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For the last few years, Robert Guerrero has been boxing with one goal in mind. He switched from lightweight to welterweight. He beat both Selcuk Aydin and Andre Berto to climb to the top of the division. It was all for one thing: showing he deserves a shot at Floyd Mayweather Jr. “The Ghost” is going to get his opportunity on May 4th. Guerrero’s been through a lot and it took him some time to get to this point in his career but his combination of motivation and talent will allow him to threaten Mayweather’s undefeated record. Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero joined KNBR in San Francisco with Tom Tolbert to talk about getting an opportunity to fight Floyd Mayweather, whether he thought this fight would happen, what he learned when he made the move from lightweight to welterweight and why he believes he can beat Mayweather.
You got what you wanted:
“Oh yeah, I’ve been asking for it. Now I got it so now it’s time to get to work.”
Whether he thought this day would come where he got an opportunity to fight Floyd Mayweather Jr:
“Yeah, I knew it would come. I knew it would come. Working hard and putting up the fights I’ve been putting up. The only thing with me is I had to go the hard route to get the fights. Most of these other guys get the easy routes, they’re given the fights. Just like Floyd said, it was well-deserved, I worked my way through and got the fight.”
What he learned about himself when he made the leap from lightweight to welterweight:
“You believe in your abilities and you can do anything. Getting out there and making the jump of two weight classes, especially coming off shoulder surgery, having a year off and jumping two weight classes, it shows when you put your mind to it and you believe in yourself and you put God first, anything is possible.”
On why he thinks he can beat Floyd Mayweather:
“Being versatile in the ring. I’m versatile in the ring. You look at all my films and my previous fights and I never fight the same style. I come in different. I can fight on the inside or outside, I can be a boxer or a puncher, I can just be a boxer, a slugger, I’m able to change it up and be versatile in the ring also. It makes it much more challenging. Also being a left-hander that’s not scared to fight. Not scared to throw punches and get in there and take a shot so that’s what Floyd respects too in the ring. It’s going to be a dogfight.”
Whether he thinks Mayweather has slowed down a bit:
“It’s a combination of both. The older you get the more you slow down. Whether Floyd wants to admit it or not, no fighter wants to admit they’re slowing down, but what Cotto did well was ,Cotto had great timing. No matter how fast you are, how slick you are, timing is everything. Just look at Steve Nash. He’s not the fastest guy on the court or can jump the highest but his timing is great. He changes his speed, sticks to the fundamentals and a little juke and he’s popping a three pointer on you. Timing has to do with everything and that’s what Miguel Cotto did very well. He timed a lot of his shots and exchanged when he needed to exchange. Timed everything well and did very well, but Floyd is that type of guy, like you said, he’s versatile in the ring, he’s able to change the gear and do something else to get you off your gameplan.”
On Mayweather already being a 12-1 favorite over him already:
“I think last time the odds were like that I told you guys to bet the house. They throw the odds out there and they start changing as the weeks go on. People start seeing what’s going on in the camps, how fighters are looking, how we’re training, how everything is going, then the odds start to change and they’re going to start changing here pretty soon.”
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