Guerrero eager to take advantage of ‘slippage’ he sees in Mayweather

Now that Robert Guerrero has the fight he has been pursuing for the past two years, he finally can talk about it.

Guerrero, who meets undefeated pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather Jr. on May 4 at the MGM Grand Garden, had plenty to say on a teleconference with reporters Thursday.

He believes he has earned the opportunity. He’s not concerned about being a heavy underdog. He will do the majority of his training in Las Vegas, and he believes he is best suited to hand Mayweather (43-0, 26 knockouts) his first professional loss and take his WBC welterweight belt.

“I think Floyd is ripe for the taking,” said the 29-year-old Guerrero (31-1-1, 18 KOs). “I see a lot of slippage. He’s slowing down. His legs aren’t what they used to be. But he’s still a smart fighter, and to beat me, Floyd’s going to have to use his mind. But he’s going to be facing someone who’s also smart and has better skills.”

Mayweather, who was in Detroit on Thursday to help promote Saturday’s IBF junior middleweight title fight between Las Vegas’ Ishe Smith and champion Cornelius Bundrage, told reporters he expects a good fight from Guerrero but that he wasn’t afraid to face him.

“This is a guy I know I can’t overlook,” said Mayweather, who turns 36 on Sunday. “If people don’t know, Floyd Mayweather’s not scared of (any) opponent. You just don’t wake up overnight and just become (the best) pound-for-pound (fighter). And sometimes people talk about my legacy. If my legacy was based upon just one fight, then I didn’t need to fight 43 fights.”

Mayweather was made a minus-1,100 betting favorite at the LVH sports book when the fight was announced Tuesday. Guerrero, who is plus-800, said he wasn’t worried.

“Odds don’t mean anything to me,” he said. “You still have to get in there and fight. But if people bet on me, they’re going to make a lot of money.”

Guerrero will do the majority of his preparation for Mayweather in Las Vegas — as he did for his fight with Andre Berto, which he won by unanimous decision on Nov. 24. He has not picked a gym yet, but Guerrero said he expects to be in town by mid-March.

“I’ve already started my training in the Bay Area,” said Guerrero, who is from Gilroy, Calif. “I’ve had some of my best training camps in Vegas, and it’s perfect for me. I’m away from all the distractions, and I love training there.”

Guerrero admitted he was concerned when he saw the recent activity on Mayweather’s Twitter account that had Devon Alexander listed as a possible opponent.

“It goes through your mind, ‘Here we go again. Another guy’s ducking me,’ ” Guerrero said. “But I’m glad he signed the deal.”

Guerrero is expected to make more than $3 million, with Mayweather likely to make 10 times that. But Guerrero wasn’t complaining.

“I’m getting taken care of,” Guerrero said. “I’m there to win, not just get paid. And if I keep winning, the money’s going to be there.”

The fight will be televised on Showtime Pay Per View. The extensive media exposure through Showtime and other CBS-owned television and radio platforms makes this the biggest step in Guerrero’s career.

Guerrero said he’s ready.

“I feel God put me here for a reason,” he said, “and that’s to be humble and to humble Floyd Mayweather.

“There’s people who say they can beat him, but they don’t have faith that they can beat him. I have faith. I put God first. He’s given me the ability and the strength. And God puts a lot into you, so you have to put a lot out.”

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow him on Twitter: @stevecarprj.