Congrats on the big win…Would you say this was the best performance of your career?

RG: So far, I'd have to say yea. I mean, we had a game plan, I executed it and I did a lot of stuff in there I usually don't do.

So have the doubters officially been silenced?

RG: Yea, officially I think the doubters have been shushed. But there's always somebody out there. So you keep on going and stay working hard.

You had a clear game plan in the fight… you would move in with your jab and throw a couple of shots, push him left and move to your right. How did that come about?

RG: Yea, breaking Klassen down, watching his film, we knew if we circled to the right and worked behind the jab, and always stayed first… it gives him a lot of trouble and that's one of the things watching him fighting right handed fighters. When they did circle to the right, it gave him a lot of trouble. And for left handers to circle to the right it gives a guy even more trouble. So we knew circling him right behind a double, triple jab was gonna give him a lot of trouble.

What did you think of Klassen's performance? Judging from his words he was underestimating you quite a bit…

RG: I think he was ready for an old Robert Guerrero. The Robert Guerrero that likes to sit in there and exchange punches… and just have a war. I think he was thinking that I was gonna come in like that and that's what he trained and prepared for. His game plan was to just come in and just bang me out. We had the perfect game plan for him and from my point of view, and the way I was dictating the fight, he didn't know what to do.

How did the hand injury happen and did you know it as soon as it did?

RG: I hurt it earlier in training and I had to nurse it a little bit. It was feeling good going into the fight, but I never really put any power on it too hard, to really know if it was OK or not. I think it was midway through the fight, I hit him with a, I think it was an uppercut, and I hit him close to the top of the head and I just felt it just like a spring, right away I could feel it. Every time I threw a hard, solid left hand I could feel it a lot. But you know, I kept throwing it and throwing it, and just solid enough to let him know that there was nothing wrong with me and if he came in I was gonna let one go. Part of being in there was having that poker mentality, not letting him know what was going on.

In addition to that you were also dealing with that cut…What were you thinking after the clash of heads and did you think it was intentional at all?

RG: Yea, a lot of times he was just trying to rush in head first and land an overhand right. Most of the time as soon as I would throw a double or triple jab and step off he would come head first and just try to land whatever he could land. To come in darting in with your head first… sometimes it's intentional.

Were you bothered at all by the cut for the rest of the fight or was it something you weren't worried about too much, just sticking to the game plan?

RG: I wasn't worried about the cut at all. I got back to the corner and my corner did a great job being relaxed and not getting crazy. Cut man Ruben Gomez did an excellent job with the cut and it didn't bother me at all. I was able to stay on my game and maintain focus, and stick with my game plan.

You averaged 100 punches per round in the fight and only seemed to slow down a bit or take a rest, around maybe the ninth or tenth round. How much did your training camp in Big Bear help you build up that kind of stamina?

RG:  Man, it made a huge difference being out there in Big Bear training. I didn't even realize I threw that many punches. The rounds that I did slow up, I actually slowed up to stand my ground a little more and blast some body shots in there. Then right away I jumped backed on it, but man, if I would have just stuck on my jab and stayed with what I was doing the whole fight, it would've been a lot more punches.

That's when I was like… wow. Looking back on it on how many punches I threw and how much boxing I did and how much moving I did in the ring… man, it makes a huge difference. Now I know why all champions that have the opportunity to go out there and train, go out there and train.

So I'm guessing that for the next fight you'll be brining your title belt up to Big Bear for another training camp?

RG: For sure. I'm pretty sure I'm probably going to be out there for the rest of my career during my training.

During the fight you could see Shane Mosley getting pretty animated at points from his ringside seat. What was he saying to you and what did sparring with him mean to you?

RG: A lot of times I know he was shouting at me to keep turning, rip uppercuts and work off that jab. But just sparring with him, being in the ring with him… his ring generalship, and all of the experience he has... Like he told me, "I've been boxing longer than since you've been born. And I can teach you a thing or two." And that's what he did and I learned a lot from Shane, not just in boxing but in how to take care of yourself, and how to make sure everything is right going into a fight.

