LAS VEGAS – Bob Arum realizes Richard Torrez’s docile demeanor doesn’t scream future heavyweight champion of the world.

The 2021 Olympic silver medalist’s curly brown hair and mustache make him look like Ross from that episode of “Friends” when Rachel’s date showed up late and he was going to save the day by taking her to the prom. Torrez isn’t the biggest heavyweight, either, at 6-foot-2 and approximately 235 pounds.

The Tulare, California native is 12-0 and has knocked out 11 of his opponents in three years as a pro. Arum’s company, Top Rank Inc., has matched the 25-year-old prospect deliberately, though, since Torrez made his pro debut in March 2022.

Combined, it all makes contemporaries and pundits wonder whether Torrez has what it takes for the powerful southpaw to truly become a contender. Torrez’s 93-year-old promoter believes we will get our answer Saturday night, when Torrez is scheduled to battle Italy’s Guido Vianello in a 10-round main event ESPN+ will stream from Palms Casino Resort’s Pearl Theater.

“People tend to discount Richard Torrez because he’s such a happy-go-lucky kid,” Arum told The Ring. “And somehow, he doesn’t come across as this fearsome fighter. But he does have a lot of talent. Guido will see what he’s made of. That’s a really good fight.”

The 6-foot-6, 245-pound Vianello (13-2-1, 11 KOs) stopped huge Russian Arslanbek Makhmudov (19-2, 18 KOs) in the eighth round of his most recent fight, August 17 at Videotron Centre in Quebec City, Canada. The 2016 Olympian lost a 10-round split decision to Nigeria’s Efe Ajagba (20-1, 14 KOs) in his previous fight almost a year ago at American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, Texas.

“A lot of people thought he beat Efe when he fought him,” Arum recalled. “That was a very close fight.”

Torrez must nullify significant height and reach disadvantages against Vianello, whose only other loss was caused by a deep, grotesque gash over his left eye that prompted a ringside physician to stop his fight with Jonnie Rice (then 15-6-1) in the seventh round in January 2021 at Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York. Arum isn’t concerned with Torrez’s smallish stature in a division within which huge guys like Tyson Fury, Daniel Dubois, Anthony Joshua and Zhilei Zhang have held titles in recent years.

“Yeah, but so was Jerry Quarry,” Arum said when asked about Torrez’s size. “Smaller is not necessarily bad if you utilize your balance and your ability to take on bigger guys. And he’s been doing it throughout his career.”

The 6-foot Quarry, who died from CTE in January 1999, weighed somewhere between 193 and 207 pounds for his most memorable fights. “The Bellflower Bomber” fought Floyd Patterson twice, Jimmy Ellis, Buster Mathis, Joe Frazier twice, Muhammad Ali twice, Ron Lyle, Earnie Shavers and Ken Norton from June 1967 until March 1975.

Torrez-Vianello undercard coverage is scheduled to start on ESPN+ at 5:30 p.m. ET (2:30 p.m. PT) on Saturday. Mexican junior welterweight contender Lindolfo Delgado (22-0, 16 KOs) and Dominican southpaw Elvis Rodriguez (17-1-1, 13 KOs) are set to meet in Top Rank’s 10-round co-feature, which is scheduled to begin at approximately 10 p.m. ET (7 p.m. PT).