Peter Latorre is thrashing all enemies, international and home.
The 28-year-old Marine veteran from Elmont is a weapon of mass destruction within the boxing ring — and he’s off to a sizzling begin at 6-0 with victories at main venues like New Jersey’s Prudential Middle and Madison Sq. Backyard’s theater.
“All of which got here by knockout,” Latorre, a 5-foot-10, 147-pound welterweight instructed The Submit.
“Fight sports activities emulate the sensation of the navy, of being in a heightened state, of being scared, and having to make crucial considering actions whilst you’re scared.”
The Lengthy Island contender — he’s ranked prime 30 in the US and prime 100 worldwide — has earned the admiration of ladies’s featherweight world champion Amanda Serrano whereas on a mission past simply bolstering the win column.
Taking the target
Latorre comes from a protracted lineage of troopers and is incomes his grasp’s diploma in rehabilitation counseling and licensed psychological well being counseling at Hofstra.
He plans on working with struggling veterans as a day job whereas pursuing a battle title.
“I’ve seen PTSD, substance abuse. My father is a recovering addict. I noticed what struggle does to household,” he mentioned. “So to have the ability to sit throughout from one other veteran that went by way of one thing comparable, I feel I’d be capable to help them.”
Latorre endured his personal share of hardships whereas within the twenty fourth Marine Expeditionary Unit, stationed across the Gulf of Aden and different waterways close to Somalia and Yemen, the place he boarded vessels.
“Some casualties — there was a helicopter crash,” he recalled.
Latorre is named “Voodoo” — and fittingly enters the ring to Jimi Hendrix’s “Voodoo Youngster” — from a nickname given to his grandfather, Luis, by comrades and Military soldiers in Vietnam.
The tough-knuckled Luis acquired a Bronze Star, Purple Coronary heart — and the inescapable funky nickname — after surviving a Viet Cong ambush that worn out 85 % of his platoon.
He died in 2009 from Agent Orange publicity throughout the struggle.
“Folks ask me, ‘How do you punch so laborious?’ I simply say it’s a present from God — and that’s what my grandpa had too,” Latorre mentioned. “I feel it’s simply within the blood.”
Presenting arms
A boxing coach noticed the uncooked talent Latorre had about 9 years in the past whereas he was dwelling after his first deployment, sparring with a cousin.
It planted the seed in Latorre’s thoughts that getting within the ring was a should after being discharged.
“The final two years of my navy service, all I did was take into consideration boxing,” he mentioned.
He began with 26 beginner bouts from 2020 to 2024 earlier than going professional, which all got here at a value.
“I needed to get shoulder surgical procedure, hand surgical procedure, breast surgical procedure — however yeah, I acquired a number of good expertise,” Latorre mentioned.
Now the combatant is vying for a truncated 4 to 6 fights earlier than the top of 2026.
“That’ll actually set me up for 2027, the place I could make a transfer,” he mentioned of getting nearer to a title bout.
Latorre retains planning to coach laborious and help fellow vets within the course of — particularly by serving to them receive incapacity compensation to assist their recoveries.
“I actually go to remedy as a result of it might be hypocritical for me to be a therapist and never go to remedy — however serving to veterans is therapeutic by itself,” he mentioned.
“That proper there may be the largest win,” added Latorre, who desires to make use of his rising platform to assist comparable causes.
Within the ring, Latorre plans on preventing once more as early as subsequent month.
The actual dream is to make his hometown proud and develop into the primary champion fighter from Elmont.
He mentioned the right place for an enormous match can be at UBS Enviornment sometime, for locals to root on one in every of their very own.
“I’d actually bawl my eyes out,” mentioned Latorre. “That’s the one for me — I can’t even put into phrases how a lot it might imply to me.”
