Las Vegas-Give Robert Guerrero credit. He’s not living in
denial.
He made some mistakes and he paid the price, losing his
International Boxing Federation featherweight title belt.
Las Vegas-Give Robert Guerrero credit. He’s not living in denial.
He made some mistakes and he paid the price, losing his International Boxing Federation featherweight title belt.
He didn’t moan about the decision. He didn’t accuse Orlando Salido of dirty tactics. He didn’t blame his corner for bad advice.
Guerrero took the blame. He was the one who agreed to take a dangerous fight on short notice, although one can assume co-managers Shelly Finkel and Bob Santos advised him to do so. He was the one who had to go from one tough camp into another. He regretted the decision after the fight.
“Rest is just as important as getting into shape,” Guerrero said. “I needed to take a little more time off rather than fighting two tough fights back to back. The camps are pretty brutal. It’s like boot camp for one month.”
There’s another factor that will eventually cause Guerrero to change. At his height (5-10), it’s difficult to fight at 126 pounds. If you cut weight in the last 24 hours, as Guerrero did, it’s going to weaken you.
That’s especially so for a fighter at such a light weight. Think about it. If a 5-10 light heavyweight or super middleweight has to cut 3 or 4 pounds, it’s not that big a deal. When someone as lanky as Guerrero does it, the energy level significantly decreases. After all, that’s 3 percent of his weight.
That’s the state Guerrero was in when he entered the ring against Salido, a more compact 5-6 who carried 126 pounds easily and well.
“If I had the proper rest, it would have been a whole different type of fight,” Guerrero said. “I got fatigued pretty quickly during the fight. You need the right rest, to take care of your body. When I did box him and was able to use my footwork, he was not able to get in.”
Those occurrences decreased as the fight wore on. But this may not be the last Guerrero sees of Salido. Fernando Beltran, Salido’s promoter, said they are amenable to a rematch
“Absolutely,” Beltran said. “I think Guerrero deserves a rematch. He’s a great warrior. He has a tremendous heart. We have great respect for him.”
That’s good news for Guerrero, who welcomes the chance to try and repeat the success he had against Gamaliel Diaz after the first fought he lost.
“Most definitely,” Guerrero said of a potential rematch. “That’s the first thing that went through my mind, ‘We’ve got to get a rematch.’ I know what I can do in the ring.”
One thing is certain – Salido will be a difficult fight even a second time. Only Guerrero promises the next time he will be more ready.
“I’ve been down before,” Guerrero said. “I’m still young. I’ll get back up. This is not the end of ‘the Ghost.’ I’ll come back strong.”
