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Robert Guerrero REALLY Wants To Fight Mayweather
Robert Guerrero REALLY Wants To Fight Mayweather – Last week, fight fans heard the good news when Floyd Mayweather announced his intent to return to the ring on May 5th in the MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada. But many didn’t expect The Ghost to come calling. Lightweight champion Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero wants to move up two weight classes to challenge undefeated pound for pound king Floyd Mayweather on Cinco De Mayo. The southpaw says a bout between the two crafty boxers would be great for the sport.
With news of the super fight between Mayweather and Pacquiao being in jeopardy, Guerrero has pulled no punches in his quest to get Money May in the ring. Multiple press releases and appearances on sports shows are a few of the ways Guerrero expresses his viewpoint. Robert sat with me to discuss the potential Mayweather fight and why the “so called best fighters” (as he says) are afraid to fight him.
The Ghost says he will be ready in February if necessary and Floyd will be up to the task. “He is a champion,” Guerrero said of Floyd Mayweather. “I think this fight will be made. Everything makes sense.”
Don’t miss everything else Robert Guerrero has to say about Floyd Mayweather.
Ray Markarian: Hey Robert how’s everything?
Robert Guerrero: What’s up Ray? How are you doing man?
RM: I’m good. How’s that shoulder injury treating you man?
Robert Guerrero: Oh, it’s great. There is no injury anymore. I am ready to go.
RM: I have seen you call out a lot of fighters in the past. But not many fighters have gone to the lengths you have to call out Floyd Mayweather. Everyone wants to fight him. But you are doing it differently. There are press releases talking about the potential fight, predictions from boxing experts, and you have gone on talk shows to call him out. What makes this fight any different from the other challenges you have made?
RG: You know Floyd is the ultimate challenge. He is the best fighter in boxing right now hands down. And I am like those throwback fighters man, I want to fight the best. Every time I call out the best like Marquez, Pacquiao, or Khan, none of them want to fight. We are approaching this challenge like ‘hey, let’s make it happen. I know he set that date. Cinco-de-Mayo. I am Mexican-American right here. Let’s do it.
RM: Floyd also talked about fighting in February. Would you be ready for a fight with Floyd if it took place in February?
RG: Yeah, that is the around the time frame I would be ready to go. But May 5th, it is even more icing on the cake. More time to get ready. More time to train and prepare for a fight.
RM: I am sure you saw Floyd fight Victor Ortiz and other south-paws in the past like Judah. Floyd had some trouble with Judah early in the fight. And you could even argue that he had a bit of trouble with Victor Ortiz. Stylistically, how different would a fight with you and Floyd be than his fights with Judah or Ortiz?
RG: Well for one, Zab Judah is a one-two puncher. You can’t be that way with Floyd Mayweather. Same with Victor Ortiz, he is a one-two puncher. They only threw one or two shots at a time. I am 5’9. I have a great jab. I throw a lot of punches. I have good power on both sides. And I have great feet. I could box on the inside or outside. I could do it all in the ring.
RM: No doubt. I have seen you fight. And you do a lot of great things in the ring. But the nature of this interview is for me to play devil’s advocate. What makes you think that you could be a fighter that has never been beat before?
RG: I have a lot of faith in my ability. I believe I could beat anybody in the world. If you go into the ring without confidence, it haunts you. A guy like Floyd Mayweather, who is intelligent in the ring, takes advantage of weaknesses like that. I am that type of guy that is here to fight. I am here to take care of business. Nobody intimidates me. I ain’t scare of anybody. I go in the ring to win the fight. I don’t go in there just to fight.
RM: Do you think some of Floyd’s recent opponents just went in the ring to survive?
RG: You have to have a killer instinct. You have seen me fight. I go in with a killer instinct. Some people doubt themselves. Floyd has the utmost confidence in himself. That is why he is so dominant. That is why he hasn’t lost a fight. I am 100% confident in myself.
RM: You have to go in 100% confident right?
RG: Yeah, you have to be. The one thing I love is doubters. When I am the underdog I step up. I am a playmaker. When it is time to make that play, I am there. I will hit that home run.
RM: Do you think that Floyd is hearing these call outs?
RG: Oh yeah, it has been all over the media. I know he sees it. It’s all there to make the fight with Golden Boy. I am a five-time world champion in three different weight classes. You know, I have gone overseas to win world titles Floyd hasn’t. And I defended the titles many times. What more can I do? I am Mexican-American; he wants to fight on Cinco De Mayo. I could talk Spanish and English. It is all there. There is no reason that fight shouldn’t be made.
RM: You have never fought at welterweight. Would you accept any terms Floyd would offer for a potential fight?
RG: I carry the weight well. I go up weight classes and get better. Shane Mosley went from 135 to 147 to fight De la Hoya and beat him twice. Marquez just did it against Pacquiao. It’s been done before.
