This was supposed to be a walk in the park for ?The Ghost,? but David Peralta had other ideas?
Saturday evening?s Premier Boxing Champions telecast from Anaheim, California wasn?t necessarily difficult to watch as much as it was to accept. Namely, the evening?s main event between former two-division champion, Robert ?The Ghost? Guerrero and David Emanuel Peralta let us know without any confusion that on occasion, the walkover type of bouts which usually showcase the broadcast don?t always go as scripted. As many within the boxing world are quick to point out, Guerrero was never one to duck an opponent or turn his back on a fresh challenge. He jumped two weight classes four years ago to eventually go after Floyd Mayweather, Jr. His November 2012 clash with Andre Berto was a great one, indeed.
He should rightly have our respect in turn for the way he briefly abandoned the sport in its entirety a few years ago to oversee his wife?s battle and miraculous remission over Leukemia thanks to a bone marrow transplant. Such a grief beckoning saga in one?s life could likely take years off of it. In short, the guy?s a very likable fellow, even with the over the top and more than slightly opinionated views of his father and trainer, Ruben.
As we all know, he did in fact earn a date in the ring with the aforementioned Mayweather. The result? Seats being vacated somewhere around the ninth or tenth round and an easy payday and landslide win for Floyd. That of course is nothing new, which is why there are many among us to don?t exactly fall to tears at the thought of never seeing ?Money? fight again. Robert took a bit over a year off, earned a nice decision win over Japan?s Yoshihiro Komegai before he was basically shutout by Keith ?One Time? Thurman in March of last year. In his last bout before Saturday?s loss to Peralta, he brought the best out of Danny Garcia in January, but he still came up just a wee short. Anything can happen in boxing.
Upon quick examination of Peralta?s ring ledger, you?ll come across losses to two fighters who are virtually unknown to most of us outside of Argentina. Additionally, David had never fought outside of his homeland which gave us the greatest footballer of all time, Diego Maradona. The preceding statement can be debated, but the impact of Robert?s loss to a cab driver cannot. Hold the phone. There?s nothing wrong with driving a cab. Some of the most charming, honest and hard-working people drive taxi cabs. They?ve usually seen and experienced the differences in all sorts of people from all walks of life. Snobs, drunks, rich and poor. They have, for whatever it may be worth seen it all. Their jobs allow them to come close to participating in the lives of other people without actually having to do so.
Peralta seemed beyond gracious when he spoke of his feelings about his shock win over the likely favored Robert Guerrero. His tactics used to combat ?The Ghost? were seen by ringside observers and commentators as unorthodox, perhaps even awkward. Still, he used classic techniques stressed in the gym, such as targeting the arms and chest areas. For sure, the high point for Peralta came towards the end of the eighth round, when a well placed, straight right sent Guerrero flying into the padded ring post. That was a watershed moment in the contest and not just because it looked like something you?d see in professional wrestling.
It?s anyone?s guess as to whether or not ?The Ghost? came to the ring completely prepared not only physically, but especially mentally. According to his dad Ruben, Robert won every round. ?These judges suck. We won every round and it wasn?t even close?, he said afterwards. Fair enough, as his opinions are usually of the quite colorful variety from a not-so-happy camper. The bottom line may be this: throughout twelve full rounds, championship fight or not, Guerrero as well as Peralta had their chances to seal the deal within the allotted thirty-six minutes. If such a task isn?t accomplished, then guess what? Here come the three blind mice at ringside to decide the outcome for you. The respective scores of 115-113 for Robert against one card Peralta of the same tally alongside a third view at 116-112 is an indicator of a competitive and close contest.
Guerrero may well have been leading early on in the bout as viewers tried to make sense of David Peralta?s stance and strategy. He looked as if he was fencing as opposed to boxing. Still, whether or not one feels they?ve done a fine enough job in the ring to rely on the critiquing eyes of the judges isn?t always the most advisable course of action. For Guerrero, a rematch with Danny Garcia may have flown the coop. Losses to the best in the business such as Garcia, Thurman and the best of the best, Mayweather don?t look anywhere as bad as a loss to an unknown.
This was supposed to be a walk in the park for ?The Ghost,? but ?El Pirata? Peralta had other ideas. Had the Guerrero who mauled back and forth with Andre Berto shown up instead of calm and collected one, then we may not be talking about a loss to a cab driver. A job?s a job and a buck?s a buck. He didn?t lose as much as he was outsmarted and out hustled when it counted the most. That sounds quite blue collar, just like someone who drives a cab.
