Robert Guerrero

Robert Joseph Guerrero ( born March 27, 1983 in Gilroy, California) is an American professional boxer of Mexican descent. He is a former two-time world champion of the IBF featherweight, former world champion of the IBF super featherweight champion, former interim world champion of the WBA and WBO lightweight interim champion and former WBC welterweight.

Boxing career

Named after one of his grandfathers Robert Guerrero came from a traditional family of boxers; so were not only his grandfather, but also his uncle and brothers Boxsportler. It was only 9 years old he started boxing and still received the same age the fight called " The Ghost" ( The Spirit ), because of its speed in the ring and the mostly unsuccessful attempts of his opponents to hit him.

As a 15 -year-old he won the gold medal at the National Junior Olympics in light flyweight. A year later he was invited by then the youngest boxer in U.S. history to "Olympic Trials", the national qualifying tournament for the 2000 Summer Olympics. There, however, he was defeated three times U.S. champion Clarence Vinson on points. This defeat marked Guerrero himself as the most painful moment of his boxing career. Vinson was later also at the Olympic Games, erstreiten the bronze medal.

2001 Guerrero started his pro career, winning his first 11 fights in a row. In March 2004, ended his fight against the Mexican Julián Rodríguez ( 15 wins - 9 losses ) after the first round with a technical draw, as Guerrero had suffered an injury that did not allow him to continue the fight. In his next fight in April 2004, he defeated former IBF world champion Juan Polo Pérez by technical knockout ( TKO ) in the second round. Even the former WBA champion Enrique Sanchez ( 30-2 ) in June 2004, he defeated by TKO in the eighth round.

On 9 December 2004, he was in Temecula North American master of NABF featherweight; he defeated the Mexicans doing César Figueroa ( 28-4 ) by KO in the fourth round. He then defended the title by TKO in round 12 against the Mexican champion Adrián Valdez ( 16-3 ) and by co in the first round against the former Mundo Hispano champion Sammy Ventura.

In his third title defense on December 2, 2005 in Lemoore, he narrowly lost on points against the Mexicans Gamaliel Diaz, but won the rematch by KO in round 6

On 2 September 2006, he was in Los Angeles by a TKO win in round 8 against American Eric Aiken, new IBF world featherweight champion. His first defense of the title against Orlando Salido on 4 November 2006, although he lost on points, but Salido tested positive for steroids shortly after the fight and then the fight in a loose evaluation result ( no contest ) has been canceled. Salido was stripped of the IBF title.

On 23 February 2007 Guerrero received in Copenhagen again the chance to now vacant title against Spend Abazi ( 35-1 ), which he by TKO regained in the ninth round. In addition, he suggested the following title defenses Martin Honorio ( 24-3 ) by TKO in the first round and Jason Litzau (23-1 ) by KO in the eighth round. On 23 June 2008 Guerrero put his IBF title down voluntarily in order to ascend to the super featherweight.

He punched on March 7, 2009 in San Jose against the unbeaten Daud Yordan Indonesians ( 23-0 ) for the vacant North American championship of NABO. The fight ended wertungslos already in the second round, as Guerrero was injured by an accidental head butt in the eye and the referee then on the advice of the ring doctor ended the duel.

On 22 August 2009, he defeated Houston South African Malcolm Klassen ( 24-4 ) by unanimous decision and thus won the IBF world title in super featherweight, but he resigned in February in 2010 in order to take care of his wife, has leukemia.

In April 2010, he launched his comeback in lightweight. After following victories against the South American champion Roberto David Arrieta ( 35-15 ) and former world champion Joel Casamayor ( 37-4 ), he won on November 6, 2010 in Newark unanimous decision against Vicente Escobedo ( 22-2 ) and was awarded the vacant, the Intercontinental championship title of WBO.

On 9 April 2011, he won in Las Vegas interimen the world title of the WBA and WBO lightweight. He edged the Australian Michael Katsidis ( 27-3 ) by unanimous decision. However, he put the title in August and September of the same year back down to prepare for a scheduled title fight in July 2012 against the WBC welterweight Selcuk Aydin ( 23-0 ). The Turks, he finally defeated unanimously on 28 July on points.

The thus obtained Interimen world title the WBC welterweight champion, he defended on November 24, 2012 in California by unanimous decision against Andre Berto (28-1 ). He thus became world title challenger from Floyd Mayweather Jr. ( 43-0 ), he was defeated by the May 4, 2013 Las Vegas on points.