RM: What did you think of the Pacquiao/Marquez fight last weekend?
RG: I had Marquez winning eight rounds to four. He had good range, good distance. I think he outsmarted Pacquiao.
RM: I think you have a lot of options outside of a Mayweather fight around 140 and 147 pounds. If the Mayweather bout does not materialize, would you accept a fight with Marquez, Pacquiao, Bradley, or Khan? Or is Floyd the only fight you want?
RG: Mayweather is the guy I want. Like I said, I want to fight the best. Khan called me out before. I signed the contract to fight him. Then he disappeared. I am tired of talking about him. Bradley is with Top Rank. I’d love to fight him. You’re right. There are a number of fights out there. I have been the number one contender to fight Marquez for the last three years. But that fight didn’t happen. There’s a reason why I haven’t got that fight with Bradley, Marquez, Pacquiao, Khan, or Mayweather. None of them want to fight. That is the problem I’m having. I am a 5’9 lefty with quick hands and feet that could fight on the inside and outside. You know, I know they call me The Ghost but nobody has to be spooked.
RM: So, you want to fight the best. And Floyd is the man with the guts to take you on. Is that how it boils down?
RG: He says he takes on all challengers. Everything is there to make that big fight. I could sell a big fight. The last fight I was supposed to have with Maidana was a sellout. It is all there for us to make a big fight with me and Floyd Mayweather.
RM: What’s your prediction for that fight, maybe a knockout?
RG: With me and Floyd?
RM: Yeah.
RG: Who knows? I believe in myself. I believe I could knock him out. Anything could happen in boxing. If you believe in yourself and have faith, anything could happen.
RM: Do you expect Floyd to accept your challenge? Or do you think he is not really paying attention?
RG: I know he is paying attention. Floyd Mayweather would not be pound for pound best fighter in the world, if he wasn’t paying attention. Even when he retired he was paying attention. I am expecting him to take on the challenge.
RM: Do you have a message for Floyd Mayweather?
RG: Yeah, the only way this fight will not be made is if he doesn’t want it.
RM: OK.
RG: I could tell by the way you are talking that you sound pumped already. You want to see this!
RM: Of course man. I think it will be a great fight.
RG: Hey, like I said. I have the utmost confidence that I could win this fight. I believe in myself. And I know he believes in himself. I don’t need anybody to tell me ‘You could do it.’ Because I know in my heart I could beat this guy.
RM: Thanks Robert. I hope you have a great holiday season.
RG: I just want to tell all the fight fans that read your page to follow me @GhostBoxing for all the latest news on this FloydMayweather fight.
RM: You got it.
RG: Alright Ray. Thanks. Have a great Thanksgiving. God bless you.
RM: Thanks Robert, same to you.
Follow @RayMarkarian
Robert Guerrero REALLY Wants To Fight Mayweather / Check out more boxing news on video at The Boxing Channel.
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Usyk Outpoints Fury and Itauma has the “Wow Factor” in Riyadh
Usyk Outpoints Fury and Itauma has the “Wow Factor” in Riyadh
Oleksandr Usyk left no doubt that he is the best heavyweight of his generation and one of the greatest boxers of all time with a unanimous decision over Tyson Fury tonight at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. But although the Ukrainian won eight rounds on all three scorecards, this was no runaway. To pirate a line from one of the DAZN talking heads, Fury had his moments in every round but Usyk had more moments.
The early rounds were fought at a faster pace than the first meeting back in May. At the mid-point, the fight was even. The next three rounds – the next five to some observers – were all Usyk who threw more punches and landed the cleaner shots.
Fury won the final round in the eyes of this reporter scoring at home, but by then he needed a knockout to pull the match out of the fire.
The last round was an outstanding climax to an entertaining chess match during which both fighters took turns being the pursuer and the pursued.
An Olympic gold medalist and a unified world champion at cruiserweight and heavyweight, the amazing Usyk improved his ledger to 23-0 (14). His next fight, more than likely, will come against the winner of the Feb. 22 match in Ridayh between Daniel Dubois and Joseph Parker which will share the bill with the rematch between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol.
Fury (34-2-1) may fight Anthony Joshua next. Regardless, no one wants a piece of Moses Itauma right now although the kid is only 19 years old.
Moses Itauma
Raised in London by a Nigerian father and a Slovakian mother, Itauma turned heads once again with another “wow” performance. None of his last seven opponents lasted beyond the second round.
His opponent tonight, 34-year-old Australian Demsey McKean, lasted less than two minutes. Itauma, a southpaw with blazing fast hands, had the Aussie on the deck twice during the 117-second skirmish. The first knockdown was the result of a cuffing punch that landed high on the head; the second knockdown was produced by an overhand left. McKean went down hard as his chief cornerman bounded on to the ring apron to halt the massacre.
