Luis Torres still has a ways to go to be considered one of the best fighters at 135 pounds.

Torres continues to win and could become a legit lightweight contender by this time next year.

In the meantime, Torres needs to take care of business as he squares off against Diego Andrade tonight at the Palenque de la Expo in Torres’ hometown of Ciudad Obregon, Mexico (UFC Fight Pass, 10 p.m. ET/ 7 p.m. PT).

At Wednesday’s weigh-in, both Torres and Andrade weighed in at 135 pounds.

A lot is on the line as the victor of tonight’s clash wins the World Cup of Boxing Series (WCBS) ‘4-Man Lightweight Tournament,’ a regional title belt, and a world ranking by the WBC. 

Torres (15-0, 9 knockouts) has not only defeated, but dominated modest opposition thus far. In his last bout on February 24, Torres dropped Rodolfo Flores Moreno twice en route to a fourth round knockout. Over two month prior to the knockout win over Flores, Torres defeated Guillermo Avila by unanimous decision.

The southpaw Torres is only 20 years old, having made his pro debut at the age of 16. He has not reached his ceiling yet and his handlers are confident Torres is going to improve his skill-set and become a legit force in the lightweight division in the next couple of years.

“I am so proud of this young man,” Guy Taylor, promoter for World Cup Boxing Series, told BoxingScene Wednesday afternoon. “With everything he’s gone through in his life and to now being one win away from entering the world rankings and one step closer to his dream of fighting for a world title.”

Andrade (14-6-2, 1 KO), who resides in Victoria de Durango, Mexico, last fought on November 19, defeating Jose Rodriguez Villareal by unanimous decision. The 28-year-old has split his six bouts, his other two victories were against once-beaten fringe contender Jorge Lara in December 2020 and unbeaten Jailer Lopez on June 5 of last year.

In the co-feature, lightweight Bryan Zamarripa (10-1, 3 KOs) of Ensenada, Mexico will face Yair Marmolejo Rojas (7-0-2, 5 KOs) of Leon, Mexico in an eight-round bout.

Amateur standout and prospect Marco Cota (6-0, 4 KOs) of Empalme, Mexico will square off against Mexicali’s Juan Ortega Resendez (4-2-1, 2 KOs) in a six-round lightweight bout. 

Francisco A. Salazar has written for BoxingScene since September 2012 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (California) Star newspaper. He can be reached by email at santio89@yahoo.com or on Twitter at FSalazarBoxing