Peter Latorre has made a habit of defeating opponents — both in uniform and under the bright lights of the boxing ring.
The 28-year-old Marine veteran from Elmont has quickly become a destructive force at welterweight, racing to a 6-0 professional record while fighting on prominent stages including New Jersey’s Prudential Center and the Theater at Madison Square Garden.
“All of which came by knockout,” Latorre, a 5-foot-10, 147-pound welterweight, told The Post.
For Latorre, boxing offers a familiar kind of pressure. “Combat sports emulate the feeling of the military, of being in a heightened state, of being scared, and having to make critical thinking actions while you’re scared,” he said.
Now ranked among the top 30 fighters in the United States and inside the top 100 worldwide, the Long Island prospect has drawn praise from women’s featherweight world champion Amanda Serrano — but his goals extend well beyond protecting an unbeaten record.
Taking the objective
Latorre, who comes from a long family line of military service, is also pursuing a master’s degree at Hofstra in rehabilitation counseling and licensed mental health counseling.
His plan is to build a career helping veterans who are struggling, even as he continues chasing a championship in the ring.
“I’ve seen PTSD, substance abuse. My father is a recovering addict. I saw what war does to family,” Latorre said. “So to be able to sit across from another veteran that went through something similar, I think I’d be able to assist them.”
Latorre endured his own share of hardships while in the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, stationed around the Gulf of Aden and other waterways near Somalia and Yemen, where he boarded vessels.
“Some casualties — there was a helicopter crash,” he recalled.
Latorre is called “Voodoo” — and fittingly enters the ring to Jimi Hendrix’s “Voodoo Child” — from a nickname given to his grandfather, Luis, by comrades and Army infantrymen in Vietnam.
The tough-knuckled Luis received a Bronze Star, Purple Heart — and the inescapable funky nickname — after surviving a Viet Cong ambush that wiped out 85 percent of his platoon.
He died in 2009 from Agent Orange exposure during the war.
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“People ask me, ‘How do you punch so hard?’ I just say it’s a gift from God — and that’s what my grandpa had too,” Latorre said. “I think it’s just in the blood.”
Presenting arms
A boxing coach saw the raw skill Latorre had about nine years ago while he was home after his first deployment, sparring with a cousin.
It planted the seed in Latorre’s mind that getting in the ring was a must after being discharged.
“The last two years of my military service, all I did was think about boxing,” he said.
He started with 26 amateur bouts from 2020 to 2024 before going pro, which all came at a cost.
“I had to get shoulder surgery, hand surgery, breast surgery — but yeah, I got a lot of good experience,” Latorre said.
Now the combatant is vying for a truncated four to six fights before the end of 2026.
“That’ll really set me up for 2027, where I can make a move,” he said of getting closer to a title bout.
Latorre keeps planning to train hard and assist fellow vets in the process — specifically by helping them obtain disability compensation to aid their recoveries.
“I myself go to therapy because it would be hypocritical for me to be a therapist and not go to therapy — but helping veterans is therapeutic on its own,” he said.
“That right there is the biggest win,” added Latorre, who wants to use his growing platform to help similar causes.
In the ring, Latorre plans on fighting again as early as next month.
The real dream is to make his hometown proud and become the first champion fighter from Elmont.
He said the perfect place for a big match would be at UBS Arena someday, for locals to root on one of their own.
“I would literally bawl my eyes out,” said Latorre. “That’s the one for me — I can’t even put into words how much it would mean to me.”