Itauma (12-0, 10 KOs after going 20-0 as an amateur) is the real deal. It was the second straight loss for McKean (22-2) who lasted into the 10th round against Filip Hrgovic in his last start.
Bohachuk-Davis
In a fight billed as the co-main although it preceded Itauma-McKean, Serhii Bohachuk, an LA-based Ukrainian, stopped Ishmael Davis whose corner pulled him out after six frames.
Both fighters were coming off a loss in fights that were close on the scorecards, Bohachuk falling to Vergil Ortiz Jr in a Las Vegas barnburner and Davis losing to Josh Kelly.
Davis, who took the fight on short notice, subbing for Ismail Madrimov, declined to 13-2. He landed a few good shots but was on the canvas in the second round, compliments of a short left hook, and the relentless Bohachuk (25-2, 24 KOs) eventually wore him down.
Fisher-Allen
In a messy, 10-round bar brawl masquerading as a boxing match, Johnny Fisher, the Romford Bull, won a split decision over British countryman David Allen. Two judges favored Fisher by 95-94 tallies with the dissenter favoring Allen 96-93. When the scores were announced, there was a chorus of boos and those watching at home were outraged.
Allen was a step up in class for Fisher. The Doncaster man had a decent record (23-5-2 heading in) and had been routinely matched tough (his former opponents included Dillian Whyte, Luis “King Kong” Ortiz and three former Olympians). But Allen was fairly considered no more than a journeyman and Fisher (12-0 with 11 KOs, eight in the opening round) was a huge favorite.
In round five, Allen had Fisher on the canvas twice although only one was ruled a true knockdown. From that point, he landed the harder shots and, at the final bell, he fell to canvas shedding tears of joy, convinced that he had won.
He did not win, but he exposed Johnny Fisher as a fighter too slow to compete with elite heavyweights, a British version of the ponderous Russian-Canadian campaigner Arslanbek Makhmudov.
Other Bouts of Note
In a spirited 10-round featherweight match, Scotland’s Lee McGregor, a former European bantamweight champion and stablemate of former unified 140-pound title-holder Josh Taylor, advanced to 15-1-1 (11) with a unanimous decision over Isaac Lowe (25-3-3). The judges had it 96-92 and 97-91 twice.
A cousin and regular houseguest of Tyson Fury, Lowe fought most of the fight with cuts around both eyes and was twice deducted a point for losing his gumshield.
In a fight between super featherweights that could have gone either way, Liverpool southpaw Peter McGrail improved to 11-1 (6) with a 10-round unanimous decision over late sub Rhys Edwards. The judges had it 96-95 and 96-94 twice.
McGrail, a Tokyo Olympian and 2018 Commonwealth Games gold medalist, fought from the third round on with a cut above his right eye, the result of an accidental clash of heads. It was the first loss for Edwards (16-1), a 24-year-old Welshman who has another fight booked in three weeks.
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Fury-Usyk Reignited: Can the Gypsy King Avenge his Lone Defeat?
Fury-Usyk Reignited: Can the Gypsy King Avenge his Lone Defeat?
In professional boxing, the heavyweight division, going back to the days of John L. Sullivan, is the straw that stirs the drink. By this measure, the fight on May 18 of this year at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, was the biggest prizefight in decades. The winner would emerge as the first undisputed heavyweight champion since 1999 when Lennox Lewis out-pointed Evander Holyfield in their second meeting.
The match did not disappoint. It had several twists and turns.
Usyk did well in the early rounds, but the Gypsy King rattled Usyk with a harsh right hand in the fifth stanza and won rounds five through seven on all three cards. In the ninth, the match turned sharply in favor of the Ukrainian. Fury was saved by the bell after taking a barrage of unanswered punches, the last of which dictated a standing 8-count from referee Mark Nelson. But Fury weathered the storm and with his amazing powers of recuperation had a shade the best of it in the final stanza.
The decision was split: 115-112 and 114-113 for Usyk who became a unified champion in a second weight class; 114-113 for Fury.
That brings us to tomorrow (Saturday, Dec. 21) where Usyk and Fury will renew acquaintances in the same ring where they had their May 18 showdown.
The first fight was a near “pick-‘em” affair with Fury closing a very short favorite at most of the major bookmaking establishments. The Gypsy King would have been a somewhat higher favorite if not for the fact that he was coming off a poor showing against MMA star Francis Ngannou and had a worrisome propensity for getting cut. (A cut above Fury’s right eye in sparring pushed back the fight from its original Feb. 11 date.)
Tomorrow’s sequel, bearing the tagline “Reignited,” finds Usyk a consensus 7/5 favorite although those odds could shorten by post time. (There was no discernible activity after today’s weigh-in where Fury, fully clothed, topped the scales at 281, an increase of 19 pounds over their first meeting.)
