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.

The last time I took a list at the top 10 pound for pound boxers in the world was in December. Manny Pacquiao was fresh off of his destruction of Oscar De La Hoya and Bernard Hopkins was enjoying his extended reemergence as a dominant fighter after thoroughly dominating Kelly Pavlik.

Since then a lot has changed. Joe Calzaghe has announced his retirement, joining the likes of Floyd Mayweather as fighters who retired at the top of the game with an undefeated record but are likely to be drawn back to the sport for the right fight. Antonio Margarito was suspended for using illegal hand wraps, and Shane Mosley emerged as the best welterweight in the world. Let's take a look at the current top 10 pound for pound boxers.

1A. Manny Pacquiao - 48 (36) - 3 - 2 - After jumping up to welterweight and trouncing Oscar De La Hoya, Pacquiao's next fight is scheduled for May against junior welterweight Ricky Hatton. Hatton fought the last pound for pound king, Floyd Mayweather, in December of 2007 and suffered his only defeat. He faces an entirely different beast in Manny Pacquiao, but perhaps one he is better suited to. Will Pacquiao's speed and power enable him to avoid Hatton's inside mauling tactics?

1B. Juan Manuel Marquez - 50 (37) - 4 - 1 - Marquez established himself as the best lightweight on the planet when he knocked out Juan Diaz. After which he called out the retired Mayweather, while still clamoring for another shot at Manny Pacquiao. Marquez, like Pacquiao, has been able to take both his speed and his power up to higher weight classes. As one of the most technically sound fighters in the game he has a chance to pull out any fight that he enters. The Diaz performance was a dynamic one, and Marquez needs big fights at this stage of his career. He's following Pacquiao and the money to the junior welterweight ranks.

3. Bernard Hopkins - 49 (32) - 5 - 1 - After Hopkins embarrassed the middleweight champion, he has taken some time to survey the scene. With Calzaghe retiring, and the prospects of facing the quick and powerful Chad Dawson in a Jermain-Taylor-nightmare-redux scenario (younger, physically gifted fighter in his prime) awaiting him, Hopkins instead may be opting to jump to cruiserweight to challenge champion Tomasz Adamek. Dawson was able to outbox Adamek, so one would have to give the crafty Hopkins a solid chance at out pointing the best cruiserweight on the planet.

4. Israel Vazquez - 43 (31) - 4 - Now inactive for a year, Vazquez has been eyeing several return bouts. The possibilities include a fourth fight with Marquez and battles with young stars such as Juan Manuel Lopez. However, if he doesn't return to the ring soon, he risks losing his status as one of the best warriors in the game. One has to wonder how much the Marquez fights took out of him at this point.

5. Rafael Marquez - 37 (33) - 5 - Ditto for Marquez.

6. Paul Williams - 36 (27) - 1 - Williams finally has his next fight scheduled. After not being able to secure a bout with any of the top welterweights, Williams will be taking on veteran tactician Winky Wright. Wright hasn't fought since he jumped to 170 and looked out of shape in a losing effort to Bernard Hopkins a year and a half ago. Williams, who has been jumping around weight classes from welterweight to middleweight, would make a statement by beating Wright, who is returning to a more natural weight.

7. Shane Mosley - 46 (39) - 5 - Antonio Margarito and his hand wraps didn't phase Shane Mosley. The former welterweight champ made a long awaited return to the top of the welterweight division. He showed why he is still a fan favorite, a head first style, power in both hands and a willingness to take on seemingly all comers, which has in the past cost him his perch atop the boxing world. Mosley was narrowly out pointed by Miguel Cotto, and now that Margarito is suspended and Cotto has returned from his loss via the possibly tainted hands of Margarito, a rematch between the two seems the logical decision.

8. Chad Dawson - 27 (17) - 0 - Dawson's rematch with Antonio Tarver was postponed after he suffered an injury in training. It would be much better if the rematch was cancelled. In its place could be a rematch of a fight that was actually close and disputed, with Glen Johnson. Dawson could also jump to cruiserweight to fight a man he has also already beaten (a win that looks more impressive in each passing day), Tomasz Adamek. Of course fights against Hopkins and Calzaghe would be interesting, but both seem to want to go in another direction.

