10.02.04 – By Fiona Manning: Van Nuys, CA: Sorry Joel Casamayor, you might have ruled the roost once at Joe Goossen’s hard-boiled Ten Goose Boxing Gym but there’s a new kid in town and he’s running all his sparring partners out of the gym.
Casamayor’s one-time protégé and Goossen’s “Child Prodigy,” hard-hitting 126 pound southpaw phenomenon, Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero is back after a seven month layoff showing the pros what’s what in the final weeks leading up to his much-anticipated ring return March 14 against Julian Rodriguez at Pechanga Casino on. The fight will be aired on Fox news. Guerrero, 11-0, 4 KOs is slated for a pretty full schedule this year if all goes according to plan.
Eastsideboxing visited Team Guerrero for the first time since Casamayor’s second defection since seeking political asylum in the US from his native Cuba.
Though Goossen was obviously hit by Casamayor’s abrupt and inexplicable departure, the atmosphere remains cracking and intense in downtown Van Nuys.
The only glaring difference is while Casamayor favors Bachata; for Guerrero, it’s Kid Rock and heavy metal when he’s in da house.
There is an ease between Goossen and Geurrero which comes from mutual respect. Guerrero is doing all that Goossen asks of him – and more.
You can hide nothing from Captain Joe.
Just ask Guerrero’s luckless sparring partner, Ricky Funez.
Goossen is all business ringside as Guerrero spars the first of what are intended to be seven rounds with welterweight Funez.
Funez, who has worked with Goossen for years as an amateur and now stands 1-0 as a pro, takes a licking but can’t keep ticking.
In the fourth round, he’s unable to bear the pressure of Guerrero’s now-legendary power and pushes Guerrero away from him.
“No more,” he says. “I’m not a machine.”
Guerrero and his father Ruben Guerrero wait patiently at the ropes. It’s the same old song for them. They just cannot keep sparring partners in the ring.
“You’re not a machine?” counters Goossen evenly. “How you gonna learn Ricky, if you don’t fight guys like this? You think you’re only going to learn if you put a beating on a guy?”
Funez rips off his head gear and Ruben Guerrero reluctantly removes his son’s mouth piece and head gear.
Robert Guerrero turns to Goossen. “The speed bag or double end bag?” he says, never losing a moment to work.
Goossen hasn’t finished frying Funez’ fish, however: “You had sex this weekend Rick, I can tell.”
“No I didn’t,” says Funez but he can’t look Goossen in the face.
“Yeah, you’ve been banging. I can always tell,” says Goossen who follows Guerrero to the double end bag.
Guerrero has no reaction to Funez’ emotional little outburst as he sulks at the ropes feeling sorry for himself.
“We’re used to it,” said Ruben. “Joe Goossen is a world class trainer and a maker of world champions. We just want to get better. We’re not trying to hurt anybody. We just want to do the work.”
Guerrero will have to wait for more rounds tomorrow with Art Simonyan who though a fearsome battler himself, has walked away from Guerrero in the gym before.
“The Ghost” offers no apologies to Funez or any fighter. He is just doing his job.
Goossen keeps him focused after the change in the day’s schedules. Both fighter and trainer are completely unfazed.
Welcome to the day-to-day world of boxing.
Goosen himself may have skipped a beat professionally with being able to prep Casamayor for the rematch with Diego Corrales for what was the partnership’s best camp and best pro outing ever; but he is more than ecstatic with Guerrero’s return to the ring after an enforced medical layoff.
He does not talk about Corrales (whom he is now training) on the record or even Casmayor except to say, “I have always had a tremendous professional relationship with Joel Casamayor. I am not Joel’s enemy. This was a business decision and business rules the sport of boxing. I have my business here and it did not coincide with their plans.”
While Casamayor trains in Paso Robles, CA, Goossen remains in the boiler room – how hot is it in this gym anyway?
Guerrero is like a happy kid working out in the gym, always asking Goossen questions, always eager, always quick. Always, always – God bless those sparring partners – those lightening fast hands that are full of bad intentions.
“I over-extended my left elbow last year,” Guerrero says. “When I pushed the arm out I would feel little stabs of pain so the [California State Athletic] Commission doctor wanted to me to take some time off, so I did. Actually, the rest did me a lot of good.”
Guerrero, who lives in Gilroy, CA, comes to LA with his father and manager Bob Santos to work with Goossen and conditioning coach Elan Haim.
“We had to get a little bit of the ring rust off him, but not much,” says a clearly impressed Goossen. “He’s my Child Prodigy, he really is. He is as good as Gabe and Rafael Ruelas in their prime.
“He is a lot like Gabe and Rafael. No excuses, no explanations. He’s also very appreciative. And he can fight. For real.”
Goossen feels the layoff helped Guerrero become more comfortable in his long, rangy body.
“He’s always had a good left hand, now he’s really working on those right hooks, the uppercuts, the right body shots. I see the difference in him. He always had the power in both hands. Now he’s extremely comfortable using it.”
Goossen picks up a towel on the ropes and wipes down Guerrero, then his own hands.
“Did you have to use my towel?” asks Funez.
Goossen pretends to wipe his butt with it. Yeah, they go way, way back. Try the fact that Funez once etched graffiti in Goossen’s store-front window here when he was a gang-banger with the hande of L’il Daffy.
“The earthquake took care of it,” said Goossen. “The whole wall and the windows had to be replaced.”
Now there’s new graffiti and Goossen is on the war path for the perpetrator. Woe betide the kid, he’ll end up right in here, like Ricky Funez.
“I’m frustrated,” says Funez. “That’s all.”
“No excuses,” says Goossen.
Almost imperceptibly, you see Guerrero nodding in agreement as he hits the bag with right hooks.
“Nice hook Robert,” says Goossen, confirming the rumor that he has eyes in the back of his head. “No excuses means no regrets.”
For questions or comments email Fiona Manning at Bondigirl@aol.com.