ring Magazine ''The Ring'' (often called ''The Ring'' magazine or ''Ring'' magazine) is an American boxing magazine that was first published in 1922 as a boxing and wrestling magazine. As the sporting legitimacy of professional wrestling came more into questio ...

's list of 100 greatest punchers of all time.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Torres, Raymundo 1941 births 1972 deaths Boxers from San Luis Potosí Super-featherweight boxers Light-welterweight boxers Mexican male boxers 20th-century Mexican sportsmen