Triumphant Guerrero Talks Katsidis, Fighting the Pound for Pound Best & More:
Robert Guerrero is fresh off the biggest win of his career, a dominant decision victory over the always tough Michael Katsidis. Now 29(18)-1-1, with 2 NCs, Guerrero is sitting in the top three in the lightweight division, and is the interim WBA and interim WBO lightweight titleholder.
Winning the full version of either of those straps before next March would make him a three division world champion at just 28-years-old, and at a sturdily built 5’8″ with a 70″ reach, he still has room to move up, too.
Right now his focus is on capitalizing on his big win and tracking down tough to find opponents like Juan Manuel Marquez, and the biggest names in the sport, whether it’s Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao, Amir Khan, or anyone else. The good news is that his name has soared after the Katsidis win, the bad news is, he may just have scared off some of that big name competition at the same time.
Guerrero took some time out just days after his win over Katsidis to talk about his performance, what it means for his career, and who he’d like to face next.
First, congratulations on the fantastic win over Michael Katsidis last Saturday. You’ve had a few days to reflect on your performance, what do you think about the fight and how it played out now?
RG: I feel real great, whatever soreness I had is gone now. You know, I went out there and did the things I worked on in the gym and I put on a great performance. I went out there, got to work, dictated the fight and maintained my focus all the way through the whole 12 rounds.
It would be easy to call this both the biggest win and best performance of your career. Do you agree with both sentiments?
RG: Oh yeah! This was my best performance. I was ready to go, I was in great shape. A lot of that had to do with getting out to training camp and preparing the right way for a championship fight. That was an improvement.
You’ve been waiting for that breakout win on a big stage. This definitely qualifies for that… How exciting is that to really elevate your status with the win and performance?
RG: Man, it’s nice. It’s nice to get that marquee win under my belt. Go out there and just win the fight, and in spectacular fashion, to come out in the 12th round smiling and finishing the fight strong. Dictating the fight and doing what I want to do in the ring, and making him do what I wanted him to do in the ring. It’s nice to be able to put on that performance for the fans and the boxing world, and show them that you know what, I’m a force to be reckoned with. And it just makes it easier to get those big, marquee fights.
Some might say you looked so good against Katsidis that you actually will find more difficulty in tracking down one of the big names, because you’re too much of a risk. Do you think that will be the case, or do you think now you’ve gotten to the level where you’re too big to be avoided basically?
RG: Oh yea, the fans, the media and everyone wants to see me in those big fights. I think it’s going to be easier to make those big fights because now they are going to be demanded not just by myself, but by the media, the fans, and everybody who wants to see it. It puts a lot of pressure on the other fighters to take the fight, so I think I’ve put myself in a great position.
Did anything about Katsidis surprise you during the bout?
RG: It turned out the way we expected it to. The one thing that really surprised me was how tough he was. I was hitting him with SHOTS, where I couldn’t believe it… I was hitting him with shot after shot, with combinations, all of these punches, hitting him with penetration and it just really surprised me how tough he was. He has a lot of heart and that will to win. It was just surprising how many shots he took, and how many hard shots he took.
Well, you’ve been in the position where you have had your heart and toughness questioned before, following the quick ending to the Daud Yordan fight in March of 2009. That door has to be officially shut now. How does it feel to be able to hush up the critics once and for all?
RG: It feels good to prove the critics wrong and let them know what kind of fighter I really am, and what kind of heart I have. And what better opponent to do it against than Michael Katsidis? He wears guys down with pressure and breaks them down with punishment, punch after punch. He’s a brutal guy, no matter who it is, Marquez, Casamayor or whoever he’s fighting, it’s gonna be a war. He was the perfect guy to display that, and not just display what kind of heart I have, but what kind of talent I have, and what kind of arsenal I’m carrying to bring to the big fights.
The status of the titles up for grabs in the bout was uncertain for a while. How happy were you that you got to fight for and win two interim titles, the WBA and WBO interim belts?
RG: I was very excited, that was one of my goals, not just to be a champion, but to be a unified champion. Being able to get the WBO and WBA at the same time, and also being able to do what I did on fight night. I just thank God, and I’m very excited because when you’re patient and you put God first, everything is going to fall into place, and that’s the way it’s going right now.
It also means you’re this close to being a three-division world champion. What does that mean for you?
RG: It’s huge. A lot of fighters win a championship and that’s about it. To be a five-time world champion in three divisions… it’s amazing. It’s amazing how far I came, and the work I put in… it just shows what kind of guy I am and how much I love the fight game, and how much I go out there and dedicate myself and put myself out there to be the best that I can be.
We all know about your difficulties in trying to track down Juan Manuel Marquez for a fight. Is Marquez still who you’d most like to fight?
RG: That fight is always on mind, because Marquez is pound for pound one of the best fighters in the world. He’s a Hall of Famer. He’s one of the guys I want to fight, and that fight is always on mind… whether I get it or not. There are so many fights out there. There’s Mayweather, there’s Pacquiao, there’s Khan, there’s a lot of champions and a lot of fights to be made. I don’t just get stuck on trying to force the fight with Marquez. If it’s there it’s there, if it’s not, it’s not and I’ll move on. We have tried to make the fight a few times already and it didn’t go through, so just keep on trucking and there are other big fights out there.
So it sounds like you’re only gunning for the biggest names. You’ve mentioned Mayweather, Pacquiao, Khan… there’s also Bradley at 140 lbs… all of those guys are above you in weight. Are you moving up or just going wherever the big fights are?
RG: I’m looking for the biggest fights out there right now. Like I’ve always said, to be the best you have to fight the best, and I want to be the best. I want to take advantage of the best fights and opportunities in front of me and the blessings in front of me, and go out there and get it. The plan is to step forward and not step backwards, and that’s what we want to do.
Then you have the other lightweight titlists… Humberto Soto who has his rematch with Antillon coming up in May… Brandon Rios, the regular WBA titleholder, and Miguel Vazquez, IBF titleholder… how would you feel about fighting those guys?
RG: I’m about making great fights for the fans and fighting the best fighters that are out there. So let’s do it.
When are you looking to get back in the ring?
RG: I’m just waiting to hear back from my management and Golden Boy, but I want to get back as soon as possible. I feel great, I came out of the fight uninjured. I’m ready to rock and roll tomorrow! I just have to sit back and see what Golden Boy has got cooking, and I know it’s going to be something big and I’m excited about it.
How do you build on this performance and continue on for the rest of 2011?
RG: I just want to fight two more times this year, if possible. I want to stay active, that’s what you gotta do. I want to keep the ball rolling, stay sharp and that’s the plan. I want to be active this year and if everything goes good I could be fighting three times every year.
What do you have to say to all the fans who have been rooting for you and supporting you in the ring, as well as with your personal life as well?
RG: I just want to thank them. Thank you, fans. Without the fans, fighters and boxing wouldn’t be anything period, and I just want to thank them. All the fans really supported me inside the ring and outside of the ring, and that’s why I come out and fight hard every time and do the best that I can. They deserve it, they deserve the best and that’s what I’m going to keep on trying to put out, the best that I can put out. I just want to thank them for all of their thoughts and prayers in and out of the ring, and if it aint for them, then boxing aint nothing.
Thanks for the time and congratulations again on the big win.
