A number of 2020 U.S. Olympians had their chance to shine Saturday night in New York City, with Richard Torrez Jr. and Duke Ragan earning wins on the Vasiliy Lomachenko-Jamaine Ortiz undercard at The Theater at Madison Square Garden.

The main ESPN+ broadcast began with reigning super heavyweight silver medalist Richard Torrez Jr. (4-0, 4 KOs) keeping his knockout streak alive, stopping the overwhelmed Ahmed Hefny (13-3, 5 KOs) at 2:32 of the third round. The 23-year-old southpaw Torrez, of Tulare, Calif., dropped Hefny in each round, forcing him on the defensive from the opening bell. The referee took a point from Hefny for holding in the third round, but the stoppage moments later made that point a moot one.

The fight was the first time that Torrez had to fight past the second round as a professional. Hefny, 38, from Alexandria, Egypt, by way of Brooklyn, N.Y., had never previously been stopped.

Read “Richard Torres Uses Beauty to Sharpen the Beast”

Earlier on the card, Duke Ragan (8-0, 1 KO) won a close unanimous decision over Puerto Rican fighter Luis Lebron (18-5-1, 11 KOs) by scores of 79-73, 78-74 and 77-75. Ragan, the 2020 featherweight silver medalist, has now gone the distance in each fight since scoring a stoppage in his pro debut.

Luis Lebron (left) absorbs a punch from Duke Ragan during their featherweight fight. (Photo by Mikey Williams/Top Rank Inc via Getty Images)

Middleweight Troy Isley (8-0, 4 KOs) of Alexandria, Va., went the distance in his first eight-round bout, outfighting Quincy LaVallais (14-4-1, 9 KOs) to a unanimous decision. The scores were 80-72 on two cards and 79-73 on the third, all for the 24-year-old Isley. Isley used lateral movement in close to land body shots and uppercuts from angles against the tough-but-outgunned Louisiana resident, who has never been stopped and went the distance with Xander Zayas in his previous biggest fight.

Junior welterweight Delante Johnson (6-0, 4 KOs) used his jab and combination punching to outbox Esteban Garcia (15-2, 7 KOs) to a shutout decision win. All three judges scored the bout 60-54 in favor of the 24-year-old Johnson from Cleveland who made it to the quarterfinals of the Tokyo Olympics.

Earlier results

Lightweight prospect Abdullah Mason (5-0, 4 KOs) impressed in his New York debut, dropping the previously unbeaten Angel Barrera (4-1, 0 KOs) with straight left hands to finish him off 21 seconds into the third of a scheduled six-rounder. Mason, a southpaw from Cleveland, won the 2020 USA Youth National Championships before turning professional a year ago.

Haven Brady Jr. (8-0, 4 KOs) earned a unanimous decision win in a junior lightweight bout, defeating Eric Mondragon (7-1-1, 4 KOs) by unanimous decision, winning by scores of 79-73 on two cards and 78-74 on the third.

Nico Ali Walsh (7-0, 5 KOs) defeated Billy Wagner (5-3, 1 KO) by unanimous decision, with two scorecards reading 58-56 and the third reading 59-55.

Ryan Songalia has written for ESPN, the New York Daily News, Rappler and The Guardian, and is part of the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism Class of 2020. He can be reached at [email protected].

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