Guerrero Dominates Sanchez With An Electrifying Performance

04.06.04 – The people of Lincoln City will remember the night they saw their first Robert Guerrero fight. The 21-year old fighter lived up to his expectations when he thoroughly controlled former WBA Featherweight Champion Enrique Sanchez for eight rounds before the referee stopped the fight.

In the “ShoBox: The New Generation’’ co-feature, the 12-round brawl was so evenly matched that the deciding factor in the fight was a point deducted from Juan Carlos Ramirez to give Jorge Martinez the NABF Featherweight title Thursday on SHOWTIME.

The doubleheader at The Chinook Winds Casino was promoted by Goosen Tutor Promotions and aired at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the west coast). The telecast represented the 44th in the popular “ShoBox” series, which debuted on SHOWTIME in July 2001.

Guerrero (13-0-1, 6 KOs), of Gilroy, Calif. pummeled Sanchez through eight rounds. In the third round, he opened a cut over Sanchez’s left eye that gushed blood for the remainder of the fight. In the fifth round, Guerrero caught Sanchez with a left uppercut and then followed with a series of jabs and crosses that left Sanchez staggered. After eight rounds of punishment that left Sanchez’s entire face covered in blood, the referee stopped the fight. Guerrero, an aggressive-minded southpaw slugger has not come close to losing since turning pro at 18 with a four-round decision over Alex Ramirez on April 22, 2001. On March 14, 2004, he suffered the only blemish on his professional record when a fight with Julian Rodriguez ended in a controversial first-round technical draw.

Sanchez (30-3-4, 10 KOs), of Mexico City, Mexico attempted to stage a comeback in the fourth round: pushed against the ropes, he connected to Guerrero’s face and body with a series of combinations. But Sanchez could not contend with Guerrero’s speed. Sanchez captured the World Boxing Association (WBA) 122-pound title with a 12-round decision over Rafael Del Valle on Feb. 8, 1998. He dropped Del Valle in the fourth en route to winning 117-111, 116-111 and 117-113.

Martinez (11-1-1, 1 KOs), of Escondido, Calif. Came with his guns blazing from the opening bell. In the second round he opened a cut over Ramirez’s right eye. In the fifth, after a brutal exchange, Martinez staggered Sanchez. The referee deducted a points from Ramirez in the 11th, allowing Martinez to win by the most narrow of margins, 115-112 and 114-113 (twice). In his last fight, Martinez won an eight-round split decision on April 24, 2004, over Edel Ruiz by the scores 76-75 twice and 74-77.

Ramirez (33-6, 13 KOs), of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, fell behind early, but boxed his way back into the fight, pounding Martinez, nearly closing his left eye. However, the referee repeatedly warned Ramirez not to head butt and ultimately deducted a point from him in the 11th for the offense. Ramirez lost his belt by the scores of 112-115 and 113-114 (twice). Ramirez earned the NABF featherweight belt with a 12-round decision over Hector Marquez on June 13, 2003.