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Robert 'The Ghost' Guerrero
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When speaking to or watching any fighters, certain characteristics will almost always stand out. Some fighters love the spotlight and love the art of trash talking. Some fighters fit the bill as being cocky and exude confidence with nothing more than a grin. A lot of fighters can also be quiet, letting their actions loose with the sound of the bell for round one. No matter who the fighter, something usually stands out.
When speaking with young featherweight Robert 'The Ghost' Guerrero I sensed a man who was down to earth in his quest to become a world champion. I spoke to the California native briefly, bouncing around topics such as family, traveling, gym work, and future goals. Here are some of the topics that we discussed.
On how he became involved in boxing...
“It’s a family sport. My grandfather boxed. My uncles boxed. My brother too. Even one of my aunts boxed.”
On working with legendary cutman Chuck Bodak in his corner...
“He's great. He has a great sense of humor. He’s just hilarious to be around. A very cool guy. Very down to earth”
On working with his father, who serves as his head trainer...
“It’s going real good. I grew up with my dad all the time. Being with him every day. I was with him in the gym everyday. We have a real strong relationship and I respect him a lot.”
On Diego Corrales' recent victory over Acelino Freitas...
“I was in shock. Not because of what Corrales did, but the outcome…[Freitas] just quitting in the middle of the fight. To me Freitas didn’t seem hurt at all. I was shocked at how he quit. If I’m going to go out, I’m going to go out on my back.”
On sparring with Diego Corrales...
“It’s a good experience, he’s one of the hardest hitters in the sport. You have to be on your toes. He has that power and if he catches you he’s going to put you out. He would give me advice everyday. You know I’m a young fighter and he’s a veteran. He just gave me a lot of tips. He pointed out what I was doing wrong in the ring. He’s a great guy to train with. A lot of guys won’t point out the mistakes you do, but he did and I am very thankful for that.”
On training at the Wildcard Gym…
“Oh man. If you ever want some work, you go there. You’ll never go short on sparring there. A lot of champions train there.”
On future Hall of Famer and current heavyweight contender James 'Lights Out' Toney...
“James Toney is a character. He is something else. When you see him sparring, sometimes he does more talking than sparring. He’s a great fighter. He can be so brutal and do so much damage. He knows how to get into fighter’s heads.”
On Madison Square Garden, a place he hopes to someday fight in...
“It’s one of the places where all the great champions fought before. And I want to be one of those great champions to fight there.”
On future goals and dreams in the sport of boxing...
“Winning a title or defending a title in my hometown, in the (San Francisco) Bay area. Because that’s where I’m at, the Bay area.”
On the recently announced Morales-Barrera III showdown...
“It's going to be a good one. To me it all depends on how Barrera was making his weight at 126, I could see him being a lot stronger at 130.”
On the suggestion that Barrera was struggling to make weight at 126 lbs before the Pacquiao fight...
“Yes, That’s my opinion. He just looked exhausted in there. You only get exhausted if you were dieted down too much or if you were over trained.. By the 5th or 6th round he looked exhausted.”
On the Trinidad-Mayorga fight, which takes place October 2nd...
“That’s going to be a great fight. I see it as a pick 'em fight. That one is hard to call because they both can punch. One punch can change the whole outlook of that fight”
On Bernard Hopkins vs Oscar de la Hoya...
“To me it depends on how De la Hoya comes in shape. When De la Hoya is on his toes boxing he can pepper you all night and you won’t touch him. I think De la Hoya has a great chance, partly because of his sledge hammer jab. He can pick and poke you from every place in that ring. He has great boxing skills. All I’ll say is, if De la Hoya doesn’t get caught, he’s going to do real good. Hopkins is a big guy and this is a big step up for De La Hoya.”
On all the traveling that comes along with being a professional fighter...
“To do something like that, it makes me very excited. I get excited to go somewhere else and fight. Boxing is what I love to do, and to do it in front of new people who I have never seen before, and big crowds really excites me. It makes me want to fight twice in one night. The Miami crowds are great. They get real rowdy, hyped up and loud. I love it.”
On his fellow fighters...
“I respect any fighter that gets in the ring because it takes a lot of courage just to step in the ring. As a fighter myself, I know how it feels to be in that ring. I respect any guy that steps in the ring, because when you get in there with those little gloves and no headgear, it's no joke. For someone to get in there and put their life on the line, I respect any fighter who can do that”
On his future opposition…
“I’m out to fight the best. The best in the weight class, that’s how I feel about it.”
On making weight at 126 lbs…
“I make featherweight easy and I’ll be here for a while.”
On his hobbies outside of boxing...
“I like to come to my brother’s shop. He has a custom shop and he builds cars. I like to come and help him out here and there. He builds custom Hot Rods and Harleys. I love Harleys and big bikes, I love the work that people do to them. When you see some of these cars, it’s a work of art.”
A final shout out from Guerrero...
“I want to give big props to my boy out here in the bay area, Andre Ward who just won a gold medal. I’m looking forward to seeing him in the pros and he’s going to do a good job. And for him to bring back a gold medal, I just want to say congratulations to him.”
The featherweight division is loaded with talent with the likes of Manny Pacquiao, Morales, Barrera, and several others roaming around. How far Robert Guerrero goes remains to be seen but he is an easy guy to root for and he appears to have a great team behind him. I wish him all the best and don't be surprised if Guerrero is making serious noise in the boxing world come early 2005. He's one to look out for...
Our special thanks to Guerrero's publicist Mario Serrano for making this interview possible...
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© Copyright / All Rights reserved: Doghouse Boxing 1998-2004
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Interview by Chris Robinson (September 1, 2004)
