Ex-champ Guerrero fights for normalcy

With each passing day, Robert Guerrero's life slowly returns to normal.

The fight he focuses on today is in the ring against a fellow former world champion, not the life-or-death battle that he has watched wife Casey wage against leukemia the past three years.

With her disease in remission after a successful bone marrow transplant in February, Casey Guerrero will be ringside Saturday when her husband takes on Joel Casamayor in a 10-round junior welterweight bout at Mandalay Bay Events Center.

"The smile's back," Robert Guerrero said with a grin. "Everything is great. Casey's doing so much better.

"It's nice to see the focus on her from the boxing community, all the support she has received from the fans. Now a lot of the focus is getting back to the boxing and getting ready for a big fight. Her focus is starting to come back to boxing, too, and supporting me in what I love to do."

Casey Guerrero said it helps her to see her husband in the ring.

"I think it's getting back to normal with our lives with him fighting again regularly," she said.

A victory could position Robert Guerrero to face the winner of Saturday's main event between lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez and Juan Diaz.

"That's the fight I want," said Guerrero (26-1-1, 18 knockouts). "Marquez is the biggest fight out there at 135 pounds. Either Marquez or Juan Diaz. I could even go to 140 to fight them."

First, the former featherweight champion must defeat Casamayor (37-4-1, 22 KOs), a three-time former world champion, in Guerrero's first bout at 140 pounds. Guerrero will make $75,000, and Casamayor's purse will be $50,000.

Guerrero's father and trainer, Ruben, said the move up in weight was no problem.

"When we took the fight, we needed a big-name guy," Ruben Guerrero said. "A lot of people don't want to fight Robert. (Casamayor) wanted to fight at 140, so we agreed.

"Robert feels stronger, quicker, and he's eating what he wants. It's probably the right thing for his career right now to move up."

Guerrero said he had a good training camp in his hometown of Gilroy, Calif.

"With Casey being home more, I'm able to get to the gym more and I can concentrate on my training," he said. "I feel like I'm sharper. I need to use my height (5 feet 8 inches) and reach (71 inches). I was blessed with God-given abilities.''

Guerrero stepped away from boxing after his wife was diagnosed in November 2007.

He fought in February 2008 but then didn't return to the ring until January 2009.

By then, Casey's leukemia was in remission, or so the couple thought, and Guerrero fought four times last year.

But Casey suffered another setback, scuttling a proposed title fight against Michael Katsidis in March.

"I had no choice," Guerrero said. "Casey was fighting for her life at that point. I couldn't be anywhere else."

"I was glad he was with me," Casey Guerrero said. "It was a scary situation."

After his wife's bone marrow transplant, Guerrero returned to the ring April 30 with her blessing and encouragement. He stopped Robert Arrieta in the eighth round at the Tropicana.

That set up Saturday's fight against Casamayor, as life for the fighter and the fighter's wife slowly returns to normal.

"Everything's going good for her," Guerrero said. "No relapses. She was at the doctor Monday, and everything looks good.

"She was the main focus, and everything else was second. Now that we're getting things back to normal, it really makes you appreciate everything a lot more."

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913.