Guerrero vs. Mayweather Preview by Tony Stewart
By: Tony Stewart
Las Vegas, NV (May 3rd, 2013)– Legendary trainer Cus D’Amato once said “a tough fighter who fights smarter is twice as tough to beat.” This is exactly what Floyd Mayweather has become.
A tough fighter that, as he has gotten older, has gotten smarter and that is what Robert Guerrero will test his skills against on Saturday, May 4th, 2013 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather will put his unbeaten record and WBC Welterweight Championship on the line against Robert ‘The Ghost’ Guerrero. Floyd’s reign as an undefeated champion eclipses all but a very few of boxing’s elite in the history of the sport. He has remained at the top of boxing’s pound for pound status longer than any of his generation since winning his first title in 1998.
Despite what looks like a lopsided match on paper, which is the opinion of many; this is a mega-fight between two very accomplished champions. Floyd Mayweather is an 8-time, five-division title holder and the current WBC Welterweight Champion, with 43 fights and zero losses. Robert Guerrero is a 6-time, four-division champion with 35 fights and one loss which he later avenged in a thrilling 6th round KO.
Mayweather has been at boxing’s top echelon for nearly two decades and it isn’t just because of his fantastic hand-speed, athleticism or his untarnished record that has kept him firmly planted there. It is his determination, his dedication and persistence to his craft at being the very best. He is supremely technically sound and keeps his body at fighting readiness at all times. Boxing is his life; it is all he’s known.
[Floyd] will be coming into this fight after having been away from the ring for nearly 1 year exactly. During that time he served a 2-month jail sentence for a domestic abuse misdemeanor charge where he wasn’t able to maintain his conditioning regimen. His last fight was a tough but unanimous decision victory over Miguel Cotto on May 5th, 2012. Lastly, at 36 years old he will be the older fighter and expectantly not as mobile as younger adversary. So it remains to be seen what, if any, impact his time away will have on his performance.
Robert Guerrero has made it clear that he believes this is his destiny, that “God has appointed me to this moment to beat Floyd Mayweather.” He has vowed to shock the world. In truth it would take a real miracle for Guerrero to strip Mayweather of his title and unbeaten record, and in boxing sometimes miracles actually do happen.
Rarely do you have a fight of this caliber where the challenger is seen as having almost no chance of success. That the odds are so overwhelmingly in the favor of the champion; that it is practically impossible for any other outcome to occur other than victory of the main man. This is the outlook of most fans and professionals alike. However minute you deem his chances you cannot rule him out because boxing is replete with incredible feats of upsets from opponents who were given literally no chance of winning.
In 1935, James “The Cinderella Man” Braddock was given no chance to dethrone Max Baer in their title fight. He won a 15-round unanimous decision.
In 1971, Joe Frazier was considered inferior by many to Muhammad Ali’s natural athleticism, speed, and skills. Frazier knocked Ali down and handed him his first defeat by unanimous decision.
In 1974, an older, vulnerable Muhammad Ali was given next to no chance of winning, let alone surviving, against the destroyer Big George Foreman. Indeed, famed sports announcer Howard Cosell actually recited what seemed an obituary reading for his friend [Ali] whom he feared was actually walking into his own demise in this fight. Ali handed Foreman his first defeat via knockout.
In 1990, Buster Douglas was so overwhelmingly the underdog in his fight with Mike Tyson that it seemed a foregone conclusion that he wouldn’t win. He handed Tyson his first professional loss by way of knockout.
In 1996, Evander Holyfield was seen as a pumped up cruiserweight with very little hope of matching the brute strength of a still formidable and powerful Mike Tyson. He won via 11th round knockout.
I think you get the point.
Make no mistake. I am not saying I believe Guerrero will win this fight. On paper, even a blind man can see this bout is clearly in Floyd’s favor. What I am saying is that it would be remiss to rule out Guerrero’s chances just because doesn’t possess the same boxing qualities of a Floyd Mayweather. In fact I’d go so far to say that he can be seen as a dirty tactics brawler more than a fighter at times. Either way to do so would be to diminish his accomplishments in the ring.
Guerrero has fought the majority of his 11-year pro career between the 126-135 lb divisions. He moved up two weight classes to the [147] lb division and took on two legitimate welterweight fighters (Selcuk Aydin and former champion Andre Berto) who were clearly bigger and stronger and cleanly and soundly bested both in emphatic fashion. He has beaten everyone he has been in the ring with to date and has shown that he can use his southpaw advantage to perfection in making adjustments to his opponent and he is a boxer with great technical ability who likes to punish his opponents.
Boxing is the one sport where you can be losing every minute of every round and still come out the winner. We watch to see that a fighter is never truly out of the fight until that final bell. We watch to root for the underdog. We watch because for one night one guy can fight that perfect fight and make history before our very eyes. This is why this bout has an air of specialness about it. Not only do we see one of the sport’s greatest display his talents we will see two men who are wholly self-possessed of their belief that they are the best in the world totally 100% committed to victory.
Robert Guerrero is very highly skilled yet not as skilled as Mayweather. That’s simply a fact. What he may lack in exquisite skill he more than makes up for with that champion-level heart of a lion. Floyd Mayweather is a consummate professional in the ring who also possesses that champion-level heart as well, fully capable of exploiting any weakness his opponent present him.
Saturday night we will be witness to one of two things. It will be one of the most amazing upsets in sports history or we will see once again the ageless grace of God gifted ability marshaled and honed to perfection. Either way it should be a memorable night of boxing action and a real treat for boxing fans.
I can’t wait.
Undercard bouts:
On what will be boxing’s biggest night of 2013, will be an explosive co-main event match-up featuring WBC Featherweight World Champion Daniel Ponce de Leon making his first title defense against Two-Division World Champion Abner Mares.
Leo Santa Cruz (23-0-1, 13 KOs) will open up Saturday’s Mayweather vs Guerrero pay-per-view, making his super bantamweight debut as he put his perfect record on the line against veteran Alexander Munoz (36-4, 28 KOs). Middleweight contender Gabriel Rosado (21-6, 13 KOs) will be facing middleweight prospect J’Leon Love (15-0, 8 KOs). The 25-year-old Love is being groomed by Mayweather Promotions for future world title fights in the middleweight division.
In the “MAY DAY Live: Countdown to Mayweather vs. Guerrero” main event, undefeated Las Vegas light heavyweight Badou Jack (13-0, 9 KO’s) will put his unblemished record on the line against knockout artist Michael Gbenga (13-7, 13 KO’s) of Silver Springs, Maryland by way of Accra, Ghana in an eight-round bout. Plus, time permitting, a six round matchup between rising super middleweight star Luis Arias (4-0, 3 KO’s) of Las Vegas will go toe-to-toe Palmdale, California’s DonYil Livingston (8-2-1, 4 KO’s) will also be featured.
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