GILROY—On March 7, Robert ‘The Ghost’ Guerrero is looking to hand Keith ‘One Time’ Thurman his first loss. And Thurman, he wants to be the first to knockout Guerrero.
“One thing I’ve got to say is Keith hasn’t fought nobody like me,” Guerrero said. “He’s fought tough guys, guys with experience, but he hasn’t fought nobody like me. We’re going to be 100 percent prepared.”
The WBA Welterweight title, currently held by Thurman, will be up for grabs during the inaugural Premier Boxing Champions’ main event bout. The fight is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. March 7 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and will be broadcast live on NBC.
Though he’s jumped two weight classes to the welterweight division, Guerrero said he’s eyeing bringing the title belt back to the Garlic Capital.
“I’m looking to fight the best because if you want to be the best, you have to fight the best,” ‘The Ghost’ said. “Keith Thurman’s one of the best fighters in the world right now and that’s who we got March 7. We’re going to go out there and do what we’ve got to do.”
Thurman and Guerrero is a match-up that’s been several years in the making. The Tampa fighter said fighting ‘The Ghost’ is a dream come true and brings him one step closer to a bout with the man every welterweight wants: Floyd Mayweather Jr.
“This is how we break the ice. I really believe that my career is truly starting on March 7 fighting Robert ‘The Ghost’ Guerrero in the same venue he fought Mayweather in,” Thurman, who is 24-0-0 said. “This is a terrific opportunity to showcase my skills and my talent once more to the world of boxing. After March 7, they can no longer say ‘who has Keith Thurman fought?’”
This Guerrero’s first fight since beating Yoshiro Kamegai in June 2014. The Ghost won that fight by unanimous decision and improved to 32-2-1 overall. Before that, he hadn’t fought since his unanimous decision loss to Mayweather in May 2013.
“You learn from experiences. Mayweather was a big experience for me,” Guerrero said. “We’re going to work off our game plan; we’re breaking down film on Keith and we’re got something in store for him.”
Tickets for the fight are on sale through mgmgrand.com or ticketmaster.com and range from $50-$400. For more information and for a list of the other 20 scheduled “PBC on NBC” fights, visit premierboxingchampions.com.