Boxing News: Robert Guerrero Moves Up to 140 to Take on Marcos Maidana

On August 27, former featherweight and junior lightweight title holder Robert "The Ghost" Guerrero moves up to junior welterweight to face the always tough Argentinian contender Marcos Maidana at the Shark Tank in San Jose, California.

This one definitely has "fight-of-the-year" potential.

With the addition of Guerrero, the 140 pound class continues to swell with talented fighters. However, Amir Khan's one-sided drubbing of Zab Judah put the rest of the division on notice, leading many observers to conclude that the British champion is simply head and shoulders above the rest of the junior welterweights—not including Timothy Bradley.

Guerrero adds another high profile resume to the division, along with the potential for another big-time match up.

Maidana, meanwhile, takes his third straight fight against elite competition. His relentless and rugged style, combined with his eagerness in the ring is guaranteed to continue increasing his popularity.

So far Maidana has given Amir Khan his toughest night's work, losing a bruising, back and forth decision to him last December. A win against Guerrero would likely be Maidana's golden ticket for a rematch with Khan. 

The Rundown on Marcos Maidana

Marcos Maidana fights like a demon, relentless and attacking. Maidana dropped in his first round against Khan after a vicious body shot, a shot that appeared to have ended the fight. Somehow Maidana quickly got back to his feet and proceeded to fight all out for another 11 rounds.

Khan seemed to have Maidana thoroughly out-classed with the fight well in hand several times during their match up. Then Maidana would miraculously manage to force Khan into more brawling on the inside, where Maidana was able to use his uppercuts to punishing effect on Khan. In round 10 he had the British champion badly hurt and on the brink of going down.

Last April Maidana fought another war, this time against the legendary Erik Morales, winning a majority decision—two judges scored the fight 116-112 for Maidana, one scored it 114-114.

Early in the fight, it appeared Maidana might overwhelm the older and smaller Morales but the Mexican icon held snug in the pocket and was able to pick out holes in El Chino's armor.

It's no secret: Maidana is extremely easy to hit. He'll gladly take two to give his opponent one. Maidana was knocked down three times before managing to TKO Floyd Mayweather's next opponent, Victor Ortiz, in six.

A world class fighter like Guerrero is going to land on Maidana all night. Absorbing punishment will be part of the Argentinian bull's strategy.

This is why boxing fans know they will get everything they came to see when Marcos Maidana is scheduled to fight.

The Rundown on Robert Guerrero

Robert Guerrero is a boxing prodigy who first fought on the national stage as an amateur.

Personally, I consider him among the most promising of the sport's emerging stars, a tantalizing blend of natural ability and polished skill. Guerrero is a busy and accurate puncher. He is extremely poised with a controlling jab and an excellent straight left.

Against Michael Katsidis, Guerrero held the center of the ring with authority even though he was fighting against a thoroughly determined and exceedingly tough opponent.

The near shut out match was a masterful performance by Guerrero. Katsidis' outburst during the referee's instructions was the most offense he could seem to manage during the fight. However, it still required 12 rounds of intense and exquisite concentration from Guerrero to keep the belligerent Aussie so thoroughly at bay. 

He'll need exactly the same type of performance if he wants to win against Maidana.

Guerrero's hand speed is excellent and his sight and timing are exceptional. He is a center of the ring, full-press fighter who sees openings quickly and attacks with savagery.

Outside the ring, the 28-year-old Guerrero has had the life struggles of a man decades older—In 2010 he retired briefly to put his full energy towards supporting his wife who was undergoing treatment for Leukemia.

Guerrero's wife has been in remission for more than a year now and the Ghost has returned to the ring, newly determined and refocused to pick up where he left off with his extremely promising career.

The Winner Gets Amir Khan?

Coming just over a month after Khan's annihilation of Zab Judah, the Maidana-Guerrero bout sets up nicely as an eliminator fight to see who takes on Amir Khan next.

Of course most boxing observers would prefer to see Khan versus Timothy Bradley, the undefeated and unacknowledged number one at a 140 pounds. But at the moment Bradley appears to still be preoccupied with contractual issues, and a clash of the light welterweight titans appears still far out on the horizon.

I believe that Khan's people would like to keep him available for either Mayweather or Pacquiao. He might not be quite ready for either of them, but they would both represent huge paydays and a much higher level of mainstream exposure. Still, I am optimistic that the "Fight of the Ages" between PBF and Pacman will actually fall into place before the end of the year and get signed for sometime next spring.

That would leave Khan in need of a next opponent, and the winner of Maidana-Guerrero makes perfect sense. If it's Maidana then we get a rematch of one of last year's most exciting fights.It will be one of next year's most anticipated fights.

If it's Guerrero, we get a match up between two of the sports most gifted and exciting young fighters. Khan doesn't look like he'll stay at 140 much longer and the former featherweight champ Guerrero is unlikely to rise any higher. If these two potential legends are going to have their moment together, it will likely have to be at jr. welterweight.