Less than 48 hours after suffering his first knockout loss of his career, Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero announced he is hanging up his boxing gloves for good.
“I want to thank everyone, the fans included. I hope you guys appreciated the guts and glory I left in the ring. God bless you all,” Guerrero said in a statement.
Guerrero officially brings to an end a career that spanned 16 years and featured world titles in four divisions, including the World IBF Featherweight Title twice.
He finished with a record of 33 wins, 6 losses and one draw.
The Gilroy native and current resident got his start at Bantamweight and made his way up the ranks to welterweight here he ends his career.
Guerrero reflected on his time in the ring fondly, acknowledging that the road over the years wasn’t always the easiest, but he made sure to always keep fighting.
“A boxer’s career is a long and tough road. Many tears were shed, lots of blood, and tons of sweat. Many miles were traveled, thousands of rounds sparred, none were easy and nothing was ever given to me,” Guerrero said. “I earned everything I got the old fashion way. I never ducked anyone and fought the best fighters in the world. I fought my way through every obstacle to make sure my fans enjoyed every second, of every round, of my fights.”
And through it all, Guerrero said he never forgot where he came from.
“I’m a kid from a small town in Gilroy, California, who made it to the mountain top of the boxing world,” Guerrero said. “When I was a young kid growing up, I always believed in myself, but never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined a small-town kid like myself, would be fighting in front of millions of fans.”
Guerrero faced several challenges through his career, including a 2013 arrest for reportedly attempting to bring an unloaded gun onto a flight out of New York City.
The gun was licensed in California authorities said at the time it still violated the city’s strict gun laws.
Guerrero, who acknowledged he made a mistake by not being aware of New York’s gun laws, eventually pled guilty to disorderly conduct and had all gun charges dismissed.
Back in 2008, Guerrero got into a legal dispute with his then promoter Goosen Tutor Promotions.
Guerrero attempted to get out of his contract with Goosen Tutor in 2008 claiming he had not received some big money fights. The California State Athletic Commission ruled in Guerrero’s favor at the end of 2008, but that was overturned by a Los Angeles Superior Court judge.
Although the judge ruled Guerrero was let out of his contract by the CSAC because of “corruption, fraud, or other undue means,” The Ghost still split with Goosen and opted to fight under Golden Boy Promotions because the original contract had expired.
It was under Golden Boy Promotions that Guerrero got his shot at Floyd Mayweather, Jr. in 2013, suffering just his second defeat of his professional career.
Guerrero quickly rebounded with a unanimous decision win over Yoshihiro Kamegai, but Guerrero wasn’t the same fighter after that.
After his win over Kamegai, Guerrero won just one more time in four matches and had lost his last three bouts.
His final coming by way of technical knockout after the referee stopped the fight with Omar Figueroa in the third round. Guerrero had been knocked down five times between the second and third rounds leading to the stoppage.
Guerrero thanked everyone who had helped him on his journey, including his wife Casey and his father Ruben Guerrero who also acted as his trainer.
He also had a special thank-you to his advisor Al Haymon.
“Not only is Al Haymon a spectacular advisor, he is a wonderful human being as well, a great man, and someone who cares,” Guerrero said. “In a sport where most managers, promoters, and trainers turn their back on a fighter, when they no longer can perform, or are no longer beneficial to their interest, Haymon stands tall. Love and loyalty is tough to find in the boxing game, but for any boxer looking for it, you don’t have to look far, reach out to Al Haymon.”
Guerrero also repeatedly thanked God in keeping with his deep-seeded faith that kept him going through his career.
“A good friend always told me I was God’s warrior, born to fight. I enjoyed every minute of every war,” Guerrero said. “I represented my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ with the bible verse Acts 2:38 on my trunks. If I reached one person and brought that person closer to Christ, then it was all worth it.”
