LONDON (June 19) – Four-weight world champion Robert Guerrero says he has learned from his defeat to Floyd Mayweather as he eyes a rematch with the pound-for-pound star.
The 31-year-old ace returns to the ring this weekend following a 13-month hiatus, when he takes on Japanese hitter Yoshihiro Kamegai at the StubHub Center in Carson, California, live and exclusive on BoxNation.
‘The Ghost’ has lived up to his moniker in more ways than one in recent times having not fought since his May 2013 unanimous points loss to Mayweather.
Having had the time to dwell over and analyse his defeat to boxing’s best, Guerrero insists that overcoming it has not been an issue and he will be a better fighter for it.
“To bounce back wasn’t tough at all,” said Guerrero. “You have got to learn from experiences like that. I lost to the best fighter in the world. You just want to get better, you want to get faster, you want to get stronger. Seeing the type of foot speed and hand speed he had in front of me makes me want to step my game up,” he said.
“It lit a fire under me to become a better fighter and to use every tool I have and to not just get caught into one dimension where I start walking guys down like I did with Berto or try to be that same man [all the time] and outmuscle guys.
“When you fight a quick guy like Floyd he’s tough to outmuscle because he uses those legs and quick feet,” said Guerrero.
The Californian goes in against the big punching Kamegai, who has 21 knockouts from his 24 wins with only one defeat.
The welterweight ace, however, is looking to outdo the Tokyo resident and get himself back into a position that will allow him to get a rematch with the much coveted Mayweather.
“I know Mayweather has three more fights lined up for him and I’ll try and get back in that position and give it another shot,” said Guerrero.
“I felt that it wasn’t the best of me in there and you tend to fall into certain styles trying to be the guy who walks him down but I’ve got a lot more God-given ability that I’ve got to put in use.
“So there’s a lot more I can bring to the table when I fight. I wasn’t really satisfied with my performance and I want to get out there again and make it happen,” he said.
The six-time and four-division world champion believes that his long-layoff will be to his benefit but admits there may be a bit of ring rust going into Saturday night’s showdown.
“Having a little time off let’s your body and joints recuperate but don’t get me wrong there’s always ring rust. Everyone always says they feel great and the best and there is no ring rust but everyone has a little ring rust,” admitted Guerrero.
“I’m in great shape ready to go though. I’m excited and always game to fight, whether that’s inside or outside, however it’s going to go. I’m looking forward to coming back.
“When you’ve had a layoff for over a year you get hungry, you starve. You’re excited, you’re refreshed and you want to get back in the ring and you need to do so with a hundred percent confidence,” he said.
The relentless Guerrero is expecting a thrilling spectacle for fight fans when the two men, who are renowned for their all-action style, enter the ring.
“Kamegai’s a tough guy. I’ve been watching films on him and he just keeps coming and never backs down – he comes to fight. I’ve seen him a couple of times in the ring, when he gets hit with a shot it just fires him up and he wants to go for it,” said Guerrero.
“I can’t wait to go. I’m excited to be back,” he said.
Also on the Golden Boy Promotions card rising stars Gary Russell Jr and Vasyl Lomachenko battle it out for the vacant WBO featherweight world title, with Devon Alexander taking on Jesus Soto Karass in a ten-round welterweight contest.
Guerrero vs. Kamegai is live and exclusive on BoxNation (Sky 437/490HD & Virgin 546) this Saturday night. Visit www.boxnation.com to subscribe.
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