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Robert 'The Ghost' Guerrero
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All in all, 2005 has been pretty decent to fight fans. We have seen some big match ups like Erik Morales vs. Manny Pacquiao, Winky Wright vs. Felix Trinidad, Bernard Hopkins vs. Jermain Taylor, and two fights between Jose Luis Castillo and Diego Corrales. Young and exciting champions like Jeff ‘Left Hook’ Lacy and Zab ‘Super’ Judah had a big year and gave us the promise of even bigger showdowns in the next year. The heavyweights took their lumps and bruises as always but we did see Wladimir Klitschko revive his career just a bit, Hasim Rahman become champion yet again, and there are enough characters in the heavyweight class to make things interesting.
There were highs and lows for many parties involved, but one fighter who is still looking to make an exclamation point before the year is over is Robert ‘The Ghost’ Guerrero, who defends his NABF Featherweight title against Gamaliel Diaz on ShoBox: The Next Generation December 2nd. Guerrero is a longtime friend of Bragging Rights Corner and after going 3-0 with 3 knockouts so far in 2005, he is looking to close the show in grand fashion. We caught up with Robert to get his thoughts on his big fight coming up, what the past year has meant to his life, his love of the sport, and much more…
Fighting on Showtime December 2nd…
‘I’m excited for every fight. It’s going to be in Lemoore. It’s only 2 ½ hours from home and every comes out from their hometown in Northern California, which is basically where I grew up, and I get a lot of support out there. It gets pretty live.
Sizing up Gamaliel Diaz…
‘He’s just a rough, tough guy that comes to fight. He really likes to put on a lot of pressure and a lot of weight on his front foot. He brings it pretty hard and he’s always ready to fight.
Working on a game plan…
‘I watch tape on a guy to see what he has and I go from there. I adjust to his style and pick up some flaws that he has. I just look to break him down and really see what gives him trouble and work a game plan off of that.
Everything flowing...
‘I’m training out here in Los Angeles at Northridge. Training is going great. It couldn’t be going any better. I’ve been working hard and I'm in great shape. I'm getting great sparring, the works. Everything's been flowing so good right now and this is the best camp I’ve had in my whole career.
The sparring factor…
‘To me Sparring is a real big key in a fighter’s career and in training. It's like baseball, you can go to the batting cage and hit a ball all day long but it’s not the same as preparing for the curveballs that someone is going to be throwing at you. When you have a live fighter in front of you it makes you think and it gets your timing going. You have to really keep your eye on things and it’s not like the same thing over and over. You have to change up your timing for the guy in front of you and you have to adjust to him. When you’re in the ring with someone who can do a lot of different things it can really help you and make you learn more about what you’re doing.
The long road ahead…
‘I got a long ways to go, a long ways to go. I’m really maturing a lot as a fighter but there is still a long road ahead. Being out here in camp I am learning more and more every time I come out. That’ one of the great things about my trainer John Bray, is that he always has something new to show me every time and there is always something to learn. I never get bored of doing the same stuff over and over again. I got through different drills and he is really brining me along the right way and because of that I am really growing as a fighter.
Getting closer and closer…
‘2005 has been the biggest year of my life. I have learned so much in the ring and out of the ring. I got married, I have an eight month old daughter and it really changed my life, watching my daughter be born. It really brought me down to focus even more on boxing. It really helped me dedicate myself to be the best fighter I could be. It helps a lot and 2005 has just been a huge year for me. I’m ranked #2 in the world, going into this fight on Showtime and I’m getting closer and closer to fighting for the world title.
Falling in love…
‘I love boxing. Boxing is one of the greatest sports out there. To accomplish things in one of the most brutal sports out there. To truly be a world champion in boxing is one of the greatest accomplishments in sport. It’s what I grew up doing, my father and brothers were fighters, and I just fell in love with it.
Staying focused…
‘Right now I’m just focused on Diaz. After that then I will get in touch with Shelly Finkel. He’s always working and works just as hard as anyone in the business. The plan we have after this fight is to get ready for a world title fight. None of that can happen unless I win my next fight though, which is why my mind is focused on Diaz.
The Fans…
‘The fans are a big part of my career, maybe the biggest part of my career. I mean, without people watching, who cares? They play a big role in every fighter’s career, I don’t care who it is. They are boxing."
BRC wishes to thank Mario Serrano, one of the hardest working publicists in the business, for having made this interview possible. God bless, Mario, and thank you.
*This Article is Sponsored by http://www.healthycoco.com/
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© Copyright / All Rights reserved: Doghouse Boxing 1998-2005
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By Chris Robinson (November 23, 2005)
