California State Athletic Commission and California Attorney
General’s office that the two-time world boxing champion from
Gilroy won all counts of his arbitration hearing against Goossen
Tutor Promotions
GILROY
A Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero sighting is forthcoming.
It was announced Tuesday morning by the California State Athletic Commission and California Attorney General’s office that the two-time world boxing champion from Gilroy won all counts of his arbitration hearing against Goossen Tutor Promotions and is now a free agent to find a new promotional company. His next fight is expected to take place within the next three months.
Guerrero (22-1-1, 15 KOs) has been out of the ring since knocking out Jason Litzau in the eighth round of his IBF Featherweight title defense on February 29. Guerrero, 25, made a move to the 130-pound Junior Lightweight division following the fight but has remained inactive due to a contractual dispute with Goossen Tutor.
“At the beginning of the year, I made some noise but it died from there and didn’t get to do anything the rest of the year,” Guerrero said. “I’m hungrier than ever. I’m excited to get back in the ring.”
Dan Goossen, President of Goossen Tutor, was contending that Guerrero had another fight remaining on his contract, while Team Guerrero believed the contract expired in April.
Bob Santos, Guerrero’s co-manager with Shelly Finkel, declined to go into specifics on the points of contention, but said the grueling series of hearings spread over 10 months showed the character of his fighter, who chose to sit out rather than taking another fight with Goossen when he felt his contract had run its course.
“This is a testament to Robert Guerrero. At a time when his wife was dealing with leukemia, a time when he was on the biggest hot streak of his career, he took a big chance,” Santos said, adding that the legal bills became “astronomical.”
“I think the people of Gilroy should be really thrilled to know in today’s world of sports of ‘me, me, me,’ he put his wife first. He put his principles before money.”
Guerrero’s wife, Casey, was diagnosed with leukemia in October of 2007. Her cancer is now remission after being receiving chemotherapy treatment over the last year.
“The layoff was a blessing in that aspect,” Guerrero said. “I was able to spend time with her and make sure things were tied up. I was able to focus on making sure she was healthy.”
With his wife now in excellent health, Guerrero is focusing on winning a third title. He said he has continued training throughout the layoff and would be ready to go with just a few weeks notice.
Santos believes his fighter is finally in line for a shot at some of boxing’s biggest names.
“He’s a free agent now and it’s going to put him in the position to fight the (Juan Manual) Marquez’s and the (Manny) Pacquiao’s,” he said.
Guerrero said he would love nothing more than to fight Pacquiao, who defeated Oscar De La Hoya on Dec. 6.
“Oh yeah, Pacquiao, I think I’ll take him out in five,” Guerrero said.
The 10-month layoff was tough to deal with, but Guerrero said the most important thing now is just getting back in the ring.
“Making the move to 130 and not being able to do anything about it, it’s frustrating, but all that’s done with now and it’s time to make the fight and get busy,” he said.
Santos believes the arbitration ruling is the next step in making Guerrero a household name.
“This kid has done unprecedented things if you think about boxing in the Bay Area,” he said. “The Bay Area has never had a two time-champion, never had a fight with HBO. He could bring [HBO] for the first-time ever to San Jose.”
Team Guerrero expects to announce a new promotional contract later this week, with Top Rank, Don King and Golden Boy – run by De La Hoya- being the most likely candidates.
