Robert Guerrero wants Pacquiao and Thurman fights

By Boxing News - 06/23/2020 - Comments

By Dan Ambrose: Robert ‘The Ghost’ Guerrero says he’s targeting a rematch with Keith Thurman and fights against Manny Pacquiao and Errol Spence Jr. The former two-division world champion Guerrero wants both of those fights, and he’s eager to win another world title. Guerrero is optimistic that he’ll get ‘One Time’ and Pacquiao to face him.

If Guerrero can beat one of those big names, it’ll be the comeback of the century, and it would be a monstrous accomplishment. Right now, Guerrero would be the underdog against even the bottom fringe level 147-pounders.

It’s almost unthinkable that ‘The Ghost’ could pull up a shocking upset by beating Thurman, Pacquiao, or Spence.

It’s been ten years since Guerrero (36-6-1, 20 KOs) last held a strap back in 2010, and he wants to after another belt.

Since returning to the ring in 2018 after a brief retirement, Guerrero has won his last three fights against lower-level opposition. His wins have come against these fighters: Hevinson Herrera, Gerald Thomas, and Andrew Mate.

The 37-year-old Guerrero’s three obscure guys he recently beat failed to get him ranked. Unless Guerero is positioned high at 147 and beat two or three critical names, he’s going to have problems trying to get Thurman and Pacquiao to fight him. Those fighters are focused on facing top contenders, and Guerrero is seen still as an over-the-hill fighter.

Guerrero’s record of 2-5 during a rough patch in his career from 2013 to 2017 left fans questioning whether he has anything left in the tank. Although Guerrero has a three-fight winnings treat, he may be still the same fighter that lost to these guys:

  • Danny Garcia
  • David Emanuel Peralta
  • Omar Figueroa
  • Keith Thurman
  • Floyd Mayweather Jr

Image: Robert Guerrero wants Pacquiao and Thurman fights

Robert retired prematurely

“I’m looking to get back into a big fight. I’ve had two tune-up fights, and I’ve shaken off some cobwebs, and I’m ready to go,” said Guerrero to Premier Boxing Champions. “I felt like I had more in me,” said Guerrero when asked why he came out of retirement.

“And I retired prematurely. I had that time off to let my body recover and to learn. Everyone knows what type of fighter I am. I would fight a war and then return four months later to fight another battle. The toll that takes on your body.

“You don’t have time to recover and assess yourself in the ring because you are always just going and going and picking up habits. Sitting there with you and watching stuff, it gives you a lot of knowledge because you see thing and learn.

“You become more of a student of the game than you were as a fighter. Working on my boxing skills,” said Guerrero.

The way that ‘The Ghost’ Guerrero’s career was going in 2017, he made the right decision to retire. When an elite fighter loses five out of their last seven matches the way Guerrero did from 2013 to 2017, that’s a signal that they need to hang up the gloves.

Guerrero hasn’t tested himself since he’s come out of retirement by facing top tier opposition. With the inferior opponents Guerrero has been meeting since coming out of retirement, he’s looked good. But he might find out that he’s not any better than he was before his retirement when he does finally face someone good.

Guerrero regrets not using his boxing skills at 147

“When I got to welterweight, I had a chip on my shoulders that I needed to prove that I deserve to be there. When I fought Andre Berto, I had a chip on my shoulders that I needed to walk him down and bang him out and get him out of there, which I did. As soon as I did that, it went to my head, and the boxing skills went out the door.

“When I was in the lighter weights, I was a boxer in using my jab and my intelligence. I threw that out the door when I got to 147 and started walking down these big guys. When you look at Keith Thurman, when he was in the amateurs, he was 154 pounds.

“He’s cutting down to 147 as a pro. I should have been using my skills and boxing these guys. If you look at some of my tittle fights, when I was performing great, I was on my toes boxing. Putting your head down and coming in headfirst to try and bang out the elite guys like Keith Thurman, Danny Garcia, and Mayweather, it’s not going to work,” said Guerrero.

When Guerrero moved up to 147 in 2012 against slugger Selcuk Aydin, he went to war with him and beat him by a 12 round decision. He did the same thing against Andre Berto in winning another decision.

At that point, Guerrero fancied himself as a slugger, and he took a lot of punishment fighting in that style. It’s too bad it took Robert years to realize that he’s not cut out to be a brawler.

Image: Robert Guerrero wants Pacquiao and Thurman fights

‘The Ghost’ wants Pacquiao, Thurman, and Spence

“I’m looking at Pacquiao too,” said Guerrero when asked if he wants a rematch with Thurman. “You see Pacquiao being guys Adrien Broner and Keith Thurman. He’s taking out these young guys. I’m looking at that Pacquiao fight too.

“I want to be in with the top fighters and go and win a world championship again. You even got a guy like Errol Spence, who is a top guy. I’d love to get in with Errol Spence. It’s one of those things. Match a lefty with a lefty and see what they can do.

“I fought a lot of lefties, and I’ve got a lot of experience, and I know what I got to do. Being advised by Al Haymon, my life has changed drastically and financially. Not just financially but looking at the bigger picture and seeing what kind of man he is and how he take care of his fighters.

“What I like about Al is the first thing he told me is, ‘Hey, it’s about you and not about me.’ You’re the guy that gets in there. It’s about you. Ever since then, it’s been like that. I cherish having him as a manager and someone there advising me as a man. I feel the sport is coming back hard because of Al Haymon,” said Guerrero.

Guerrero needs to win three to five essential fights for him to have a shot at a world title or a rematch with Thurman.

In an ideal situation, Guerrero will defeat a couple of good contenders after the lockdown, and then he’ll get the fights against Pacquiao, Spence, or Thurman. It’s going to be tough, though, because Guerrero isn’t a puncher, and his hand speed isn’t the best.

Guerrero looking for a big fight

“I’m looking to win that world championship again, and I’m looking to get back in a big fight,” said Guerrero. “In my next one, I’m hoping to get back in a big fight. The landscape of the welterweight division is packed, and I’m excited about it.

“Walking in without fans, some fighters get caught up with the crowd. There’s going to be a lot more concentration now. In my first two fights back, they were on the undercard, and there was nobody in the crowd. It kind of prepared me for that. I’m excited, and I can’t wait.

“When you walk into the ring as a pro, you pretty much drown out everything that’s around you. You’re so focused where you can only hear your guy in the corner, and the rest of the crowd is a blur,” said Guerero.

As long as ‘The Ghost’ isn’t too picky, he could get a decent ‘big name’ like Shawn Porter at some point or maybe Danny Garcia. Porter would be a wrong style match-up for Guerrero, though, and it could end badly for him.

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