Joan Guzman?s last fight as a professional showed just how much of an enigma he is in the sport today. Guzman was in line for a heated rematch with Ali ?Rush Hour? Funeka, whom many felt had deservedly beat him the first time out this past December despite the official majority draw verdict, and their fight was generating some well deserved buzz.
With the vacant IBF Lightweight title on the line and taking place at the always-ambient Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas, it was either do or die for Guzman yet the Dominican had something up his sleeve that would cause much commotion before the fight itself would even begin. During the weigh in to the bout Guzman shockingly came in at 144 pounds, nine over the Lightweight limit, and was immediately disqualified from any chance of becoming champion again.
Guzman?s credibility instantly went out the window and people couldn?t help but wonder how he would fair against Funeka the second time out. There were simply too many question marks surrounding him but it was again Guzman who left everybody confused as he fought a great fight against his 6″1 South African opponent, dropping him in the sixth and landing the more effective shots on his way to a spirited split-decision win.
Guzman was again the man of the hour, this time for both the right and wrong reasons, and he let it be known at ringside following the bout that he had intentions of moving up the Jr. Welterweight division. Guzman mentioned the likes of Marcos Maidana, who had defeated Joan’s countryman Victor Cayo in the main event, and Manny Pacquiao as men he would have his eye on and suddenly the already-stacked 140-pound class had another player in its midst.
There were initially rumors of pairing Guzman with somewhat faded former champion Joel Casamayor on the undercard of the July 31st Pay per view rematch between Juan Manuel Marquez and Juan Diaz at the Mandalay Bay. It seemed like a logical fight for the confident Guzman but for whatever reasons he chose to pass up on the contest and the latest rumors swirling around has been Casamayor possibly meeting up with California’s Robert Guerrero.
It is uncertain as to what division the bout would take place in, seeing as those Guerrero just recently moved to 135 pounds and the 38-year old Casamayor has likely seen his last days as a lightweight. Either way it?s an interesting test for the 27-year old Guerrero as his potent offensive attack would be put to the test against the still-savvy Casamayor.
As for Guzman, he seems to be left out of the picture, at least for now. His visions of Pacquiao and Maidana obviously seem a bit premature as Manny seems to be negotiating for a fight with Floyd Mayweather this November 13th and the interim champion from Argentina just pulled out of a summer showdown with Timothy Bradley due to a bad back. Says hear that seeing Guzman in the ring with Zab Judah would make for an interesting crossroads fight to see who still has a real future in the sport.
For images of Joan Guzman, Zab Judah, Marcos Maidana, and others please check out the ?Boxing in pictures? image directory below?
