Five-time world champion Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero made his next ring appearance official Thursday, signing the contract to fight the World Boxing Council’s No. 1-ranked contender, Selcuk “Mini Tyson” Aydin, of Hamburg, Germany, for the WBC interim welterweight belt.
The fight is scheduled for July 28 at the HP Pavilion and will be televised live on Showtime Championship Boxing, according to a press release sent out by Guerrero’s camp Thursday night.
The winner will be next in line to tangle with Floyd Mayweather for the outright 147-pound title.
“First, I’d like to thank God, Showtime Championship Boxing, the HP Pavilion and Golden Boy Promotions for putting this event together,” Guerrero said in a statement. “I’m very delighted to be making my comeback and there’s no other place than the Bay Area to bring my sixth world title in four different weight classes. This fight I will dedicate to the whole Bay Area and I promise to put on a great show.
“Words can’t describe how hungry I am to get that WBC belt. This fight will be explosive without a doubt. Aydin is a very good fighter and I respect everything he has accomplished but that ‘0’s’ got to go in San Jose,” Guerrero continued.
“Last, I’m very pleased that I’ve added Luis Decubas Jr. and Walter Kane to my team and I feel this move will be an added benefit and soon Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero will be a household name.”
Guerrero (29-1-1, 18 KOs) will move up two weight classes to fight Aydin (23-0, 17 KOs), who holds the WBC Silver belt and is a full-fledged welterweight, fighting most of his career at 147 pounds.
If victorious, Guerrero will be the first fighter in history to jump straight from lightweight to welterweight and win a championship.
Hall of Famer Roberto Duran and Shane Mosley are others who have made the leap from lightweight to welterweight, but both had tune up fights before challenging for a belt.
Aydin, who is of Turkish decent, is one of the most feared punchers in boxing, having never lost a fight.
In his last bout, Aydin landed a punch that fractured the jaw of his opponent, Ionut “Jo JoDan” Ion (29-2, 16 KOs). Ranked highly by all the sanctioning organizations, Aydin brings an aggressive come-forward style to the ring.
His attack is pure entertainment, and will be the most challenging test of Guerrero’s career.
“This guy is no joke,” Guerrero’s manager Bob Santos said.
“Aydin will be the biggest and strongest guy Robert has ever fought. The fact that he’s been the WBC No. 1 contender to fight both Victor Ortiz and Floyd Mayweather for the last two years speaks volumes on this credibility.
“Maybe that’s why they never wanted to step in the ring with him for obvious reasons. Guerrero must get credit for the jump up in weight,” Santos continued.
“Not only is Guerrero jumping up two weight classes, he’s also fighting a top ten contender for a title. He’s a true warrior and he’s hungry to get back in the ring.”
