Fresh from a victorious bout at the Shark Tank last Friday night, Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero is well on his way to capturing a third world championship.
Following his eighth round technical knock out against veteran boxer Efren Hinojosa, it was announced that Guerrero’s next fight will be for a IBF belt on Aug. 22 on HBO from Houston. His new opponent is IBF 130-pound titleholder Malcolm Klassen of South African (24-4-2, 15 KOs), who won the title last April.
Guerrero’s manager Shelly Finkel said that they had been eyeing unbeaten WBO junior lightweight champion Roman Martinez for Guerrero’s next bout, but that Martinez’s demands were “ridiculous.”
“It was up in the air until a day or so ago,” said Finkel, who officially informed the Guerrero party of the title fight right after his win. “As long as he won he was going to get it. I’m just glad that he was able to get some tough rounds in, he’s been out so long.”
Finkel made no bones about being pleased that Guerrero (25-1-1, 17 KOs) got some good time in the ring last Friday. His last showing at the HP Pavilion in March was ruled a no contest in the second round, after an accidental head butt caused a large cut on Guerrero’s right eyebrow.
At the June 12 fight, Hinojosa dislocated his elbow and was unable to continue eighth rounds in. By that time though, the 37-year-old fighter’s white trunks were turned pink with blood, his nose and lips swollen from repeated assaults by Guerrero’s fists.
Guerrero was pleased he finally got to show tenacity in the ring.
“It felt good to get the rounds. I think I haven’t had that many rounds in two, three years,” says Guerrero, who himself sustained a small cut alongside his left eye in the seventh round.
“When I got the cut, I felt it right away, it gets real hot. On the inside, I smiled with relief, like ‘hey, this is my time to shine’…I went back to the corner with a smile, I sat there and I laughed.”
After the fight, Finkel joked that in his twenty years of managing boxers, Guerrero was the first fighter he’s ever seen that was glad to get cut.
Post a new comment
Post a comment
