The kid ran out of the crowd holding a shred of paper high, like he was displaying a number during an auction.
“I got it,” he yelled to no one in particular. He was referring, of course, to an autograph from Robert Guerrero.
No one can accuse boxing’s biggest rising star of forgetting where he came from.
Guerrero, who still lives in his native Gilroy, signed autographs for students at El Roble Elementary School in Gilroy on March 15.
Some, in fact, got more than one signature.
John Anthony Fernandez, a 7-year-old first-grade student, proudly displayed autographs from “The Ghost” on his backpack and shoe.
There might be no better visual confirmation of Guerrero’s fame in his hometown than hundreds of El Roble students chanting, “Ghost, ghost, ghost.”
Guerrero was on campus to pick up his children, Robert Jr. and Savannah, who both attend El Roble. Students surprised Guerrero with a signed banner wishing the six-time, four-division world champion luck for his fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr. on May 4 in Las Vegas.
In return, Guerrero signed autographs for every kid who wanted one, which was just about all of them.
Juan Carlos Monroy, a 10-year-old fourth-grade student, summed up the event in two words: “Really cool.”
“When they said on the announcements … ” Monroy said, shaking his head when asked how excited he was when he learned about the event.
Guerrero is the interim WBC welterweight champion with more than 167,000 followers on Twitter. But his rock-star status isn’t the only reason kids look up to him.
“He’s an awesome example of fitness and good work and determination, so I think he’s a great example of what they can strive for,” said Kristen Mackay, a fourth-grade teacher at El Roble.
Guerrero also is an inspiration in the fight against cancer. His story of once giving up his belt to help his wife, Casey, fight and eventually recover from leukemia is well documented. He currently serves as “Ambassador of Hope” for BeTheMatch.org, a national marrow donor program that helped save his wife’s life.
Casey was on hand for the ceremony March 15. Fernandez was one of the El Roble students who proudly displayed her autograph, too.
“This is a small community. This is big for Gilroy,” Casey said of the May 4 fight. “Everyone is just excited for him.”
Guerrero (31-1-1, 18 KOs) will face pound-for-pound king Mayweather (43-0, 26 KOs) for the WBC welterweight title on May 4 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The fight will be televised on Showtime Pay Per View.
Guerrero is now in Las Vegas, where his training camp for the Super Bowl of Boxing will be held.
“I know I’ve got a lot of kids pulling for me,” Guerrero said as the crowd of autograph-seeking children finally thinned out.
Then, Guerrero turned to make a point.
“I’ve got the sign,” he said, nodding to the banner the children signed. “I’m going to hang it in the gym when I go train.”
