Robert "The Ghost" Guerrero, right, made the decision to vacate his IBF Featherweight title and move up to Jr. Lightweight recently. Guerrero has struggled to make weight his last two championship bouts. At right, Guerrero pumps his fist after defeating Jason Litzau during a February fight in Lemoore, Calif.
With a desire to take on some of the biggest names in boxing and each fight making it more difficult for him to make weight, two-time world champion Robert "The Ghost" Guerrero (22-1-1, 15 KOs) finalized a decision Monday to vacate his IBF Featherweight title and move up to the Jr. Lightweight division.
The decision came about as Guerrero, who stands just over 5-foot-8, struggled to weigh-in at 126 pounds in his last two championship bouts. Since he was 18-years-old, Guerrero has been fighting in the Featherweight (126 lbs.) division. The 25-year-old Gilroy native said he thinks he'll be more powerful with the move to Jr. Lightweight (130 lbs).
"It's been my childhood dream to become a world champion and I've accomplished that goal at Featherweight," Guerrero said in a statement. "I'm truly appreciative to the IBF for giving me the opportunity to fight for their title. I've been at this weight since the amateurs. I've come to realize that I can no longer make Featherweight and feel strong. I'm older now, my body has matured, so it's time for me to move up in weight. The extra four pounds will only make me stronger. At Jr. Lightweight I believe I'll be more effective."
While Guerrero mentioned not feeling as strong as he would like at 126 pounds, his record would suggest something completely different as he has recorded 14 knockouts in his last 15 victories. A southpaw with a slender frame, this could be the first of several moves up in division for Guerrero, who has repeatedly stated that he is only interested in fighting the best in the world.
"My goal now is to become a world champion at the Jr. Lightweight and Lightweight divisions," Guerrero said. "I want to challenge all the big names, guys like Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez. I feel confident in my ability to accomplish my new goals."
Another factor that could have played into the decision was a deadline for a purse bid, that would have occurred today, involving a mandatory fight with Orlando Salido, the IBF's No. 2-ranked contender. Rather than wait to see how much money the fight would have received from bidding promoters, who win the rights to promote a card by offering the largest paycheck for the fighters involved, Guerrero chose to make the move up in weight. The move has been expected for some time and is considered a natural progression in the career of someone with Guerrero's ability and body type.
Guerrero and Salido also have a history together. Salido claimed Guerrero's IBF title a little more than a month after The Ghost stopped Erik Aiken to win the belt for the first time. Salido was stripped of the title after testing positive for steroids following the fight, which set up Guerrero reclaiming the belt three months later by traveling to Denmark and defeating Spend Abazi through a ninth-round TKO.
The idea of having to face someone who took steroids to defeat him in the ring the first time around - the bout was later ruled a no-contest - would seem unappealing for Guerrero.
Since becoming a two-time IBF champion, Guerrero has scored two knockouts, the first of which came in a 56-second drubbing of Martin Honorio late last year. The champ did have trouble making weight for that fight, however, as he came in two pounds heavy during his first time on the scales at the pre-fight weigh-in. Guerrero spent the next hour jumping rope in his hotel room as his father and trainer, Ruben, turned the thermostat to over 90 degrees. Guerrero made the 126-pound weight limit on the next try and was able defend his title the following night.
On February 29, Guerrero knocked out Jason Litzau in the eighth round, ending the contest at the 2:25 mark.
Fightnews.com currently has Guerrero slotted ninth in their own rankings of the top Jr. Lightweights in the world. After wrapping up an arbitration hearing that is scheduled for late July, which will decide if Guerrero stays with his current promoter Dan Goossen, Guerrero is expected to announce his next fight.
Josh Koehn Josh Koehn is a sports writer for South Valley Newspapers. He can be reached at jkoehn@svnewspapers.com.
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