I can only imagine what was going through Randy Guerrero’s mind as he waited and waited and waited and …. waited, to make his professional boxing debut Saturday night at Oracle Arena.
Guerrero, 20, the younger brother of six-time world champion Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero, and his opponent Juan Urbina, were listed on the official bout sheet as the second fight of the night. Meaning, the boxers were to take the ring somewhere around 5:30 p.m.
I got to the Arena at about 4 p.m., found my seat on media row and wandered around. I stumbled across the dressing room where Guerrero, father Ruben and a few others were waiting. Guerrero had his hands all taped up and he was stretching. Everyone was loose, excited and full of energy. Ruben had just finished some of his well-known one-arm push-ups.
Four hours later, at about 9 p.m., Guerrero finally had his chance. And after the non-stop, four-round fight – seriously, both guys were literally punching one another the entire time – he still had the energy, maybe more so with all that adrenaline coursing through his body.
I don’t know how boxers do it. An outward appearance of calm right before stepping onto a small, canvas platform, where they put themselves in front of someone ready to clobber them for three minutes at a time.
Read about the fight here.
Thank you to the Guerrero family for allowing me backstage. That crew is always entertaining.
As for The Ghost, I suspect he is back in the ring before the new year. He has some serious momentum right now. The latest story on Robert Guerrero can be found here.
• On the prep scene:
Some may feel a little concern when reading that the Gilroy High and Christopher High football teams are 0-2 to start the season.
Well, that is reasonable, but hold on one second. Both teams are breaking in new starting quarterbacks who have shown glimpses of what they are capable of. Both teams, too, are replacing a bunch of players. It takes a bit of time to acclimate.
It just so happens that the locals had to feel their way into the year against two very quality teams in Morgan Hill.
Panic, not yet.
Of note, Christopher High’s varsity girls water polo team already has more league victories (2) than it did all of last season. The Cougars have score a combined 22 goals in those two wins those far and are led by a strong core of returners, including all-leaguer Kaitlin Ramirez.
• On Base:
How about those Oakland A’s? The Bay Area’s other team. As of Tuesday afternoon, the Athletics are 80-60. That’s the second best record in baseball. They have a 1.5 game lead in the Wild Card chase. Will the A’s and Giants be in the postseason as the same time? If so, it’ll be the first occasion since 2002.
• In the trenches:
The San Francisco 49ers looked particularly solid against the Packers on Sunday. That 30-22 is a huge boost. And while FOX broadcaster Joe Buck called it an upset, I whole-heartedly disagree. The Niners can play with anyone in the league. They proved that again Sunday.
The Raiders. meanwhile, laid an egg on Monday Night Football. Blame the back-up long snapper if you must, but the offense looked anemic.
