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Robert "The Ghost" Guerrero is out of the sling that was holding his surgically-repaired left arm, and looking forward to his ring return in early 2012. The 28-year-old lightweight was set to move up to junior welterweight on August 27 against Marcos Maidana, but was forced to pull out of the fight due to injury. Now he's setting his sights even higher: Floyd Mayweather Jr and the welterweight division.
From Lem Satterfield:
I know Floyd will be looking for another fight at the beginning of the year, because he didn't have to put in that much work on Saturday. Hey, let's make that fight.
You get guys like Amir Khan who throw out names but they don't sign the contracts. But you've got guys like Floyd who fight the best. You know what? Let's do it.
... I've been denied fights and it's been tough to get some of the marquee names into the ring with me. It's time. It's now or never so let's do it. I believe in my abilities and I'm ready to fight the best in the world.
Guerrero (29-1-1, 18 KO) has been on the cusp of a breakout on plenty of occasions, but something always comes up and cuts off his rise. This time it was the shoulder injury. He's an ambitious guy who wants the biggest fights, so while it's highly unlikely he'll fight Floyd next year, it's not surprising to hear him say he wants it, and I think he genuinely, truly wants the fight, not just as a payday.
Guerrero also had some harsh words for Amir Khan. Khan and Guerrero were discussed as a possible July matchup, but Khan went with Zab Judah instead. Khan may be the leading candidate to face Mayweather next year:
Well, you've got guys like Amir Khan who throw your name out, but it's like his name, 'Amir Khan-artist.' He's a con artist. You can pull the wool over the eyes of the general public. But when you get boxing guys like me and people in boxing, it's different.
If Khan doesn't land Mayweather next year, a fight with Guerrero could be a possibility. Both have their designs on moving to welterweight, and both are Golden Boy fighters. It shouldn't be that hard of a fight to make if it does at some point make sense.