I learned so much from him being in camp and that's what you gotta do, you gotta learn every time you get out to a camp. It was nice to be out there with Shane and learning from him, a veteran and pound for pound one of the best lightweights in boxing history. It was an awesome opportunity.

I know your team tried to get a Juan Diaz bout together prior to this fight and sharing the card with him. What did you think of his performance against Malignaggi and is that a fight you'd still like to pursue now if he returns to lightweight?

RG: I would love to fight Juan Diaz, if he dropped down to lightweight or even if I had to go up I would fight him. Honestly, I didn't get to see the fight, I was in the back getting stitched up. I caught the first couple rounds but after that I didn't get to see the rest of the fight. I saw him start off aggressive and firing a lot of punches, and moving in quick, slipping and sliding. He looked good on the first couple rounds that I saw, but unfortunately I didn't get to see the whole fight. I heard it was a real close fight and it was controversial with some of the judging, but I haven't really gotten to see it.

Obviously you have a lot of healing up and relaxing to do, not to mention celebration I'm sure. Is there any chance we'll be seeing you in the ring again before 2009 is out?

RG: Right now we are gonna play it by ear. I know they are probably working on something already, but I'm going to go tomorrow to get my hand looked at. And I have to give the cut a little bit of time to heal, and make sure I'm 100% before I get in the ring. But for sure, I'm hoping to get back in the ring before the end of 2009.

This win was your third world title, and a championship in a second division. I know this was a goal of yours since you got back in the ring after your layoff. What's the next goal?

RG: Looking towards unifying titles at 130 pounds. Even if I could get another fight at 135 with anybody…I'd love to take that. But I think that's the next thing, to unify titles and I'm excited about that and I'm in the position to do that now.

Is there anybody in particular you're looking to get in there with… obviously there's Linares and Soto and a bunch of guys… or is it whoever is around and steps up?

RG: Hopefully I can get in there with Humberto Soto or Jorge Linares.

Congrats again on the win and thanks for the time.

This interview was conducted by Jake Emen for Pro Boxing Fans, and has also been published on Associated Content.

Guerrero sparring with Shane Mosley; says Juan Diaz turned down a fight with him

Robert, it's good to talk with you again…

You just got up to Big Bear last week to begin preparations for an August 22^nd battle against Malcolm Klassen for the IBF super featherweight title. How are you feeling at the start of camp?

RG: I feel good, I've been at it for about a week already. I'm getting used to the elevation, it kind of grabbed me there. But I'm getting used to it and it's gonna be good to be out here and getting ready for the fight.

You fought just over a month ago and your upcoming fight will be held basically in 5 weeks from now. That's after a stretch where you only had two rounds of boxing in over a year. How nice is it for you just to be active again?

RG: Oh, I'm pumped about that. That's one of things we talked about with my manager Bob Santos and Shelly Finkel, is keeping busy all the time. There were times when it would be a year and a half, a year, and now to be fighting in a row like this it's a great opportunity to be into it and get sharp.

It's been a long road for you over the last 18 months since you were the IBF featherweight champion, obviously with your wife's illness, the promotional problems and the quick end to your fight with Daud Yordan… but finally your title shot is here. Can you describe what that's like for you?

RG: It's exciting, I'll be going for my third world championship in two weight classes and I'm excited about it. I'm even more excited about this fight to be moving up to super featherweight and fighting for the world championship. I didn't think I was going to get the shot this soon, I thought it would be towards the end of the year. But getting it this next fight, I'm excited about it. It came earlier than I thought and I just can't wait and that's why I'm out here in Big Bear getting ready for the fight and doing everything that's necessary to be ready for it.

After checking out your fight history, it looks like you fought once in Denmark and I believe four times in Florida and everything else has been on the west coast or in the southwest. Do you have a lot of fans in Houston and what do you expect from the crowd that night?

RG:  Yea I have a lot of family out in Texas and they're gonna be there on fight night. I'll be out there as the American fighting for the world championship. It's going to be a hometown crowd and I'm excited about it. It's going to be an exciting fight.

