Robert "The Ghost" Guerrero Interview

The Ghost is working hard as always in preparation for his fight against Adrian Valdez. But as he approaches his 22nd birthday later this month, Robert is preparing for a whole lot more. In our interview today Robert shared his thoughts on his upcoming fight, his dreams of a world championship and a very serious commitment to being a positive role model for anyone who sees him in the ring or outside of it. Check out the following interview for Robert's take on these and other topics.

Congratulations on winning the NABF belt last time out. What does the NABF featherweight title mean to you in the grand scheme of your career?

Thanks. It's a big boost for my career. I'm ranked in the top six in the world. It shows I'm getting somewhere, I'm moving up in the rankings. Plus, I just signed Shelly Finkel on as a manager and I'm very excited about that. It's just that much better. Boxing's a rough sport and to win the NABF title shows that I'm making progress and moving up.

How is your training going for this fight with Adrian Valdez?

It's going real good, I'm training real hard and getting prepared. He's a southpaw, a tough, dirty guy. I know he's coming to fight. Every fight he's in he's ready and he brings it. I'm just working and doing my road work and getting prepared for a tough fight.

Can you talk about your recent signing with Shelly Finkel and how that will shape the direction of your career?

It is really going to elevate my career. He can do things that a lot of other managers can't do in boxing and that's getting me to that title and so far it has just been great working with him. Everything's going smooth. He's making sure everything is right for me, making sure everything I need for training is there. He's just a great manager that works hard for you.

How did signing with Finkel come about?

It happened through the manager I had before, Bob Santos. He co-manages me now with Shelly and he is real good friends with Shelly. I thank him. He's working side-by-side with Shelly.

In your 14 wins you have seven KO's. But six of those KO's have come in your last seven bouts. Is “The Ghost” gaining more power along with the experience?

I've always had the power there, it was just a matter of getting the technique down and learning how to use my body and shift my weight and throw harder. I've got the trianer that can take me there now. My trainer, John Bray, is really preparing me for that world title.

You had six fights in 2002, only two in 2003 and then came back with four in 2004. As you work towards a world championship fight, are you planning to be more active this year, or picking your spots to get that big shot?

I want to be more active. The more active you are, the more fights you get under your belt, the more experience you get. I've learned in the years of fighting as a pro that you need that experience to be in there with the Juan Manuel Marquezes and the Manny Pacquiaos. The one thing that separates those guys is that experience and that little edge of knowledge that makes them champions.

You're ranked #6 by the WBC, #10 by the IBF and #11 by the WBO. What do you make of all these organizations and their politics and where do you think you stand at this point?

It is good to look in a magazine or on the internet and see yourself ranked with the world class fighters. It gives you that confidence and shows you're getting somewhere in the boxing world and that you're right there for that title. It's not very far away.

Your highest ranking at this time is #6 by the WBC, whose champion is Injin Chi. Are you focusing on him as your future opponent for a world championship, or any of the other champions like Marquz or Scott Harrison?

I take one fight at a time and concentrate on the guy I'm going to fight next. When a title shot comes I have faith in my managers and promoters, Goosen-Tutor, to prepare me. I have a lot of faith in them that whoever it is, that's who I'll be ready for.

Do you have any connections to the Central Valley? Any family here or have you ever been here?

I boxed a lot of amateur tournaments in the Ringside Gym in Southeast Fresno with Wes Hodgins. I fought a lot of my amateur fights in that gym and I have known Wes since I was a little kid growing up. I'm familiar with the area because of tournaments in Visalia and Madera and those places around there. I grew up boxing there. It's great to know you're based right there. I have a lot of memories there, I fought a lot of golden gloves fights and junior golden gloves fights.

Can you tell the Central Valley boxing fans about your background, how you got into boxing, your amateur experience, etc?

Through my brothers and my father. They were fighters and I wanted to be like my older brothers and get in that ring. I started working hard and never turned back, just kept going and going. I won a couple of amateur titles and made that run for the pros and now here I am the NABF champ, top ten almost across the board.

Central California has a large base of boxing fans and they have been seeing world-class fighters on a regular basis over the last four or five years. Many fighters in the world title picture have fought here recently, including Floyd Mayweather, Stevie Johnston, Julio Diaz, Montell Griffin and Miguel Cotto. What are they going to see April 1st when Robert Guerrero steps into the ring?

They're going to be in store for a treat April 1st in Lemoore. It's going to be a 12-round fight with a tough, solid guy that comes to fight and not to just lay down. It will be an exciting fight and the fans will see an exciting Robert Guerrero, as I was in amateurs. I'm the same in the pros, only now there is no headgear and we use the little gloves. Every punch is gonna count. Anyone who goes to my fights or who sees me fight on television knows it is an exciting event.

You're very open about your faith and your commitment to God. Mass media at this point in time seems to be complicit with any behavior by any pro athelete, no matter how shady. What impact do you think you can have as you gain visibility with continued success, and do you fear that your image may be shunned by mass media because it doesn't fit into their definition of what's going on in the world today?

Like you said I'm real strong with my faith, I'm a Christian. My being a fighter and a really big, religious guy, it has a huge impact on not just grown-ups but also the youth. To see young kids coming up in the amateurs, they are always looking for that guy to look up to . They're always saying “I want to be like Floyd Mayweather” or “I want to be like Rocky Juarez,” you know? We are the new generation. You've got to be the shining light on the kids. They're seeing the wrong stuff with this hip-hop culture and all of the cars and money and womanizing. A lot of these TV shows that you see today are filled with garbage instead of something that they need that can help them in life. What is greater than sharing my faith and my beliefs with younger children, grown-ups and teens? A lot of these kids grow up with no father, or were poor or had broken families. They were always looking for a way out. To me the best solution is Jesus Christ. If I can express that to them through TV and spark their minds, get them to say “look at this guy, look at what he's doing. You don't need to be a guy who is partying, doing drugs, with flashing jewelry, running around with a lot of women.” It's doing the right thing. To me it is huge. There is no greater feeling. I really feel if I can spark just a couple of kids' minds and give them the right idea and introduce them to God, keep them off the streets, inspire them, it would mean more to me than winning a world title or being a champion.

Thank you, sir, for your time and good luck April 1st.