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ROBERT GUERRERO VS. VICENTE ESCOBEDO
A crossroads match between two fighters who seem to have yet to reach their
potential. Both fighters have been highly touted early in their careers but seem to have
lost their luster with untimely losses against second-rate opposition .
Record
ROBERT GUERRERO: Is 27-1 with 18 knockouts. Guerrero’s sole defeat was a
split decision to trial horse Gamaliel Diaz in 2006. Turned pro in April of 2001. Won
both the IBF featherweight and super featherweight titles. Now competing at
lightweight.
VICENTE ESCOBEDO: Is 22-2 with 14 knockouts. Only losses were by split
decisions to Daniel Jimenez in his second year as a pro and to Michael Katsidis last
year. At one point was compared favorably to Oscar De La Hoya. Turned pro in
February of 2005.
Age and physical equipment
ROBERT GUERRERO: Guerrero is 27 years old and stands 5’8” with a 70” inch
reach. Was able to overpower his smaller featherweight foes. Susceptible to cuts and
swelling.
VICENTE ESCOBEDO: Escobedo is 28 years old and stands 5’8” with a 73” inch
reach. Relatively tall for his weight class. Was outworked by the stronger Michael
Katsidis. Very similar to Guerrero in that he built his record on beating physically
smaller opposition.
Previous fight
ROBERT GUERRERO: Guerrero decisioned an aged Joel Casamayor over ten
rounds last July. He was floored in round ten. He managed to deck the steel chinned
Casamayor himself in the second round, however, and had the fight well in his control.
VICENTE ESCOBEDO: Stopped 23-fight loser Carlos Urias in three rounds last
March. Prior to that bout he had lost a split decision to Michael Katsidis in a challenge
for the WBO Lightweight title. The split decision was unjustified. Escobedo was
thoroughly outmuscled and outpointed.
Best weapons
ROBERT GUERRERO: Throws a quick and powerful left cross. Is quite good at
throwing punches from different angles, creating confusion. Guerrero possesses every
punch in the book. Power shots are his right hook and the left cross…Knocked
Honorio silly with a left cross he never saw coming.
VICENTE ESCOBEDO: A sneaky left hook. Escobedo has decent power in both
hands. He does seem to favor his left hook to bring the knockouts. Throws the hook
textbook precision.
Quality of opposition
ROBERT GUERRERO: At first glance, Guerrero’s opposition does not seem that
foreboding but he has fought his share of unknowns who can pose a threat…Malcolm
Klassen, Daud Yordan and Martin Honorio were all minor threats and Guerrero
escaped unscathed. He does not get enough credit for taking on foes that nobody else
wants to fight.
VICENTE ESCOBEDO: Escobedo’s best wins are against badly faded veterans
such as Carlos Hernandez and Kevin Kelley. He was behind on points against the
undefeated Dominic Salcido until turning things around with a sixth round knockout.
Defense
ROBERT GUERRERO: The quintessential boxer/puncher. Guerrero alternates
between the aggressive approach and being a stick and mover…He can resort to
boxing and use a pesky right jab to keep his opponent at bay. Prefers to take the half
step back while in a wide legged stance as opposed to slipping and moving.
VICENTE ESCOBEDO: Escobedo uses a high guard and does not move his head
much. Probes with his left jab and retreats in a straight line when his opponent counters.
No defensive whiz, he stays out of range until he feels like engaging.
Style
ROBERT GUERRERO: Southpaw who mixes boxing with brawling. Is not afraid to
mix it up but is intelligent enough to play four corners when the victory is at hand (see
his win over Joel Casamayor.) Guerrero has deceptive power and speed.
VICENTE ESCOBEDO: The early comparisons to Oscar De La Hoya are spot on.
But Escobedo is a poor man’s Oscar in all respects. He does not have Oscar’s height,
speed or power. His stance and style are the same, however. He uses a strong left jab
and tries to catch opponents coming in with a big left hook.
The Questions
ROBERT GUERRERO: When will he capture the fight public’s imagination? How
successful will he be now that he no longer has a decided height or youth advantage
over his foe? Can he make adjustments in a tough fight? Will he fight aggressively or
stick and move?
VICENTE ESCOBEDO: Was early potential simply a mirage? Does he have the
physical strength to match Guerrero’s? Will he fight with a sense of increased urgency
to avoid a second loss against name opposition?
Outcome
Initially, I strongly favored Guerrero as I was unimpressed with Escobedo’s showing
against Katsidis. After reviewing some of Escobedo’s prior outings, however, he
showed a lot more aggression and discipline than I gave him credit for. This is a fight
that will fall under the category of “styles makes fights.“ I would not be surprised if
Escobedo had early success against Guerrero because his keen left hook maybe the
kryptonite to Guerrero’s southpaw stance. The guess here, however, is that Guerrero’s
experience will enable him to take command of the fight in the middle rounds. He is
simply more versatile than the straight ahead Escobedo. Guerrero by a narrow decision.
