The Ghost takes a hard right to the chin during his fight Friday night against Efren Hinojosa. Guerrero won the fight by way TKO but took a few good shots from his oppoenent on his way to victory.
SAN JOSE -- Robert "The Ghost" Guerrero's mouthpiece was inserted upside-down seconds before his fight began Friday night. The mistake was quickly corrected before the bell, and eight rounds later Guerrero's career track was also back in proper position.
Earning a technical knockout when Efren Hinojosa couldn't start the ninth round due to a dislocated right elbow, Guerrero (24-1-1, 17 KOs) did his best to redeem himself in front of an HP Pavilion crowd that was left disappointed in his previous bout at the same site three months earlier.
Minutes after the victory, Shelly Finkel of Golden Boy Promotions announced he had landed Guerrero a title fight Aug. 22 in Houston. Guerrero will face IBF junior lightweight titleholder Malcolm Klassen (24-4-2, 15 KOs) of South Africa on a card being headlined by lightweights Juan Diaz and Paul Malignaggi.
"As long as he won he was going to get the fight," Finkel said. "I'm just glad he was able to get some tough rounds in."
Showing a steady resolve in the way he stalked Hinojosa around the ring, Guerrero, who had fought all of three rounds in the last year before Friday night, shook off any ring-rust by being the busier fighter. On top of being busy, Guerrero also proved to be the more effective fighter. All three judges had him headed to a unanimous decision before the fight was stopped.
His methodical approach worked in two ways: breaking down Hinojosa's defense while limiting any damage the Mexican could inflict.
"He landed a couple good shots, solid ones, (but) he didn't hurt me at all," Guerrero said.
The eighth round looked to lean Guerrero's way after Hinojosa (30-6-1, 17 KOs) landed a looping right hand to start. Guerrero took over from there, though, putting together combinations and landing a solid left at the bell.
Hinojosa grabbed his right elbow while walking back to his corner, which seemed inconsequential until Guerrero jumped out of his stool during the break.
As Hinojosa sat calmly his corner, Guerrero climbed the ropes of the three vacant corners to applause.
After having his last fight cut short by a headbutt in the second round -- leading to a deep cut over his right eye and a no-contest decision against Daud Yordan -- a seventh-round cut over Guerrero's left eye in Friday's fight actually put the Gilroy native at ease.
"When I got the cut, I felt it right away. You can feel it right away; it gets real hot," Guerrero said. "I smiled. I was like, 'Hey, this is my time to shine.'
"I just relaxed and kept working. You get excited, that's when you start running into more headbutts and elbows."
Guerrero was told the cut, which appeared to be deep but not as bad as his last one, should heal in time for his next fight.
While Guerrero spent most of his six weeks of training for Friday's fight focusing on himself and how he could get better, he said the next two and a half months will be all about how he can beat Klassen.
"This is a championship fight," he said. "I'm gonna study."
Josh Koehn Josh Koehn is the sports editor of the Gilroy Dispatch.
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