When the rematch between Juan Manuel Marquez and Manny Pacquiao was made official, WBO champion Joan Guzman of the Dominican Republic was left standing all by his lonesome.
Pacquiao, who thought he had a March 15 date with Pac Man locked in, was instead looking for a partner to bring to the dance.
Team Guzman which consists of manager Jose Nunez, head trainer Floyd Mayweather Sr., and Delen “Blimp” Parsley were making a serious push for their charge. Guzman would finally have that one marquee name on his resume as well as enjoying the big pay day that comes along when fighting a cash cow like Pacquiao.
It seemed concievable that Guzman (28-0, 17 KOs) was the leading candidate for the position but Guzman’s dream match up evaporated into thin air faster than PBF drops a bundle on the Dolphins and the under.
And just like that Guzman was out of the Pacquiao sweepstakes. Many feel that Guzman’s performance against Humberto Soto played a significant role in the decision that was made.
“The night of the fight [Guzman-Soto], I was informed by Top Rank and Bob Arum that the fight with Pacquiao wasn’t happening,” Nunez told TSS. “I am not the least bit surprised. Bob Arum was tellling me that he wouldn’t be able to sell the fight, because Guzman runs to much. But yet he can sell David Diaz. Pacquaio is Top Rank’s cash cow and the bottom line is that Bob Arum doesn’t wan’t Pacquiao to fight Guzman. It’s the wrong style for Pacquiao. The idea is to make the most money for the least amount of risks. Thats why Team Pacquiao took the fight with Marquez. I am hoping that Marquez whips that a#^.”
You have to wonder if Guzman is dissapointed in his promoters [Sycuan & Golden Boy] for not doing what the general public views as being right for the fighter. A promoter’s job is to make his guy the most money, which translates into making the best fights possible. So if the Pacquiao match up never materialized, shouldn’t the target be the second best or third best opponent. Instead it seemed like nothing was done.
Was Marquez ever a possibility? Prior to Rocky Juarez filling in for Jorge Rodrigo Barrios, Marquez was left without an opoonent. Guzman and Marquez have the same promoter, [Golden Boy] could there have been disagreements between the camps preventing the fight from coming to fruition? Sure. But ultimately if both parties agreed to the terms the fight could have happened.
Was WBA champion Edwin Valero a possibility? Consolidation fights rock, however Valero isn’t a big name and isn’t allowed to fight in the United States. But is crossing international lines such a major burden? Promoters are always looking to “make it rain” but cut themsleves short by not making the proper sacrifices that can prove to be beneficial in the future. A fighter with the talent of a Guzman should be fighting regularly against quality opposition. Even if the promoter doesn’t make any significant money, Guzman at the very least builds his name up and gains valuable experience. With Guzman winning, could he be denied a lucrative purse? Of course not. His promoter would make everything back from that point on.
“I am not dissapointed with Golden Boy,” said Nunez. “We were pushing for a fight with Marquez when Jorge Barrios pulled out. Marquez’s team turned us down. Before the Marquez fight with Rocky Juarez, were pushing for a fight with Juarez. Juarez’s team would tell us that he was staying at 126 and that he was no longer planning to fight at 130 anymore. But yet he stayed to fight Marquez. There was something very strange about that situation.”
So with no enticing opponents to fight, the question remains: where will Guzman go from here on out?
“We will fight any champion or anyone with a big name thats marketable,” Nunez said. “Truthfully the fight we really want is the winner of Pacquiao-Marquez. With Guzman being a promotional free agent at the end of Feburary, the next few months could determine who Guzman signs with. We will stay at 130 but we are willing to move up to 135 for big money. We could stay at 135 too. We would like the winner of Juan Diaz-Michael Katsidis. Guzman said he feels good at 140 and would be willing to move up to junior welterweight. Junior Witter’s name has been mentioned but we are not going that route. We would however fight Oscar De La Hoya at a catch weight.”
Team Guzman is willing to enter a second big name sweepstakes. Team Guzman failed the first time, maybe the second time around might be kinder.
SPEEDBAG: According to Nunez, Diaz is also a promotional free agent at the end of Feburary. It will be interesting to see what happens.
– Nunez said that he was surprised at how easily Guzman beat Soto. Nunez stated that he was expecting a tough, competitive, nail biting type of fight. Nunez gives all credit to Mayweather Sr.
– Nunez stated Guzman’s hands are holding up well. And he claims that Guzman has dropped sparring partners in the past before with 16 oz. gloves.
– According to Nunez, co-trainer “Blimp” caught Team Soto wrapping Humberto’s hands the exact same way Felix Trinidad had been wrapped prior to fighting Bernard Hopkins. “Blimp” addressed the matter and reported it to the commission.