There had been some rumors circulating that you and Juan Diaz were going to be matched up against one another, and obviously now you're on the undercard to his fight against Paulie Malignaggi. Was there any truth to that and if so why did the fight fall apart?

RG: They were trying to make the fight with Juan Diaz for this upcoming August fight. My management team sent the offers and they got turned down. They made the fight with Paul Malignaggi and I don't know too much how that went but we were trying to get the fight with Diaz and they turned it down.

Was that a fight HBO was pushing for?

RG: HBO wanted the fight but it didn't happen.

Well then maybe you two can hook up in the future at some point. I've read that you're planning on doing some sparring with Shane Mosley. Have you sparred with him before?

RG: Yea, I sparred with him the first time I ever came out here. I was actually getting ready for Rocky Juarez. That fight fell out, he ended up fighting Marquez and I fought Martin Honorio. I knocked him out in 56 seconds…

…A bit easier than sparring with Mosley?

RG: (laughs) He was like a turtle compared to Shane. I was on it and I was sharp. So I'm excited to be working with Shane. Shane's on top of his game right now. He's out here and he's going to help me out with this fight. Klassen has quick hands, and I don't think anybody in boxing has quicker hands than Shane Mosley right now, so it's gonna be good for me.

You're both California based fighters, how long have you known Shane?

RG: I've known Shane since, I'd say going on about three years since the first time I came out here was when I met him. Ever since then he's been a gentlemen and always is throwing his tips in there to help me out. One thing about Shane is that he's always there to help.

Who else will you be sparring with for this camp?

RG: We're going to be sparring with another guy, Eloy Perez, who always spars with me and helps me out with the fights and he's also out here. There's one more guy that they're going to be bringing in, he's fighting Luevano for the title at featherweight. [Bernabe Concepion]. He needs left handed sparring so I'm perfect sparring for him, since Luevano is also a tall fighter and a southpaw. [The arrangement hasn't been finalized as of yet]… If it does go through it will work out nice because he's about 5'4", about Klassen's size and I'm Stevie Luevano's size.

You mentioned that Klassen has fast hands, what else can you tell us about him? Most American fight fans haven't seen much of him…

RG: He's tough, like most African fighters are. They keep coming, throw a lot of punches, they're in great shape. And he has fast hands, fast feet, he gets in and out and... I mean, he's a fighter.

He's on a five fight knockout streak and you haven't had a win go to the scorecards in about 7 years. Is it safe to say we will be seeing some fireworks on August 22?

RG: Oh yea. You know how those Africans are, they come to fight. So I know he's coming to fight. It's going to be a good fight and I'm excited about it because I love fighting… I love getting in there and mixing it up. So there's gonna be a lot of fireworks.

What do you think is going to give you the edge in this fight and how do you see it playing out?

RG: Height. Speed. Power. The southpaw stance. I got a big advantage and it's about using it and getting established in the ring.

Would you be disappointed with anything outside of a knockout win?

RG: No, a win is a win and he's a champion. A two time IBF world champion and he's not there for nothing and I know he's coming to fight. Getting the win, whether it goes to the scorecards or it's short, it's always a good win.

It's August 23^rd and you're the new IBF super featherweight champion. What's your dream end to the year following that?

RG: God willing, everything goes great? Shoot for that unification belt. I know there's talks about Jorge Linares and Humberto Soto unifying titles, and the winner out of them… hey, I'd love to unify with them.

I'm sure you have some high altitude hills to run so I won't keep you from your training, thanks for the time and good luck.

RG: No problem, thank you.

This intervew was conducted by Jake Emen for Pro Fighting Fans and was also published on Associated Content.

Your opponent just changed, you're now set to face Efren Hinojosa. What do you know about him?

RG: Um, I have NO clue the style he has or anything. The one good thing I did out in Los Angeles getting ready for this fight is we prepared for a lot of different things. I didn't know too much about (previously scheduled opponent) Johnny Edwards either, so we prepared for a bunch of different styles.

