23.02.04 – Agapito Sanchez would love to shut the flapping mouth of WBO junior featherweight champ Joan Guzman. But first the veteran fighter says he will break his (Dominican Republic) countryman’s jaw when they collide Thursday night February 26 in a scheduled 12-round title bout at the San Diego Sports Arena.
“Guzman and his mouthy manager, Rafael Guerrero, they make me laugh. They are like two clowns at the circus. I am going to repeat some boxing history in the same arena where Ken Norton broke the jaw and temporarily shut the biggest mouth of all time (Muhammad Ali) in 1973. Norton was a big underdog in that bout like people say I am the underdog against this baby-faced Guzman. Just like Ken Norton, I will have the last laugh.”
Another thing Sanchez, age 34, tries to blow off is the constant criticism that he is probably the “dirtiest fighter’ in boxing today. Sanchez has been known to use his head, his elbows and commit numerous fouls in the ring.
“Ho, ho,” Sanchez said. “Another blatant lie by Guzman and Guerrero and many other people. I am not a dirty fighter. I take at least two showers every day and I use Irish Spring soap. Dirty? On the contrary I always smell like a rose.”
The hottest fighter extant in the lower weights now is the ferocious Filipino Manny Pacquaio. Sanchez points to his 2001 bout in San Francisco as a reason why he will hand Guzman his first professional ring loss.
“Manny is a real warrior,” Sanchez said. “Guzman couldn’t carry Manny’s gym bag. Although that fight between me and Manny was stopped and I lost a technical decision, people forget that one judge had me leading 57-55, a second judge had it dead even at 56-56 and the third judge had it 58-54 for Manny.
“But check out my resume, my overall record. The names on Guzman’s record who are these guys? I have been in the wars with Marco Antonio Barrera, Freddie Norwood, Juan Manuel Marquez, Gurty Espadas, Javier Jauregui and Oscar Larios. That is why I will take this little pupil, Guzman, to school and give him a serious spanking.”
Sanchez doesw not try to hide the bad blood between the camps.
“My team despises all those guys,” Sanchez said. “Joan’s trainer is Francisco Guzman, a Panamanian who is a traitor. He left me after eight years. I have a surprise for BOTH Guzmans, Joan and Francisco. And the manager Guerrero I just hope my manager, Pedro Aponte, does not chin check him at the press conference or the weigh-in.
“Let them all run their mouths until the first bell rings,” Sanchez said. “Then I take control. I aldready told the ring announcer Lupe Conteras to practice saying, “From Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and the new WBO junior featheweight champion…”
There is one subject the Guzman and Sanchez camps are in harmony about. Both camps credit co-promoters Ringside Promotions By Sycuan and Golden Boy Promotions for making this two-year delayed showdown happen, especially making it happen over the airwaves (delayed showing in San Diego) of HBO Latino.
“Oh, yes,” Sanchez said. “Oscar and his company have been terrific and our hosts here in San Diego, the Sycuan people, have given us the red carpet treatment. I want to say thank you very much to Sycuan’s Dan Tucker, Willie Tucker Sr., and Glenn Quiroga and their boxing adviser Scott Woodworth. They have all made Team Sanchez feel right at home.”