?To rest is to rust.? The speaker was the great boxing trainer and thinker Ray Arcel.
What he meant was that inactivity is a fighter?s worst enemy. And, while the Nov. 17 Joan Guzman-Humberto Soto HBO fight is being hyped as a severe test for the Dominican Dandy and some label Soto a monster, I think otherwise. I think the only problem the unbeaten Guzman may have is shaking off the rust that he has accumulated since his last bout.
For various reasons, including a hand injury and disharmony between his co-promoters, Guzman has not fought since he decisioned Antonio Davis in Santo Domingo last December. The good news for Guzman is that he has spent most of that time in a Las Vegas gym getting in sync with trainer Floyd Mayweather Sr. Guzman and Pretty Daddy go together like peanut butter and jelly because Guzman?s major asset is hand and foot speed and Mayweather loves to fine tune slickness and defensive wizardry.
Golden Boy pushed Guzman to give Barrios a pointless rematch and Guzman had to bail out on Michael Kastidis due to a injured hand. But, except for a brief period, Guzman and Mayweather have been drilling and drilling.
You could not make a better pairing of professor and pugilist. And I?m betting that Mayweather?s fine-tuning and polish will be readily seen against Mexican tough guy Soto. You don?t think Guzman is going to stand in front of Soto and stick his chinny chin chin out, do you? No way, Jose, because Guzman will play his patented game of hit and run, of hide and go freak.
Tough fight, major test for Guzman? Not really because Guzman will sweep round after round against Soto just like he did against Jorge Barrios who, like Soto, is a rugged guy with limited skills. For Soto, going from a fight with Bobby Pacquiao to Guzman is going to be like jumping from first grade to Harvard.
I must acknowledge Armando Humberto Soto Ochoa?s 2005 points victory over Rocky Juarez but there is nothing else on his 43-5-2 (27 KOs) record that makes me think he can trap Guzman and hurt him. Frustrated against Juarez, Soto lost a point in rounds nine and 10 for whacking Rocky behind the head. Don?t be surprised if Humberto gets penalized for fouling Guzman.
It gets frustrating being a bee trying to catch a butterfly.
Guzman-Soto? A major test? Yes, it is a major test, a bridge too far for Soto. Guzman will get an ?A? and Soto and ?F? when this one is over. But Prof. Mayweather, a tough grader, will likely only give his pupil a ?B.?
Soto is in over his head. His moral victory would be winning two rounds. If those rounds come early on, remember Arcel?s Aphorism. After six minutes, Guzman should be rust free and ready to roll.
One other caveat, folks. The selection of judges is always important but extremely so in this bout because if there is a judge or two or three who don?t see the bright line between aggression and effective aggression, then the Guzman camp might be in for a surprise when those scorecards are announced.
But the name of the sport is boxing and Soto is about to get schooled.
