Guerrero knocks out Litzau in eighth round, retains IBF
Featherweight title
Lemoore, Calif.
There are no Ghostbusters in Robert Guerrero’s world, as Jason Litzau found out in their fight Friday night.
Litzau, known as “The American Boy,” entered the ring to the jovial theme song from the movie Ghostbusters, with the catchline asking, “Who you gonna call?”
But two minutes and 25 seconds into the eighth round of fisticuffs at the Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino, it was Litzau who was in need of a wakeup call.
Guerrero, known as “The Ghost” for his ability to pop opponents before vanishing into thin air when punches return his way, knocked the Minnesota-based boxer down twice in the eighth round of their IBF Featherweight title fight, with the second flooring leaving Litzau unable to get to his feet.
It was the fourteenth knockout in the last 15 victories for Guerrero (22-1-1,15 KOs), who said he retained his title by executing his gameplan to perfection. Implementing that gameplan, however, came after the two fighters stood toe-to-toe and exchanged vicious blows in the middle rounds.
“The beginning of the fight I threw a lot of power shots,” Guerrero said. “I connected a lot, but nothing hard. When I went back to the corner my dad told me to relax. We worked on little uppercuts because he puts his head down a lot. As soon as he did that his defense was no good.”
Taking the advice of his father and trainer, Ruben, Guerrero used two successive left uppercuts to knock Litzau down the first time, and a left uppercut followed by a right cross to end the fight less than a minute later.
The timing of the stoppage came as a surprise to Litzau (23-2, 19 KOs), who felt he was gaining momentum in the middle of the fight.
“I was strong, I was ready to roll,” Litzau said. “He was getting tired.”
But after giving Guerrero his best shots, Litzau knew winning would be difficult.
“I was like holy [expletive], this guy can take a shot,” he said.
Guerrero disputed the thought that he was vulnerable at any time in the fight, despite looking winded after he and Litzau both unleashed a torrent of shots to the head and body in rounds five and six.
“He hit me with a few little jabs, that’s how I got this mouse right here ,” Guerrero said, pointing to a bag below his right eye. “No, he didn’t hurt me at all. I respected his power because he can punch. When you get careless, you get caught.”
A pro-Ghost crowd chanted “Robert” before and during the fight, with one fan taking precedence over all others. Guerrero’s wife, Casey, had not attended one of her husband’s bouts in over a year after being diagnosed with leukemia in late October of 2007. Her cancer in now in remission and she was able to join her husband in the ring after the fight.
Asked if she had given any last words to the champ before the fight, Guerrero said nothing needed to be said.
“She just gives me so much inspiration, watching her fight against cancer,” he said. “She doesn’t have to say anything.”
One thing that may haunt Litzau for some time was an admission that he didn’t know what to expect from The Ghost.
“I didn’t watch one minute of film of him,” Litzau said.
Still, the challenger was more than game and made no excuses for the defeat.
“He got me, man. He’s good. He’s the real deal,” Litzau said.
The victory puts Guerrero in prime position for a payday in his next bout, something his camp thinks will come by way of unifying featherweight titles, or facing Israel Vasquez, who won an incredible and somewhat controversial split-decision over Rafael Marquez in their third-career matchup Saturday.
“Right now we’re looking for unification,” Guerrero said.
Candidates for unification would be Steven Luevano (34-1, 15 KOs), the WBO and NABO featherweight champ, or WBC featherweight champ Jorge Linares (25-0, 16 KOs).
Guerrero will most likely take a few months off between bouts, as his left hand was quite swollen after removing gloves.
Until then, the champ said he has only one plan.
“I go home, play with the kids and be with my wife,” he said.
