Mayweather-Guerrero Analysis

By Andrew Gavan @AndrewGavan.

Robert 'the Ghost' Guerrero aptly nicknamed as he has 'Ghosted' his way through the divisions with impressive victories, but its only recently that fight fans have sat up and finally took notice. His come forward aggressive style is unusual for a southpaw but he excites the crowds as he has a terrific engine, throws loads of punches and constantly looks to break the heart of his opponent. Guerrero has a steely determination that a large minority feel will be enough to cause the upset of the century on Saturday May the 4th. He seems to have improved as each fight has gone on especially in his last 7 as an increase in class has shown Guerrero is destined for the 'big time' the likes of Malcolm Klassen,Roberto David Arrieta,Joel Casamayor, Vicente Escobedoo,Michael Katsidis, Selcuk Aydin and finally Andre Berto have all been haunted by Californian increasing his record to 31-1-1-2 (18 ko's). There is no question Guerrero has the heart and his record suggests he has the power to pull off the impossible.

The man he will face for the WBC & vacant Ring welterweight titles is none other than the legend that is Floyd 'pretty boy' aka 'Money' Mayweather 43-0-0(26 ko's). There aren't enough superlatives to lavish upon one of the greatest boxers ever to lace up a glove he has achieved so much in the sport from an Olympic bronze medal to becoming a world champion at 21 and then going on to win 8 world titles at 5 weight classes and reach no1 in the current Pound for Pound ranks. There is no blueprint on how to beat mayweather 42 people have tried and 42 have failed (fought jose luis castillo twice) he has faced all styles,shapes,sizes and tactics hes been there done that wore the t-shirt and if there was a world title for it he probaly would have won and worn that aswel!. Floyd is a world class counter puncher he keeps his eyes on his opponent even when hes being hit (which is rare) so focused in the ring and is always in top shape, when have you seen Floyd tire in a fight?? he has remarkable speed, and upper body  movement, tremendous footwork and does majority of his best work when hes on the ropes as he is so comfortable in the ring. On saturday Mayweather will be looking to add Guerrero to his impressive resume which includes some world class opponents such as : Corrales,Catillo (twice), N'dou,Corley,Gatti,Mitchell,Judah,Baldomir,Del La Hoya,Hatton,Marquez,Mosley,Ortiz and Cotto is this to big a task for the 'Ghost'?,
How to beat the unbeatable? in my opinion Guerrero has to do several things extremely well to triumph on saturday night. Here is my take on the fight: the jab is always important when southpaws face orthodox as its a mirror image of yourself you are fighting, so taking the jab is imperitive. Judah done this v Garcia recently and it causes problems as getting inside becomes incredibly difficult, its tough to do as mayweathers speed allows him to lead with a left hook instead of the jab this punch was key v Corrales knocking him down 5 times in the fight 3 of which from the lead left hook i believe. The lead left hook which is remarkable in itself and Guerrero must be careful and keep his right hand up and tucked in tight.Theres no point in throwing single shots and loading up v Mayweather he will counter you all night and punish every mistake and you will become predictable, I think if Guerrero throws punches in bunches and swarms Mayweathers work doubling his jab to get inside and vary combinations to keep floyd guessing he could cause him problems. Something i have noticed about floyds unique defence is there is no point aiming for his chin you will never get it (Shane Mosley managed this however and Floyd proved he had a champions chin)but  the target that is always open against floyd is the top of his head if a shot or even a glancing blow lands on mayweathers temple it could take him off balance out his shell and force him to exchange which would suit Guerrero. Also plenty of arm and shoulder shots to tire his arms so his defence isnt as effective. Miguel Cotto was succesfull at this and is the only man ive seen win 3 rounds in a row v mayweather, rounds 7,8,9 were excellent he utilised his jab and out fought him causing bleeding from the nose of 'Pretty Boy'. If Guerrero can deploy the same tactics from the start keep a high tempo.constant pressure and rough him up upsetting his rythym he could achieve a remarkable feet.

I could write forver about Floyd Mayweather, Robert Guerrero and this bout it is a interesting topic. In my opinion i think Mayweather will have a pint to prove after his last fight he thrives on showing fans and critics he truly is Pound for Pound no1 and rightly deserves his place in the Hall of Fame and cement his name boxing history. He will be sharp, fast and difficult to hit i believe a late stoppage is possible. So come fight night will the 'Ghost' haunt Mayweather and prove 'Money' is a 'spent' force or will Floyd produce another boxing masterclass and extinguish the threat of Guerrero and add another notch to his belt. My prediction Mayweather UD (by at least 4 rounds)