"Ghost" to headline HBO card in March?

Mark Ortega

It cannot be any more blatantly obvious than it is now how much pull Golden Boy Promotions has with HBO. With Robert Guerrero not even one fight into his new life under Golden Boy, it has been widely reported he will be headlining a HBO Boxing After Dark telecast from San Jose, California.

Guerrero, who had never even appeared on HBO television except once on an HBO-PPV undercard against Orlando Salido, a fight he lost, would go from fighting mainly on ShoBox and in co-featured bouts on Showtime Championship Boxing telecasts to getting a big fight on HBO in the Bay Area, where he is originally from.

Also mentioned was that the show would be a triple-header, featuring other Golden Boy prospects James Kirkland and Victor Ortiz in separate bouts. This proposed card would be the biggest in the Bay Area since Floyd Mayweather, Jr. fought Jesus Chavez and Manny Pacquiao fought Agapito Sanchez on an HBO Boxing After Dark telecast back in 2001.

There are many possible opponents should Guerrero get past Edel Ruiz this Saturday off-television in the main supporting bout to Antonio Margarito's clash with Shane Mosley in Los Angeles at the Staples Center on HBO World Championship Boxing. None were specifically mentioned, but these are the main fights that could be put together and be an exciting one to watch:
vs. Humberto Soto [46-7-2, 29 KOs] - This bout makes sense for both sides. It is a respectable headlining bout, Soto has a world title at super featherweight. Even though Soto is promoted by Top Rank, I don't think either side would have problems coming to an agreement for this fight. Soto fought in December in a tough rematch against Francisco Lorenzo and would be available in March. He is at a point in his career where he needs to be fighting these kinds of fights. Even though he is only 28 years old, Soto has boxed 364 rounds over 55 professional bouts and hasn't always been the hardest guy to hit. For Guerrero, its a bout that would be a dangerous one but one he could definitely win. Stylistically, this bout favors Guerrero because he has a tremendous chin (never knocked down in a professional bout) and superior boxing skills to the plodding Soto. It's more of a question of whether Soto could wear down Guerrero much the way Antonio Margarito wore down Miguel Cotto back in July.

vs. Jorge Linares [26-0, 17 KOs] - Linares is an intriguing matchup but not one that would have a lot of recognizition with the casual fans. Linares has only made one appearance on HBO, in a bout against Oscar Larios (which he won by 10th round TKO) on the HBO-PPV undercard of Antonio Tarver against Bernard Hopkins. That undercard also featured a great fight between Michael Katsidis and Czar Amonsot. Linares, like Soto, is a world champion at super featherweight. This bout also guarantees exciting two-way action. It would be a bout for the hardcore fans, but if HBO is going to deliver on giving us the best matchups instead of the biggest names, this would be a step in the right direction.

vs. Jorge Rodrigo Barrios [47-4-1, 34 KOs] - Many considered Barrios to likely have been a shot fighter heading into his September bout with Rocky Juarez. But Barrios gave Juarez everything he could handle and was ahead on many observers' scorecards before Juarez badly busted up Barrios' lip and scored an 11th round TKO. Barrios doesn't have a belt, but this is a decent test for Guerrero in his first serious fight at 130 and another one that would promise good moments of action. Guerrero could score a fantastic knockout over a decent name as well.

vs. Urbano Antillon [25-0, 18 KOs] - Not a big name yet but he has made many appearances on SoloBoxeo over the course of his career and is from Maywood, California, which is a little over 300 miles away from San Jose. It would be a decent-sized bout for California and Antillon is undefeated, albeit a bit green. A risk for both fighters, but a good bout.

If Guerrero would be willing to go back down to featherweight again for a big fight, throw in the names of Steven Luevano [36-1, 15 KOs] of La Puente, California, Mario Santiago [19-1-1, 14 KOs], and Oscar Larios [63-6-1, 39 KOs] into the mix.

To contact Mark Ortega, e-mail mark@ultimateboxingresults.com