Wife’s health eases tension on Guerrero

When Robert Guerrero announced he was taking his training camp to Las Vegas to prepare for his April 9 lightweight fight with Michael Katsidis, it was a seen as a positive sign.

Guerrero normally trains in Gilroy, Calif. But with his wife, Casey, winning her fight with leukemia, Guerrero was able to leave the Bay Area -- with her blessing -- to train for his bout against Katsidis at the MGM Grand Garden.

"It's nice to have all that weight off my shoulders," Guerrero said Friday after a run at Mount Charleston before a sparring session at the Pound 4 Pound Gym. "If she wasn't doing as well as she is, I couldn't leave. But, thank God, everything is good and it feels like my first normal training camp in a long time."

Casey Guerrero was diagnosed with leukemia in late 2007 and beat it. But the cancer returned two years later, and Robert put his career on hold for eight months as she went through chemotherapy treatments. With the leukemia in remission, Guerrero's return to the ring has helped both resume a normal life, at least by boxing standards.

"Everything's coming together," Guerrero said. "Before, when Casey was sick, I was like a car running on two cylinders. Now I'm running on all eight."

Guerrero said his goal is to be in the best possible shape to deal with Katsidis' constant pressure.

"To beat Michael Katsidis, you have to have a lot of endurance," Guerrero said. "The key to winning this fight will be conditioning. He's the type of guy who keeps coming, keeps coming, so you have to be in great shape to deal with that."

The fight should be the main event. But the card's promoter, Golden Boy Promotions, gave top billing to the junior welterweight fight between Erik Morales and Marcos Maidana, even though it doesn't figure to be competitive.

With Winky Wright injuring his hand in training Thursday, nixing his fight with European middleweight champion Matthew Macklin, Guerrero-Katsidis moves up to the main undercard fight.

Guerrero said despite Juan Manuel Marquez's refusal to fight him, he'll eventually get a shot at one of the lightweight titles provided he beats Katsidis.

"I'm not mad at anyone," he said. "I'm a little disappointed. Golden Boy tried and tried, but Marquez didn't want to take the fight. He wants to fight (Manny) Pacquiao, and I don't blame the guy."

■ TOMMY Z'S OPPONENT -- Richard Bryant, a heavyweight from London, Ky., was selected to face Baltimore Ravens safety Tommy Zbikowski in a four-round heavyweight bout as part of the Miguel Cotto-Ricardo Mayorga undercard Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden.

Bryant, 225 pounds, is 1-2 with one knockout. He has lost two straight since winning his pro debut in 2008.

Zbikowski has one pro fight, a first-round technical knockout in 2006. He weighed 195 Friday and said he should be around 200 when he enters the ring.

■ SILVER NUGGET AMATEURS -- The North Las Vegas Center Ring boxing club will host an amateur show at 6 p.m. Saturday at the Silver Nugget Casino. Twenty bouts are scheduled, with admission $10 at the door.

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