Brick City Boxing

By: Christopher Roche

Long ago, someone coined the phrase: “Numbers don’t lie”. Aaron Torres, of The Contender 2 fame, proves that saying is not worth the air it takes to utter.

A cursory glance at Torres’ numbers produces an average story. His record is 14-4 (6), not bad. He is 28 years old, stands at 5’7” and fights at 147lbs, again, not bad. He classifies himself as a pure boxer with good defense, and he is another Philadelphia fighter, again, not out of the ordinary.

However, when one looks beyond the numbers, the story shifts one hundred eighty degrees, and Torres’ list of accomplishments and extraordinary talents pile up like shoes in my wife’s closet. Torres’ measurables do not tell the story of a man who started fighting when he was twelve years old and rose to the #2 ranking in the nation as an amateur. Along the way Torres garnered the 1998 National Golden Gloves Championship and the Bronze medal at the 1999 Pan-Am games. Torres was quick to point out that his loss in the Pan-Am games, which relegated him to the Bronze, came in Canada at the hands of the Canadian Champion. Again, there is more to the story than meets the eye.

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The raw numbers do not mention Torres’ ability to reduce women to tears with his poetry, poetry about heartbreak and angst. The measurables do not mention his career as a Law Firm Clerk, which he gave up so he could risk it all and pursue his calling on The Contender 2. The numbers do not mention Torres is a man who lives clean, works hard and yearns for a chance to prove that he belongs among boxing’s elite.

Upon speaking with Torres for this article, I realized very quickly this fighter is extraordinary as both a pugilist and a man. Torres has a lightning-quick mind, and he is articulate and passionate about his career.

“Last year was my break out year with The Contender (2),” said Torres, who fights out of the ABC Recreation Center in Philadelphia. “This year I am trying to get some wins. I am looking for opponents. I have nothing set yet, but I have a lot of possibilities.”

Torres knows the boxing business is a tricky one, and it is a roller coaster ride. His description of The Contender 2 sounded more like the NFL Scouting Combines, as the Contender Staff put him through countless interviews, psychological tests, mountains of paperwork, a rigorous training schedule that meant making weight every single day as well as various other primping and needling. While Torres is grateful for his role on The Contender 2, he is quick to note there is a lot more to the show than just the fights.

Judging by his experience, there is a lot more to the sport of professional boxing than just the fights as well. For example, three of Torres’ losses came under extremely strange circumstances. Torres lost his second professional bout, via a four round unanimous decision to Jose Reyes. Torres fought that bout at 129 lbs.; a weight that Torres said was way to low for him. Torres said he told his trainer he could not make the weight, but he was told it would be an easy fight. Reyes of course is no slouch, and Torres pointed out that Reyes was one of the highest ranked amateurs in Puerto Rico. Reyes also went on to a very respectable professional career. Since he was on the edge of emaciation, Torres was sluggish in the fight, and he came up on the short-end of a unanimous decision.

After reeling off thirteen straight victories, Torres’ suffered a defeat in April of 2004, and his career went on hold for a little while, until The Contender 2 came calling. His next bout was a controversial decision on The Contender 2. Torres came up on the south end of a split decision to Gary Balletto. The loss to Balletto was followed up with yet another heartbreaking decision to Freddy Curiel. Torres agreed to the fight with Curiel just four days before the bout, and he had to jet across the country from Philadelphia to Los Angeles. Despite arriving just one day before the fight, Torres put on a great performance. A questionable holding foul cost Torres a penalty point, and he lost the fight by that exact margin. To the neutral observer, that might look a little fishy. To Torres, his fans, noted boxing analysts as well as the punch stat numbers, it looked like he was robbed. Nevertheless, Torres remained introspective about those defeats, but the Curiel loss still tugged at him.

Torres emphatically stated, “I kicked Freddy Curiel’s (butt). Ask Teddy Atlas! If you land more punches at a higher connect percentage, then you should win the fight, right?”

Despite the setbacks to Balletto and Curiel, Torres remains confident.

“I would love a rematch with Balletto or Curiel this year,” said Torres, who is trained by Fred Jenkins. “But I doubt either of them would take it.”

Torres is looking to fight often this year, but he has nothing set right now. He wants to fight at least four times, and of course, he wants to pile up some wins.

Torres explained, “This year is my year to keep my name out there and continue to win. I am fresh and ready to roll. I am shooting for four wins. I have not been in any wars…I am very young, and I have no marks on me at all…I am far from a journeyman, and I am looking for opponents.”

In order to take the next step, Torres said he is working on his stamina and longevity in the ring. He runs four miles before hitting the gym, and he has added weight training to his regime. He said that he keeps his diet simple and healthy, and he lives a clean life.

Torres is determined to seize the moment this year and make something happen. He is a man who feels boxing is his calling, and he speaks with conviction and confidence about his future. Torres is looking to put the anguish behind him, and his poetry is even moving from heartbreak to boxing as its main theme. While the sport needs great literature, boxing literature aficionados will have to wait because Torres has some unfinished business in the ring, and boxing fans around the country will be watching to see if he will accomplish his lofty goals.