As a candidate for a bout with Floyd Mayweather, Jr., it seems as though Robert Guerrero's name was snatched out of thin air. On every level, the fight just doesn't make sense.
Guerrero (29-1-1, 18 KOs) is a good fighter and certainly deserving of a big payday, but the former featherweight and super featherweight world champion just barely made his lightweight debut in 2010 and scored his biggest win last April against Michael Katsidis for the interim WBA lightweight belt.
The native of Gilroy, Calif., is also not exactly a household name and has never so much as headlined an HBO Boxing After Dark card, much less a high profile pay-per-view.
Yet, here we are just days away from the announcement of Mayweather's opponent for the May 5 date at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and several reports indicate that not only is Guerrero on the short list of potential foes, but he very well may be at the top of the list.
Other than Guerrero being a Golden Boy fighter and, therefore, easier to handle in negotiations, the matchup is absolutely perplexing.
Kudos to Guerrero's publicist, Mario Serrano, who has doggedly pushed this fight for his client, willing it to happen. Over the last several weeks, many boxing scribes (myself included) have come to expect frequent messages from Serrano detailing why this fight can and should take place. If Mayweather-Guerrero happens, a good part will be because Serrano paved the way for a very odd matchup to be seen as slightly less random.
For Mayweather, a Guerrero fight will be a lose-lose situation, though, similar to his bout with Juan Manuel Marquez.
Mayweather will likely be too big and too good for Guerrero, but anything other than total domination will make him look pretty bad. Even total domination, against a fighter who is just barely becoming an elite lightweight, would probably go down as a less than stellar mark on his resume.
From a sales standpoint, Mayweather will also have to do all the work when it comes to selling the fight. Few outside of hardcore fans know Guerrero and the 28-year-old southpaw has been undercard material for his biggest bouts against Michael Katsidis, Vicente Escobedo and Joel Casamayor.
If Mayweather-Pacquiao can't happen (and it likely won't), Saul "Canelo" Alvarez has also been rumored for the Mayweather Cinco de Mayo date. The 21-year-old Mexican fighter from Guadalajara, Jalisco, carries much greater name recognition than Guerrero and, as a junior middleweight, will at least hold a size advantage over Mayweather.
For Guerrero, a go at junior welterweight would make infinitely more sense, perhaps against a veteran name like Humberto Soto or, if he should get by Danny Garcia in March, Erik Morales. From there, a Mayweather bout would make a bit more sense.
For now, fans and media will just have to wait and see who gets the nod for the lucrative Mayweather fight. Rumor has it the announcement will be made by the end of this week.
