It’s been more than six years since Robert Guerrero has knocked out an opponent, so the former world champion is itching to unload on someone.
Robert Guerrero (right) has lost just three times in the past decade, all by unanimous decision to unbeaten world champions, including to Keith Thurman in March 2015. (Lucas Noonan/Premier Boxing Champions)
“The Ghost” will get his opportunity Saturday night when he takes on Argentine slugger David Emanuel Peralta (25-2-1, 14 KOs) in a 147-pound clash set for 10 rounds at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California (Spike, 9 p.m. ET/PT).
Robert Guerrero (33-4-1, 18 KOs) has fought 10 times since his last stoppage win: an eighth-round TKO of Roberto David Arrieta in a 135-pound bout in April 2010.
That was Guerrero’s first fight after vacating his 130-pound world title, and the southpaw has gone 7-3 since while moving up in weight. But even in winning interim titles at both 135 and 147 pounds, the 33-year-old Gilroy, California, native has been unable to finish the job early.
It’s a trend he plans to end against Peralta.
“A knockout is always nice and if I have him hurt, I’ll definitely go for it,” Guerrero said. “To be honest, it’s best to not look for the knockout and let it come. But this fight, I'm looking for it.”
In his last bout in January, Guerrero dropped a unanimous decision to Danny Garcia in Los Angeles (116-112 on all three cards) in a hard-fought battle for the 147-pound world title vacated by Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Guerrero said he felt that “people were writing me off” after he was knocked down and struggled to beat Aron Martinez by 10-round split decision in June 2015, but he believes he redeemed himself with his performance against Garcia, an unbeaten two-division world champion.
“I thought I did enough to beat Garcia,” Guerrero said. “I showed in my last fight that I still belong with the elite welterweights.”
Even though Guerrero has split his last six bouts, the three defeats haven’t exactly come against inferior competition. In addition to Garcia, Guerrero's only other losses in the past decade also were by unanimous decision to undefeated world champions—Mayweather in May 2013 and Keith Thurman in March 2015.
And while Guerrero hasn’t stopped any opponents in a while, he did twice drop former 147-pound world champion Andre Berto early in their interim title bout on his way to earning a unanimous decision in November 2012, so he has shown power at his current weight.
“A big performance is key for me in this fight,” said Guerrero, who won his first world title at 126 pounds in September 2006. “I’m gonna put my hard hat on and get back to work. Expect an exciting and dominant victory.”
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