When Robert Guerrero and Floyd Mayweather Jr. enter the ring sometime after 6 p.m. at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Saturday in Las Vegas, the world will be watching. And many of those eyes might be new to the boxing world.
In the biggest fight of his life, Guerrero will attract many new viewers from the South Valley and South Bay because of his Gilroy roots. With a flurry of punches coming from both sides, WBC judge Steve Morrow, a Hollister resident, wants viewers to know what to look for.
Unlike major sports such as football, basketball or baseball, boxing is based on judgment of four criteria, Morrow said. The winner isn’t – and won’t be – determined based on the number of punches thrown and landed.
“There are going to be a gazillion people watching this fight because of the local connection, and they aren’t going to be boxing fans at all,” he said. “That being said, a lot of people who aren’t necessarily familiar with fights, they think we judge the fights because we count punches. And that’s not true.”
Instead, boxing is judged from effective aggressiveness, clean punching, ring generalship and defense.
To win a 12-round decision, the boxer needs to show aggressiveness that impacts the fight, said Morrow, who is an international judge with the WBC.
“It’s not just pure aggression,” he said. “It doesn’t mean that the guy out there wailing and throwing the most punches is winning the round. It’s effective aggression. It’s whose punches are scoring and whose punches are landing.”
It’s the biggest determining factor in who wins the fight, Morrow said. That aggression also plays factors in the amount of clean punches landed and the ring generalship.
“It’s basically who is taking the fight to the other guys, you know what I mean?” Morrow said. “Who is pushing the action, and who is dictating the round? Who is in charge? Again, all of this is just for that 3-minute period.”
The fight, as Morrow explained, is determined in 12 3-minute rounds. Each round should be judged as its own fight.
“You have to do it, in a sense, in 12 3-minute fights,” Morrow said. “Every 3-minute round is just that. It’s a fight in of itself, from start to finish. Then you score that 3-minute fight and move on to the next one. It’s a cumulative aggregate score that you add up at the end of the fight.”
He continued: “I’ve done 32 world title fights, and at the end of the decision, I don’t even know who won the fight – let alone (how) the other judges scored.”
Defense, which is Mayweather’s signature, should play a big role in Saturday’s fight. But good defense doesn’t automatically clinch a victory, Morrow said.
“You can’t necessarily win a round or a fight just on defense,” he said. “It certainly helps.”
WHAT TO LOOK FOR FROM GUERRERO
Against Mayweather, attacking the undefeated fighter could be key, said Hollister Bulldog Boxing Gym owner Zeke Lopez. During the fight, Guerrero shouldn’t chase Mayweather, but try to corner him and put him against the ropes, Lopez said.
“If Robert can do that, he’ll win,” Lopez said. “He can put a lot of pressure on you, and he forces you to make mistakes.”
But with Mayweather’s aggressive and defensive tactics, Guerrero should be careful of Mayweather’s speed, Lopez said.
“Mayweather has a lot of skill,” Lopez said. “He is a very good fighter. It’s going to be a good fight.”
The biggest factor, though, for Guerrero could be his southpaw stance. With only six fights against other left-handed boxers, Mayweather could be vulnerable to the different stance, Lopez said.
“Because of the way Mayweather fights, with his shoulder roll, Guerrero is going to be able to hit him,” Lopez said. “You get a different look with a southpaw. It opens Mayweather up more. He should get a few good shots in.”
Because of that, Lopez likes Guerrero’s chances, he said.
“I would like to see him win,” Lopez said. “Mayweather is an older fighter, and I think Robert is going to do a lot of good things.”
