Training in Los Angeles for his June 12 bout, which will take
place in San Jose and be televised on ESPN2’s
”
Friday Night Fights,
”
Guerrero (23-1-1, 16 KOs) has been sparring with just about
anyone his cut man, Ruben Gomez, a Los Angeles local, can put in
front of the Gilroy native
GILROY
Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero has seen so many different fighters in the ring the past few weeks, he can’t keep track of who’s who anymore.
“To tell you the truth, they got some weird names,” Guerrero said.
Training in Los Angeles for his June 12 bout, which will take place in San Jose and be televised on ESPN2’s “Friday Night Fights,” Guerrero (23-1-1, 16 KOs) has been sparring with just about anyone his cut man, Ruben Gomez, a Los Angeles local, can put in front of the Gilroy native.
“[Gomez] brings a lot to the corner,” Guerrero said. “This is his area out here and he knows all the good gyms in and out.”
With no venue or opponent officially announced yet – sources in Guerrero’s camp say he is tentatively scheduled to fight Johnnie Edwards (15-4-1, 8 KOs) at HP Pavilion – Guerrero is taking everything in stride.
“Being out here in Los Angeles, there’s so much sparring out here, there’s so many different looks, so many different styles that you’re prepared for everything,” Guerrero said. “When you know who you’re fighting, you got film on the guy, you’re able to break him down and see what he’s doing wrong. But if you’re going in blind you gotta prepare for everything.”
In addition to training, Guerrero still has other peripheral matters at hand.
A dispute with his former promoter, Dan Goossen, has been resurrected after Goossen filed an appeal earlier this month to the arbitration ruling in December of 2008, which cleared the way for Guerrero to sign with Golden Boy Promotions.
“Right now, I don’t even worry about that,” Guerrero said. “Whatever [Goossen] says, he says. Basically, I have no comment about it and I’m focusing on what I gotta do to get ready for the ring.”
There is also lingering criticism in regards to the fans and media who said Guerrero quit in his March 7 bout against Daud Yordan (23-0, 17 KOs) – the fight was stopped by a ring-side doctor and ruled a no contest after Guerrero suffered a deep cut over his right eye in the second round. But the former two-time IBF featherweight champ says it comes with the territory.
“You’re gonna get people talking no matter what,” Guerrero said. “My job is to get out there and fight and make it happen.”
On top of his daily physical demands in training, Guerrero has also taken on a greater load in marketing himself. He will be featured in the EA Sports video game “Fight Night Round 4,” which will be released this summer. During his first week in Los Angeles, Guerrero went to an EA studio and conducted interviews, took photos from all angles to ensure his character resembles him in the game, and shadowboxed so programmers can mimic his movements in the ring.
“It’s gonna be cool,” Guerrero said. “I played boxing video games all the time. Now being on the game, it’s exciting.”
Staying in Los Angeles until the week of his fight, Guerrero said being away from his wife and two children has been the most difficult part of the six-week camp. He calls home three to four times per day to check in and see how his family is doing.
“They get excited when I call and it makes me excited, it makes me work hard,” he said.
While the June 12 bout, whether it’s against Edwards or someone else, is unlikely to offer Guerrero a significant challenge, a larger card is being aligned for Aug. 22 in Houston. An impressive victory could secure Guerrero a place on that card, which would go a long way in furthering his progress to reclaim a title after relinquishing his IBF belt to move up to the junior lightweight division.
Until then, Guerrero said he’ll keep his head down through the rest of camp.
“When all you’ve been doing is boxing, you’re 100 percent ready,” he said.
