Robert Guerrero Wants More Respect, And Pacquiao…MARKARIAN

In the interest of time Robert Guerrero agrees with the public’s opinion on Marcos Maidana, his opponent on August, 27th. Guerrero told me Maidana is a feared slugger. And in San Jose, CA Maidana is going to attempt to behead the Ghost in front of his hometown fans.

Guerrero agrees that Maidana has battled against some of the best the 140 pound division has to offer. The Ghost says that the Argentinean got knocked down and stood tall against Victor Ortiz and Amir Khan but they did not want to fight him again, Guerrero does. In an in-depth interview, Guerrero broke down the upcoming fight and his thoughts on where he stands at 140.

“Marcos Maidana is a huge puncher,” Guerrero said. “Victor Ortiz did not want to rematch him. Amir Khan did not want to give him a rematch. The fight with Erik Morales was a slugfest. A lot of people duck Maidana. But it was my choice to fight him. I picked Marcos Maidana because he is one of the hardest hitting guys in boxing. I want to give the fans the best fights because I want to be the best. That is why we went with Marcos Maidana.”

Ray Markarian: How is it going to feel to have your biggest fight take place in your hometown?

Guerrero: I am excited. I have wanted to bring a big championship level fight to San Jose for a long time.

RM: Maidana is considered one of the most feared guys in boxing. And you are moving up in weight to fight him without a tune up. Why?

RG: A lot of people are tripping out because I just moved up to 135 and now I am going to 140. People ask why I do not want to test the waters or take a tune up but, I want to jump in head first even if the water is shallow. That is what kind of guy I am. Hopefully the fans could appreciate that.
RM: I was looking at the odds for this fight. Most have you favored to win but many fight fans favor Maidana. Do you feel like you are not getting enough credit?

RG: Well for one Ray, he is a huge puncher. He had Amir Khan out on his feet. If you look at the Amir Khan fight, I honestly feel that if it wasn’t for Joe Cortez breaking them up every second that they got close to each other, he would have knocked Amir Khan out. Maidana comes to fight. He puts on  pressure. He has been down with body shots and gets up. He has been knocked down and came back to knock his opponent out. He has that game changing power. You got the odds favoring me because I am a boxer. I have a lot of talent, power, and boxing skills. It makes for a great matchup. A lot of boxing fans are excited about this fight because it is going to be one of those ones that people are going to remember for a long time.

RM: Are you coming in guns blazing? Are you ready to go for the knockout?

RG: I am ready to give the fans a great fight. In reality we are entertainers. We are supposed to come to fight. The fans who watch us expect to see action. I am going to give it my all and fight the best that I could fight.”

RM: Both of you are at the top of your game,  what sets you apart?

RG: Preparation. I did it the right way. They put me through the ringer in my professional career. I fought the fights that I needed to get here. My experiences helped to make me into a five time world champion.

RM: So you are a five time world champion in four different weight classes, right?

RG: Yes sir.  

RM: And you have moved up four weight classes since 2008 and beaten everyone that you have faced. Is it frustrating when you do not see your name on many of the top ten pound for pound lists?

RG: It does get to me. But at the end of the day you have to keep on trucking. Every great champion has his day to get recognized. I just have to keep doing what I do. That is why I take fights like Marcos Maidana or Michael Katsidis. I am looking for the best fights out there. I am one of those throwback fighters who fight the best to be the best. I am not going to hide, duck, and run from everybody.

RM: The fight is three weeks away. How do you feel?

RG: I feel excited. I get excited for every fight. But when you are dealing with someone that you know is coming to fight it makes you step up your game. Right now everything is about visualizing.

RM: What do you visualize?

RG: I am just visualizing the fight and going over my game plan, just zeroing in on being 100% prepared for when I go in the ring. Seeing my punches connect and throwing combinations. I am visualizing a war. I can’t wait to get in there, so the fight just goes through my mind.

RM: Amir Khan has called out your name as a possible opponent at the end of the year. Do you have any thoughts on that?

RG: Well actually, Amir Khan called me out before the Zab Judah fight. I was willing to take that fight. I was excited about it. Khan said, ‘I would rather fight Guerrero than Zab Judah. Zab Judah is already old and past his prime and he is a runner. Guerrero comes to fight. I would rather fight him.’ Then he ends up signing the contract to fight Zab Judah. I will let that speak for itself.

RM: Say you do win this fight. What do you think is going to happen next with your career?

RG: Who knows man? After the Katsidis fight, we have been having trouble getting fights. Khan called me out but that did not happen. We were talking about Morales but that didn’t happen. There are so many fights out there. I was the mandatory to fight Marquez but that didn’t happen. Then he decided to fight I don’t know who. There has been a lot of ducking and running. Hopefully this opens up some big doors and the fans put some pressure on these so called champions to make these big fights. Because that is what lacks in boxing; champions try to pick and choose their fights and not pick the fights that people want to see.

RM: Do you think that the best fighters are afraid of you?

RG: I think a lot of fighters take a big gamble and a big risk fighting me. It is the way it is. And that just adds fuel to my fire. If I keep doing what I do then the fans and the media are going to back these guys into a corner. Pretty soon they are going to be forced to fight me. You have seen it over the years, history does repeat itself Ray. When everybody wants to see a fight it is going to happen.

RM: There has been a boxing renaissance in the Bay area with the presence of Nonito Donaire, Andre Ward, and yourself. Do you use their success as motivation?

RG: We have been close since we were in the amateurs. We always tried to motivate each other and pump each other up. As you could see, Andre Ward is tearing it up. Nonito Donaire is just destroying people. And I am out there trying to fight the best. It really helps all of our games to build off of each other’s success because we want to show that there are great fighters in the Bay area.

RM: I don’t want to take anything away from the Maidana fight because I think fight will be exciting. But is there anyone that you would like to fight after a potential victory over Maidana?

RG: Everyone knows that fight, Manny Pacquiao. He is pound for pound the best fighter in boxing. I know Pacquiao does not run or duck from anybody. Like I said, I am one of those throwback fighters. I want to be the best. And if you want to be the best you have to beat the best.

RM: When I talk to you it sounds like I am speaking with a guy that just started boxing. You seem to have so much passion for the fight game. Why do you think that the fire is still strong inside of you?

RG: I love the sport so much. I grew up in a family of fighters. My grandfather was a fighter, my father, my uncles, and brothers were fighters. It is just a family tradition. To keep boxing alive you have to love it. That is what lacks in boxing, the champions that do not want to fight the fights that they should be fighting. And it turns a lot of fans off. I loved boxing when I was a kid because you would see the best fighting the best. And that is the way it should be.

Follow Robert Guerrero on Twitter @Ghostboxing
Follow Ray Markarian on Twitter @Ray Markarian