9. Tomasz Adamek - 37 (25) - 1 - Perhaps the fighter on the best streak in boxing is Tomasz Adamek. After suffering his lone loss to Chad Dawson, Adamek jumped up to cruiserweight and emerged as an unstoppable wrecking ball. He dispatched former unified champion O'Neil Bell and then dispatched champion Steve Cunningham. Since, he knocked out Johnathon Banks seemingly out of nowhere, and a rematch with Cunningham awaits, as long as he accepts the challenge.

10. Vic Darchinyan - 32 (26) - 1 - 1 - After being knocked out against Nonito Donaire, the cocky Armenian went back to the gym and honed his craft. He returned with a crisp jab and enough head movement that the word "defense" can now be counted as being included in his vocabulary. A three fight win steak over Dmitri Kirillov, Cristian Mijares and Jorge Arce is as good as any active fighter's not named Tomasz Adamek. However, continuing to move up in weight and challenging the fighters at 122 lbs could be a case study in fatal hubris.

Bubble Fighters: Arthur Abraham, Ivan Calderon, Miguel Cotto, Ricky Hatton, Juan Manuel Lopez

As of yet, no conclusion has been reached by the commission, although they promised a prompt finding. According to a press release from California State Athletic Commission Chairman Tim Noonan, Antonio Margarito and his chief corner man, Javier Capetillo have had their licenses temporarily suspended and a preliminary hearing has been set for February 10^th. The hand wraps are being analyzed by the California Department of Justice.

Before every professional boxing match, a fighter gets his hands wrapped. Hands can be wrapped in an endless amount of ways, and indeed, different fighters hire particular trainers or specialists who have perfected their own styles and techniques purported to maximize hand protection. You don't have to follow rigid guidelines for how to wrap hands in boxing, but you do need to avoid certain illegal techniques.

The degree to which you can cheat with illegal hand wraps varies. Margarito and his corner have been accused of adding a plaster like substance to the fighter's hand wraps. This plaster would have hardened underneath his gloves, turning protective hand wraps into rock hard clubbing weapons.

On Saturday night, this was of no consequence, as Shane Mosley expertly moved inside Margarito's looping power punches and launched his own pinpoint counter shots and combinations. (Ironically, Shane Mosley's name has been back in the news recently regarding his testimony around the BALCO case, and his admittance to using banned performance enhancer EPO). It was Margarito who ended up battered in this contest, and no amount of illegal hand wrapping would have changed that.

However, Margarito has made his career based upon the accumulation of punishment that he doles out to opponents. Most notably, he launched a devastating and brutal attack on former champion Miguel Cotto that left Cotto's face a bloody pulp. While no wrongdoing has been proven in that fight or in any other Antonio Margarito contest, the cloud of doubt has to be cast over all of his in ring accomplishments.

If this was the first case of Margarito illegally altering his hand wraps before a match, one has to ask why? He was a successful fighter and a champion without doing so before. And now all of his wins must be questioned. If Margarito and his corner did this for years before, one has to ask how did he get away with it for so long?

The boxing commission of the state where a bout takes place has to sign off on every fighter's hand wraps before every match. And opposing trainers are given the opportunity to view the hand wrapping process as well. This weekend, it was Mosley trainer Nazim Richardson who spotted something amiss with Margarito's hand wraps and complained. The commission agreed, and forced Margarito to rewrap his hands.

Still unknown is whether Antonio Margarito knew about the illegal hand wrapping or what, if any, his involvement was. Also left unknown is how many times Margarito went into the ring with altered hand wraps and whether or not any past opponents will try to take action against Margarito. A lawyer for Kermit Cintron, a fighter Margarito knocked out twice, has already contacted the California State Athletic Commission.

Pending the results of the California State Athletic Commision's investigation into the illegal hand wraps, Margarito could end up officially suspended from boxing for a year or more, and would likely face serious fines.

This was originally published on Associated Content.