Robert Guerrero Earns Both Redemption and a Title Shot

Coming into his second consecutive nationally televised bout Robert "The Ghost" Guerrero had a lot to prove.  His previous bout back in March against Indonesian fighter, Daud Yordan, was stopped in the second round due to a clash of heads that left Guerrero unable to continue.

Many observers would go on to label Guerrero a quitter.  His most recent win over veteran fighter Efren Hinojosa was enough disprove that notion. 

Making his lightweight debut against a late replacement, Guerrero did exactly what he was supposed to, and then some.  After having completed less than two full rounds over the course of 11 months this bout was to showcase Guerrero in front of his hometown fans, erase any negative lasting memories from his last fight, and give him some much needed rounds. 

He would once again receive a cut from an accidental clash of heads and no one was happier about it than Robert himself.

"I felt it right away," Guerrero would say after the fight. "I smiled inside and I said 'now it's time to show everybody, it's my time to shine.' "

Which is exactly what he did as he continued to press the action landing several hard combinations to break down his tough veteran opponent.

The end would come in the eighth round as Hinojosa was unable to continue due to his right elbow being dislocated, giving Guerrero the 24th win of his career and 17th inside the distance.

Hinojosa has now lost four of his last five, with his only win coming by way of a first round disqualification.

Over 3,000 fans showed up to the HP Pavilion in San Jose to watch the nearby Gilroy native and show their support.  Early on it was clear that his bout with Yordan was the furthest thing from their minds as he would receive a hero's welcome.

With the win not only did Guerrero silence anyone that had questioned his heart but he cleared the way for an August 22 showdown with South African fighter Malcolm Klassen for the IBF version of the junior lightweight title.

The bout will be part of an HBO televised double header at the Toyota Center in Houston, TX where Juan Diaz and Paulie Malignaggi will do battle in the main event.

In this fight Guerrero did his part to earn redemption, in his next fight he'll look to earn the IBF junior lightweight title.