Given the politics of boxing, anything “undisputed” is fragile. In June, Usyk abandoned his IBF belt and the organization anointed Daniel Dubois their heavyweight champion based upon Dubois’s eighth-round stoppage of Filip Hrgovic in a bout billed for the IBF interim title. The malodorous WBA, a festering boil on the backside of boxing, now recognizes 43-year-old Kubrat Pulev as its “regular” heavyweight champion.
Another difference between tomorrow’s fight card and the first installment is that the May 18 affair had a much stronger undercard. Two strong pairings were the rematch between cruiserweights Jai Opetaia and Maris Briedis (Opetaia UD 12) and the heavyweight contest between unbeatens Agit Kabayal and Frank Sanchez (Kabayel KO 7).
Tomorrow’s semi-wind-up between Serhii Bohachuk and Ismail Madrimov lost luster when Madrimov came down with bronchitis and had to withdraw. The featherweight contest between Peter McGrail and Dennis McCann fell out when McCann’s VADA test returned an adverse finding. Bohachuk and McGrail remain on the card but against late-sub opponents in matches that are less intriguing.
The focal points of tomorrow’s undercard are the bouts involving undefeated British heavyweights Moses Itauma (10-0, 8 KOs) and Johnny Fisher (12-0, 11 KOs). Both are heavy favorites over their respective opponents but bear watching because they represent the next generation of heavyweight standouts. Fury and Usyk are getting long in the tooth. The Gypsy King is 36; Usyk turns 38 next month.
Bob Arum once said that nobody purchases a pay-per-view for the undercard and, years from now, no one will remember which sanctioning bodies had their fingers in the pie. So, Fury-Usyk II remains a very big deal, although a wee bit less compelling than their first go-around.
Will Tyson Fury avenge his lone defeat? Turki Alalshikh, the Chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority and the unofficial czar of “major league” boxing, certainly hopes so. His Excellency has made known that he stands poised to manufacture a rubber match if Tyson prevails.
We could have already figured this out, but Alalshikh violated one of the protocols of boxing when he came flat out and said so. He effectively made Tyson Fury the “A-side,” no small potatoes considering that the most relevant variable on the checklist when handicapping a fight is, “Who does the promoter need?”
The Uzyk-Fury II fight card will air on DAZN with a suggested list price of $39.99 for U.S. fight fans. The main event is expected to start about 5:45 pm ET / 2:45 pm PT.
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Unheralded Bruno Surace went to Tijuana and Forged the TSS 2024 Upset of the Year
Unheralded Bruno Surace went to Tijuana and Forged the TSS 2024 Upset of the Year
The Dec. 14 fight at Tijuana between Jaime Munguia and Bruno Surace was conceived as a stay-busy fight for Munguia. The scuttlebutt was that Munguia’s promoters, Zanfer and Top Rank, wanted him to have another fight under his belt before thrusting him against Christian Mbilli in a WBC eliminator with the prize for the winner (in theory) a date with Canelo Alvarez.
Munguia came to the fore in May of 2018 at Verona, New York, when he demolished former U.S. Olympian Sadam Ali, conqueror of Miguel Cotto. That earned him the WBO super welterweight title which he successfully defended five times.
Munguia kept winning as he moved up in weight to middleweight and then super middleweight and brought a 43-0 (34) record into his Cinco de Mayo 2024 match with Canelo.
Jaime went the distance with Alvarez and had a few good moments while losing a unanimous decision. He rebounded with a 10th-round stoppage of Canada’s previously undefeated Erik Bazinyan.
There was little reason to think that Munguia would overlook Surace as the Mexican would be fighting in his hometown for the first time since February of 2022 and would want to send the home folks home happy. Moreover, even if Munguia had an off-night, there was no reason to think that the obscure Surace could capitalize. A Frenchman who had never fought outside France, Surace brought a 25-0-2 record and a 22-fight winning streak, but he had only four knockouts to his credit and only eight of his wins had come against opponents with winning records.
It appeared that Munguia would close the show early when he sent the Frenchman to the canvas in the second round with a big left hook. From that point on, Surace fought mostly off his back foot, throwing punches in spurts, whereas the busier Munguia concentrated on chopping him down with body punches. But Surace absorbed those punches well and at the midway point of the fight, behind on the cards but nonplussed, it now looked as if the bout would go the full 10 rounds with Munguia winning a lopsided decision.
Then lightning struck. Out of the blue, Surace connected with an overhand right to the jaw. Munguia went down flat on his back. He rose a fraction-of-a second before the count reached “10,”, but stumbled as he pulled himself upright. His eyes were glazed and referee Juan Jose Ramirez, a local man, waived it off. There was no protest coming from Munguia or his cornermen. The official time was 2:36 of round six.
At major bookmaking establishments, Jaime Munguia was as high as a 35/1 favorite. No world title was at stake, yet this was an upset for the ages.
Photo credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank
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