Edel Ruiz unlikely to offer Robert Guerrero much of a challenge
in tune-up fight
GILROY
If records and reputations are any indication of what’s to come eight days from now, dispatching Edel Ruiz should be a breeze for Gilroy native Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero.
After winning an arbitration case with his former promoter, Goossen Tutor, and inking a new deal with Golden Boy Promotions all in the last month, Guerrero was added on Tuesday to the Jan. 24 card, headlined by Antonio Margarito defending his WBA welterweight title against Shane Mosley. The bouts will take place at Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Guerrero (22-1-1, 15 KOs) has one more victory than his opponent has defeats, and Ruiz (31-21-4, 22 KOs) has lost seven of his last 10 fights. Making matters worse for the 31-year-old underdog haling from Sinaloa, Mexico, Ruiz’s two most recent wins came against fighters with a combined 1-15 record.
Despite all the evidence that Guerrero, 25, should be able to easily outclass his first opponent in nearly 11 months, the two-time IBF featherweight champ said he isn’t about to overlook Ruiz.
“Every fighter’s a threat,” Guerrero said. “When you get in the ring, one punch can change everything.”
Relinquishing his title in March of 2008 to move up a weight class, Guerrero chose to stay out of the ring for roughly a year due to a contractual dispute with Goossen Tutor.
While Guerrero wouldn’t acknowledge he is a cut above his immediate competition, he did say the bout should be a quick precursor to bigger and better things to come.
“I think the only thing I need to do is prove that I deserve to get a (Manny) Pacquiao fight, a (Juan Manuel) Marquez fight, one of those marquee fights,” Guerrero said, adding that he would otherwise want a mandatory shot at one of the super featherweight champs.
Guerrero and Ruiz have one common opponent in Jason Litzau, who The Ghost knocked out in the eighth round of his last bout on Feb. 29, 2008. Ruiz lost to Litzau in 10 rounds by unanimous decision on Nov. 23, 2007, at Staples Center.
Guerrero’s one and only career appearance at Staples Center was a memorable one, as he won the IBF featherweight title for the first time of his career over Eric Aiken on Sept. 2, 2006. A loss to Orlando Salido two months later, which was later ruled a no-contest due to a positive steroid test by Salido, allowed Guerrero to regain the vacant IBF title by stopping Spend Abazi in Denmark on Feb. 27, 2007. Guerrero defended his title twice after that, but due to the lengthy arbitration case that was recently resolved, he has only fought three times in the last two years.
The paths of Guerrero and Ruiz have crossed only once in their careers, but not in the ring. Both men took part in a card April 24, 2004, at Miccosukee Resort and Gaming in Miami, Fla. Guerrero won his fight against Juan Polo Perez with a second-round TKO, while Ruiz lost an eight-round split decision to Jorge Martinez.
Resuming his rigorous training schedule just weeks after his bout with Litzau, Guerrero said he has stayed in top shape during the layoff and expects to weigh-in at 132 pounds since the fight is not for a title and doesn’t require him to come in under 130.
Fans of Guerrero will need to make the trip to L.A. to watch the fight, however, as the Margarito-Mosley bout will be the only matchup on the card televised by HBO. Guerrero said those who do get to Los Angeles to see his long-anticipated return will be in for a treat.
“Now, it’s just go do your job and give the fans what they paid for,” he said.
