Fernando Guerrero vs Grady Brewer
We’re watching on ESPN2 as Salisbury, Md. middleweight prospect Fernando Guerrero (21-0, 16 KOs) steps down to 154 lbs. to take on former Contender winner Grady Brewer (27-12, 15 KOs) in Austin, Texas. Guerrero is one of the East Coast’s brightest prospects and shouldn’t have too much trouble against the 40-year-old Oklahoman, whose last quality win was against Cornelius Bundrage in November 2008.
Guerrero draws huge crowds back home but stepped outside his comfort zone for this nationally televised bout, hoping to impress enough to garner a title shot at 154 lbs. We’re hoping to make it to Salisbury for his next fight so we’re excited to see what he produces tonight. Round-by-round updates after the jump:
Round 1: Guerrero came into this fight at 152 ¾ lbs., the lightest of his career. He looks a tad dry coming into the first round but he’s also noticeably bigger than Brewer. Classic orthodox vs southpaw matchup means Brewer will look for the right hand. Tentative first minute with both men trying to establish the jab. Guerrero gets the slight nod for throwing harder shots.
Round 2: Brewer is trying to be more active despite his deficit in quickness and reach. When he gets inside he’s able to land uppercuts and right hands against the younger man. Guerrero responding but not frequently enough, he’s loading up a bit with his left looking for the kill shot. Fight is even after two.
Round 3: Guerrero comes out more aggressively in the third, using his jab a bit more but still looking to land the big left. Guerrero landing right hooks with his back against the ropes. They move back to the center of the ring and Guerrero lands a straight left that drives Brewer back. Guerrero starting to assert himself but both men are throwing and landing. 29-28 Guerrero.
Round 4: Guerrero using his jab more to keep Brewer at bay. Brewer throwing some wild sweeping right hands with Guerrero against the ropes and catches Guerrero. He catches Fernando again and sends him stumbling through the ropes. He looks to be hurt badly with more than a minute left in the round.
Brewer landing big shots with his right hand. Brewer slips and must get back up. Brewer loading up for the knockout with each punch and firing rights at Guerrero, who isn’t responding. Fernando falls forward almost unconscious. Ref stops it. Fight is over. Brewer wins.
Huge upset for the 40-year-old Brewer, who we admittedly underestimated. They’re showing the replay now, Brewer just loading up with all right hands and pounding Guerrero to face. He caught Fernando with a final right uppercut to end the fight, but it’s clear the prospect didn’t know how to handle himself once he got hurt. Instead of responding or tying up Guerrero just stood there and got hit.
Devastating loss for Guerrero, whose career seemed headed nowhere but up. We have to believe the weight loss was a factor because he just didn’t seem to have enough to hurt the much smaller man. Hopefully the fans back in Salisbury will still have his back, because he handled the loss as a man should after conceding that he had been overly confident in the ring.
“My big father right here, he told me today, I’m finally a fighter now,” Guerrero said in the locker room later. “You know, I lost. My first, my first loss.
It’s like it never happened to me. You know why? Because I’m gonna be the best boxer. I’m gonna be the champ,” he added. “So today was my downfall, but this is where all my true fans come out. I want to appreciate everybody on ESPN that watched this and you will see my face again.”
“Just cuz you’re 40 doesn’t mean you don’t work hard,” Brewer said after the fight, claiming he saw Guerrero’s eye bleeding and was able to catch him with an uppercut, his favorite punch. He also credited 46-year-old light heavyweight world champ Bernard Hopkins for inspiring him with his recent win over Jean Pascal.
“I came in a lot stronger that he was,” Brewer said. “He’s a strong kid, but when I was hitting this kid I was hurting him. I knew I was hurting him.”
Brewer also questioned whether Guerrero was prepared to fight a veteran junior middleweight like himself, suggesting the natural middleweight might do better at welter.
“I think he wasn’t as strong as he needed to be at [154 lbs.],” Brewer said. “He need to do a lot more hard work in fighting a strong 154-pounder like myself. He need to fight someone at 147, he’d do better at 147 I think.”
Brewer likely earned himself another TV fight thanks to the win coupled with the name recognition from his earlier win on The Contender. Kudos to the old man for showing us anything is possible in the fight game. We’re definitely intrigued to see what he can come up with for his next bout.