You're just a few days out, what have your final preparations been like?

RG: Final preparations are just maintaining and staying hard, just getting zoned in and focused, making sure everything's sharp. Working pads and letting my whole body heal up.

In the last 15 months you've only been in the ring for a total of 2 rounds.  Do you feel like there's any rust at this point or do you have any other concerns with your body right now?

RG: I don't feel like there's any rust at all. Having good sparring, always staying active in the gym and not getting out of shape keeps you on top of it. And we're going to be ready and I don't feel no regrets or anything.

You mentioned you've been getting good sparring...who have you been sparring with during this training camp?

RG: I've been sparring with a guy, Art Hovhannesyan, he's an Armenian guy and a real tough guy. He was one of the sparring partners for Manny Pacquiao and he was sharp on the left handed stance already so it helped me out a lot, him doing rounds with Manny. He brought a lot of game to the table for sparring. And then also,another prospect that's on the undercard of the fight, Eloy Perez, helped me out a lot.

You get the opportunity to fight once again out of San Jose, are there added expectations this time out?

RG: I'm excited to come back and fight in San Jose again in front of the hometown crowd. You know... last time out it was unfortunate... the fight only went two rounds and they didn't get the show they deserved. I'm coming ready to fight and put on a show for them and I'm excited about it.

I'm sure you're sick of talking about that last fight (a No Contest due to a cut over his eye in the 1^st round), but maybe you could describe the injury and how frustrating that was for you...

RG: It was real frustrating... it was a bad cut, bad location. It was frustrating that I didn't get a chance to work. I didn't really get to go to work and put in the rounds and put up a good fight for the crowd. It was just unfortunate and you just gotta bounce back and be ready for the next one.

How long did the cut prevent you from seriously training?

RG: It was 23 stitches... I had to take a good month off and let it heal up and put no stress on it. It's all good now...I'm excited and I'm ready to go.

Are you viewing this fight as just another fight or are you viewing it as a major chance to really vault yourself back into the picture and maybe even shut people up a bit?

RG: Oh yea, there's a lot to prove and a lot of doubters to prove wrong. I'm going to come out and do what I've been doing for my whole career and since I've been a kid. Just come out and fight and do what I do best.

What's next after this fight?

RG: Right now I'm just concerned about this fight and getting this taken care of first.

So what do you think about Juan Manuel Marquez, a guy who until recently was at your weight class, taking on Floyd Mayweather?

RG: I think it's going to be a good fight, you know Marquez is on his game right now and his last two performances have been incredible with Juan Diaz and Joel Casamayor. He's on top of it right now, he brings a lot to the table. He's a physical fighter and a technical boxer. He picks guys apart and I think he's going to put up a good fight with Floyd Mayweather and it all depends on how Floyd comes out of retirement and how he's looking. But the one thing about him is he's always in shape and always on top of it.

Any prediction?

RG: Just going to be a fan on that and just watch and see how the outcome comes out. It's going to be a good fight.

Thanks for the time and good luck on Friday.

Robert "The Ghost" Guerrero

I got the chance to speak with Robert Guerrero, two-time IBF featherweight champion about his upcoming fight against Daud Cino Yordan (23-0, 17 KOs) of Indonesia, fighting on HBO in his home town of San Jose and how it feels to be back in action.

How was the Sharks game the other night? (Robert was a guest at HP Pavilion for the Sharks-Kings game on February 19)

RG: It was nice. It was a good game, we had a good time out there.

It must be great to be in front of the fans and obviously you are going to be fighting in San Jose coming up. What does that mean to you to be fighting in front of your hometown fans?

RG: It means a lot, I've been wanting to fight in San Jose for a long time, and the fans want me to fight out here. The event is going to be huge. It's going to be an HBO fight, first time ever that HBO has been to San Jose. It's going to be awesome and I can't wait. I know everybody's excited. It's what the Bay Area needs, big fights.

I know you also have your own blog, you have a MySpace page. How is it getting to interact with the fans directly like that?