A crossroads match between two fighters who seem to have yet to reach their
potential. Both fighters have been highly touted early in their careers but seem to have
lost their luster with untimely losses against second-rate opposition .
Record
ROBERT GUERRERO: Is 27-1 with 18 knockouts. Guerrero’s sole defeat was a
split decision to trial horse Gamaliel Diaz in 2006. Turned pro in April of 2001. Won
both the IBF featherweight and super featherweight titles. Now competing at
lightweight.
VICENTE ESCOBEDO: Is 22-2 with 14 knockouts. Only losses were by split
decisions to Daniel Jimenez in his second year as a pro and to Michael Katsidis last
year. At one point was compared favorably to Oscar De La Hoya. Turned pro in
February of 2005.
Age and physical equipment
ROBERT GUERRERO: Guerrero is 27 years old and stands 5’8” with a 70” inch
reach. Was able to overpower his smaller featherweight foes. Susceptible to cuts and
swelling.
VICENTE ESCOBEDO: Escobedo is 28 years old and stands 5’8” with a 73” inch
reach. Relatively tall for his weight class. Was outworked by the stronger Michael
Katsidis. Very similar to Guerrero in that he built his record on beating physically
smaller opposition.
Previous fight
ROBERT GUERRERO: Guerrero decisioned an aged Joel Casamayor over ten
rounds last July. He was floored in round ten. He managed to deck the steel chinned
Casamayor himself in the second round, however, and had the fight well in his control.
VICENTE ESCOBEDO: Stopped 23-fight loser Carlos Urias in three rounds last
March. Prior to that bout he had lost a split decision to Michael Katsidis in a challenge
for the WBO Lightweight title. The split decision was unjustified. Escobedo was
thoroughly outmuscled and outpointed.
Best weapons
ROBERT GUERRERO: Throws a quick and powerful left cross. Is quite good at
throwing punches from different angles, creating confusion. Guerrero possesses every
punch in the book. Power shots are his right hook and the left cross…Knocked
Honorio silly with a left cross he never saw coming.
VICENTE ESCOBEDO: A sneaky left hook. Escobedo has decent power in both
hands. He does seem to favor his left hook to bring the knockouts. Throws the hook
textbook precision.
Quality of opposition
ROBERT GUERRERO: At first glance, Guerrero’s opposition does not seem that
foreboding but he has fought his share of unknowns who can pose a threat…Malcolm
Klassen, Daud Yordan and Martin Honorio were all minor threats and Guerrero
escaped unscathed. He does not get enough credit for taking on foes that nobody else
wants to fight.
VICENTE ESCOBEDO: Escobedo’s best wins are against badly faded veterans
such as Carlos Hernandez and Kevin Kelley. He was behind on points against the
undefeated Dominic Salcido until turning things around with a sixth round knockout.
Defense
ROBERT GUERRERO: The quintessential boxer/puncher. Guerrero alternates
between the aggressive approach and being a stick and mover…He can resort to
boxing and use a pesky right jab to keep his opponent at bay. Prefers to take the half
step back while in a wide legged stance as opposed to slipping and moving.
VICENTE ESCOBEDO: Escobedo uses a high guard and does not move his head
much. Probes with his left jab and retreats in a straight line when his opponent counters.
No defensive whiz, he stays out of range until he feels like engaging.
Style
ROBERT GUERRERO: Southpaw who mixes boxing with brawling. Is not afraid to
mix it up but is intelligent enough to play four corners when the victory is at hand (see
his win over Joel Casamayor.) Guerrero has deceptive power and speed.
VICENTE ESCOBEDO: The early comparisons to Oscar De La Hoya are spot on.
But Escobedo is a poor man’s Oscar in all respects. He does not have Oscar’s height,
speed or power. His stance and style are the same, however. He uses a strong left jab
and tries to catch opponents coming in with a big left hook.
The Questions
ROBERT GUERRERO: When will he capture the fight public’s imagination? How
successful will he be now that he no longer has a decided height or youth advantage
over his foe? Can he make adjustments in a tough fight? Will he fight aggressively or
stick and move?
VICENTE ESCOBEDO: Was early potential simply a mirage? Does he have the
physical strength to match Guerrero’s? Will he fight with a sense of increased urgency
to avoid a second loss against name opposition?
Outcome
Initially, I strongly favored Guerrero as I was unimpressed with Escobedo’s showing
against Katsidis. After reviewing some of Escobedo’s prior outings, however, he
showed a lot more aggression and discipline than I gave him credit for. This is a fight
that will fall under the category of “styles makes fights.“ I would not be surprised if
Escobedo had early success against Guerrero because his keen left hook maybe the
kryptonite to Guerrero’s southpaw stance. The guess here, however, is that Guerrero’s
experience will enable him to take command of the fight in the middle rounds. He is
simply more versatile than the straight ahead Escobedo. Guerrero by a narrow decision.
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