General Admission
God called upon to decide the winner
By Al S. Mendoza
I will not be surprised if Floyd Mayweather Jr. wins today.
But I will not be surprised, though, if he loses.
Robert Guerrero is called “The Ghost” because his speed keeps his opponent hitting wind most of the time.
So, for Mayweather to win, he has to make contact. And that could be a problem.
Yes, Mayweather has reclaimed the world’s pound-for-pound crown from Manny Pacquiao, and he is also the owner of the WBC welterweight title.
But his feet aren’t very much winged anymore as he is 36 years old already.
At that age, Muhammad Ali, who is the greatest fighter of all time, and the fastest heavyweight of all time, lost to Leon Spinks on points.
At 36, most boxers become a bit slower, the knees buckling involuntarily, the feet losing the usual up tempo—not to mention the hand speed missing its old sting whether one likes it or not.
Always, the reflex goes first; the mind can conceive but, alas, the body can’t deceive all the time.
“I’ll get to him as early as the first round,” said Guerrero, the southpaw from Los Angeles, California. “If he won’t fall, I’ll chase him all the way till the last sound of the bell.”
But that could pose problems.
Mayweather is a known sharpshooter.
His feet may have been slowed down by Father Time, yes, but not his hands, which are known to tattoo opponents on the attack.
“There has never been a blueprint good enough to defeat me,” Mayweather said. “Forty three have tried, and all forty three have failed.”
Still, Guerrero is determined to score what could yet be considered the Upset of The Decade.
At 30, Guerrero, the owner of an impressive 31-1-1, win-loss-record, with 18 knockouts, is at the peak of his career.
His promise to engage Mayweather in a brawl has been dictated by the fact that Floyd is climbing the ring today exactly a year after he outpointed Miguel Cotto by unanimous decision on May 5, 2012.
Mayweather might be rusty, which could easily translate into an edge for the recognition-hungry Guerrero.
A victory would mean the whole world would be on the fingertips of Guerrero, who has been ignored all these years despite a sterling record that includes dealing a second loss to the celebrated Andre Berto only recently.
“God is with me in this fight,” said Guerrero, a very religious person who had his fists blessed by a priest before he started training. “God is my weapon so that how can I not win?”
“But God has nothing to do with this,” Mayweather said. “This is just between two fighters trying to defeat each other atop the ring. As always, God will just be a spectator here.”
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