You might wonder why the WBC interim welterweight boxing champion from Gilroy appears to be showing his support for a Hollister mayoral candidate on campaign signs cropping up in Hollister last week.
That boxer, Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero, was surprised himself Friday when an associate told him he was pictured with Hollister mayoral candidate Keith Snow on the campaign signs, according to the boxer’s publicist, Mario Serrano. The signs tell people to vote for Snow and include a photo of the candidate shaking hands with Guerrero above a caption reading, “Thank You Ghost For Your Support.”
Snow, listed as a retired construction engineer, is a relative newcomer to Hollister. He ran for Los Banos mayor in 2010 and gained about 6 percent of the vote in that three-person race.
Snow is among four candidates vying to become Hollister’s first at-large mayor. He is joined by Doug Emerson, a council member and retired school administrator; Marty Richman, retired from posts as an engineering manager and military professional; and Ignacio Velazquez, owner of American Electrical Services and The Vault restaurant.
Based in Gilroy, Guerrero met Snow recently when the candidate showed up to a local boxing gym and asked him to support his bid for Hollister mayor, Serrano said.
“He didn’t know he (Snow) was going to put his face on posters,” said Serrano, who went on, “Robert didn’t know he was going to do all that – he was just being nice to the guy.”
Still, Serrano said Guerrero is a “man of his word” and will stick with the endorsement.
Snow, though, said he knows Guerrero’s family members.
“I know him personally,” he said. “I know his whole family.”
Guerrero’s most recent fight was in late July when he defeated Selcuk Aydin for the interim welterweight title vacated by Floyd Mayweather, jailed at the time on a domestic violence conviction.
