Guerrero hopes hometown will do same, hosts free autograph
signing
GILROY – Robert ‘The Ghost’ Guerrero wanted to celebrate the biggest victory of his blossoming boxing career with his fellow Gilroyans, so what a better place to do it than at Garlic City Billiards.
“It’s open to whoever wants to come,” said Guerrero, as he sat by a table Saturday autographing free photographs of himself for anyone who stopped by. “It’s to let people get to know me and for me to get to know the local residents here.”
A glass casing on one wall of the local pool hall is dedicated to the undefeated featherweight – making it impossible for anyone who comes to shoot some pool not to take notice and ask, ‘Who is The Ghost?’
“I used to see this kid run by my window when he was 13, then when he was 15 and 16,” said Garlic City Billiards owner Bob Tapella of Guerrero. “Then he would tell me he was fighting here and fighting there. I went to the gym and he gave me a picture to put up.”
That’s how the shrine started and as Guerrero’s career began to grow with each victory so did the glass casing.
“Then he gave me another picture. Then he gave me his training gloves and I put them up,” Tapella said. “Then the kid started knocking everyone out. I tell you what the kid don’t ever forget his hometown and where he came from.”
So after scoring a nationally-televised, eighth-round TKO of former world champion Enrique Sanchez June 3 on Showtime, Guerrero returned to Gilroy and made two separate public appearances at the Relay For Life in the morning and at Garlic City Billiards in the evening.
“It shows I don’t think highly of myself over other people. I am who I am and I’m going to stay like that whether I become big or not,” Guerrero said. “It feels good to come home.”
First, Guerrero headed down to Christmas Hill Park for the Relay For Life fundraiser for cancer. He mingled with the masses, participated in the opening ceremonies and signed autographs for the locals.
“It was cool. Just the emotion of hearing people’s stories who were fighting cancer, people who survived cancer, and people who lost loved ones to cancer,” Guerrero said. “It was emotional. It really touched me. I’m going to get involved with that every year.”
Guerrero was there not because he had to or he thought it would help his career. He was there because he truly cares about the community and wants each citizen’s support as he rises in the featherweight ranks.
“It feels good to be home,” said Guerrero with a smile. “It feels real good.”
After his time spent at the Relay For Life, Guerrero met up with his family and friends at Garlic City Billiards for his homecoming party. Everyone was invited and Guerrero reveled in meeting new friends from the community and old acquaintances who he had not seen for a while.
“Robert just wants to do something for the community and the kids,” said Ruben Guerrero, The Ghost’s father and trainer. “He’s likes being a role model to the kids. Robert’s the kind of kid who doesn’t forget where he came from. He’s joyful around people.”
Along with free autographs and a free barbecue for all, Guerrero supporters were treated to another viewing of his latest conquest over Sanchez, the 13th of his young professional career. Fans hung out, chatted with The Ghost, and watched Guerrero’s highlights.
“Basically, it was to celebrate his victory on Showtime and to let the people of Gilroy meet their newest celebrity,” publicist Mario Serrano said. “He’s the No. 1 boxing prospect in the world. If Robert wins a world title, it will be the first one in Northern California in 20 years.”
Guerrero is also destined to become the first world champion who was born and raised in the Garlic Capital of the World. Serrano organized the victory celebration and Tapella was more than willing to host the memorable occasion.
“I just want everyone to know he’s from Gilroy. This is their celebrity,” Serrano said. “There’s Jeff Garcia and now there’s The Ghost. Look for him to fight for a title by the end of this year.”
Although he is mild-mannered and soft-spoken, the 21-year-old fighter is always thinking big, which seems to scare some people in the boxing world. He wants to fight for a title now, not in a couple of years. He has the confidence of a seasoned champion, but some saw it as overconfidence when he took the fight against Sanchez, who was 30-2-4 with 21 knockouts coming in.
“It was a big fight. His only two losses were to champions, to top guys in the weight and he had 21 knockouts,” said Guerrero, who is very knowledgeable about boxing’s past and present. “I wasn’t nervous. I knew what I had to do. I did all the work I had to do for this fight. I was just ready to go.”
Guerrero, who still trains at the Gilroy Community Youth Center on Sixth Street, took a big step forward by beating Sanchez and beating him convincingly.
“It’s a big accomplishment for me,” Guerrero said. “Now I just lay back and see what doors it’s going to open for me.”
Team Guerrero hopes to line up a fight by August or September.
“This was a big fight for him against a guy like this one on Showtime. His career starts from here on up,” the proud father added. “We weren’t looking for the knockout. We just wanted to win the fight. … (Sanchez) didn’t come out to lay down. He trained eight weeks for Robert. We told Robert to keep it on the outside.”
After opening a gash above the right eye of Sanchez, Gilroy’s Ghost continued to pummel his opponent, leading in with his jab and then unloading with power combinations. Sanchez did not answer the bell in the ninth round. The ring doctors stopped the fight due to the cut.
“When I hit him, I knew I hit him solid, but I didn’t know I cut him. Then I just started taking advantage of it and starting banging on it,” Guerrero said. “After a while, I hit the guy with some vicious shots. He wouldn’t go down.”
Before June 4, Sanchez’s only two losses were to Marco Antonio Barrera and Nestor Garza, two of the top featherweights in the world. On June 4, Guerrero joined that elite company.
“We weren’t nervous because we trained hard. We knew Robert was ready for this guy. His sparring went well,” said Ruben Guerrero, who accompanies his son to Van Nuys, Calif. to get top sparring. “We were going in with complete confidence for this fight. We were 100 percent confident.”
And when it was all said and done, the garlic pugilist wanted to share his latest accolade with the community he hopes will embrace him as its newest role model.
As for the glass casing in Garlic City Billiards, “Overtime he fights, I keep something and put it up,” Tapella said. “It’s getting bigger and bigger. I want a pair of trunks next.”