RG: The fans are always there for me, with support... they support me a lot. Not just in boxing, but with the situation with my wife and everything. So you have to take the time for the fans.

Do you read any other athlete's blogs or do you have any websites you try to stay up to date with?

RG: Yea I visit Fightnews and Maxboxing a lot, and just try to keep up on what's going on with boxing.

So anyway, getting to the fight, it was great to see you back in the ring last month. I know you must be excited with it getting close to fight time, so how are you feeling and how is training going?

RG: I'm feeling great, my body is feeling great. The nice thing is after the last fight I came out of there in 43 seconds and didn't get injured, no soreness or anything. So I was able to take a couple of days off and jump right back in, and not have to worry about getting into shape and just working on what I need to do for this fight.

A lack of rounds has to be somewhat of a concern for you though, you've only gotten 1 round of action in the last year. Have you been doing anything different in camp to help with that or have you been sparring more or anything?

RG: Just keeping the sparring at a certain amount and making sure I'm in great shape. The one thing is you don't want to overwork for a fight, and having the lack of rounds you don't want to think you need to train harder, because then you'll burn yourself out. So it's touchy, it's a touchy situation. That's where your experience comes in.

What do you know about your opponent, have you seen any tapes of him?

RG: Yea I've seen some tapes of him, I saw his last fight which was actually here in the United States (Note: Yordan has fought once more since then). He's a good, sharp fighter. Good counter puncher, moves good. So we're working up a game plan to take advantage of his style. He's a solid fighter.

You're also up at super featherweight now, how does your body feel at 130 lbs?

RG: Oh, it feels great! Real strong, real strong! It's a huge difference. I feel stronger, faster. I'm happy and I'm happy making this move to 130 lbs.

After this fight do you think you'll be ready for some of the big names at 130 lbs and a possible title shot? Or do you think you'll need a few more step up fights?

RG: I'm hoping to get a title fight after this fight, but if not then by the end of the year. I'm excited about that and with Golden Boy I'll be able to take advantage of that.

Obviously your promotional situation was a big hassle for you and it kept you out of the ring (a dispute with his former promoter kept him out of the ring for almost a year). How does it feel to be with Golden Boy right now and to have that whole situation squared away?

RG: I'm happy, happy to be with Golden Boy. It's a big weight off my shoulders. When you're working with Golden Boy they make you feel like family, it's like a big happy family, and I couldn't be happier right now.

Do you have anybody in particular your eyeing? Rocky Juarez is at 130 and you've had a fight cancelled with him in the past. There are other guys like Jorge Linares or Humberto Soto... Yuriorkis Gamboa is around that weight. Anybody you'd really like to step in there with?

RG: With the best! All of those names are top fighters in this division and that's who I want to be in with. I'm not picky about who I'm going to fight, it's just about getting those fights. I'm excited that I'm going to have the opportunity to get those fights, and they'll be there. I just can't wait. Whoever it is... whether it's Soto or Gamboa or somebody up there that's ready to go, I'm excited and I'll be ready.

Would you consider moving up to 135 lbs for a big fight with somebody like Juan Manuel Marquez or Juan Diaz or anybody like that?

RG: Oh yea, in a heart beat. I'd love to get up to 135 and challenge one of the top fighters there.

So from 130 to 135 you're taking all comers.

RG: Oh yea!

Lastly and most importantly, you've announced that your wife's cancer is in remission, which is great news. How is she feeling and how is the family?

RG: She's feeling good, the family is doing great. It's always rough and tough when you have a family member that's sick. Especially with boxing and all of the focus needed and all the time you have to put in the gym. It's really a balancing act and everything has to be balanced perfectly. It's been tough, but we've been doing it.

I appreciate the time and wish you and your family the best, and good luck in your upcoming bout.

RG: Thank you.

The Guerrero-Yordan fight will be televised on HBO Boxing After Dark on Saturday, March 7th from San Jose, California.

With a win, Guerrero can set himself up for a title shot against one of the big names in the division, and could emerge as a pound for pound top 10 candidate.

Interview by Jake Emen