Guerrero Outworks Aydin in San Jose

By: Marc Livitz: Robert Guerrero took a chance tonight. He hadn’t fought in well over a year and most notably was the fact that he had jumped up two weight divisions (from lightweight to welterweight). He was recovering from a dangerous shoulder injury. His opponent this evening was Turkish hard man Selcuk Aydin. The fans at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California were treated to a great night. The fight began as a contest fought within close quarters. Guerrero looked for the steady jab in order to set up combinations, while the undefeated Aydin patiently walked forward and sometimes followed Guerrero around the ring. He was looking to land the one solid shot.

Robert was warned early on in the second for low blows by referee Dan Stell. Guerrero continued to press the action, yet he often felt the sting of Aydin’s right hand whenever he dropped his left hand after a quick jab. The next two rounds somewhat followed the same pattern. At this point, it was anyone’s guess if Guerrero had indeed bitten off more than he could possibly chew as a fighter in the star studded welterweight division. He was facing a raw, at times undisciplined tough boxer who would not let up at any time.

Guerrero (30(18)-1-1) tried to keep his distance, but Aydin kept moving forward. A hard right hook got Robert "The Ghost"’s attention inside the first thirty seconds of the fourth. Guerrero answered with an uppercut. Selcuk was for the most part relying on his powerful right hand. By contrast, Guerrero was able to use both gloves. However, he seemed unable to resist the urge to throw away his height as well as reach advantage that he held over his European opponent as he sought to keep the action close in.

The middle periods were much of the same. Guerrero threw more punches, but Aydin landed the harder shots by far. This fight would easily give the casual fan a headache. In the seventh, Aydin (23(17)-1) connected with two consecutive uppercuts to the jaw of his Gilroy, California opponent and he followed them with two noteworthy shots to the liver. Robert game out swinging in round eight. However, he allowed Aydin to inflict some pain and throw him off a bit. Whenever Guerrero would connect, he would not retreat in any way. This tendency made it possible for Selcuk to land his highly effective right.

This continued into the ninth, yet the pendulum visibly swung in the direction of the visiting pugilist in the tenth. Aydin introduced a left jab for a few moments. He landed a thudding right to the body of "The Ghost" and almost scored a knockdown. Guerrero maintained his balance. The pace had slowed by this time. The Turkish fighter had the reins for a while and his California foe was reduced to hanging on to see himself through the period. In the eleventh, Aydin seemed to know that he could connect with his ever dependable right whenever Guerrero was through throwing jab after jab. A few rights accentuated the round, yet Robert closed the stanza with a great multiple punch combination. 

All was left on the table in the twelfth and final round. The two combatants kept coming forward and the faithful followers of the sweet science in San Jose voiced their satisfaction with what they had witnessed. Aydin threw everything he had at Robert Guerrero. The bell sounded to end the contest and onto the final judgement of the three ringside oversight attendants went the decision. The scorecards were read. 117-111 and the remaining two were each 116-112. This was a great bout and Aydin lost his first contest.  

July 28, 2012