By Ryan Maquiñana

BoxingScene.com has learned that middleweight prospect Fernando Guerrero will return to the ring on Feb. 18th against James Winchester in Cancun, Mex., at a contracted weight of 164 pounds.

Guerrero (22-1, 17 KOs), out of Salisbury, Md., was originally slated to fight Winchester one week before that date on the Victor Ortiz-Andre Berto II undercard, but Berto’s bicep injury caused the show to be postponed until June.

While Golden Boy will also promote this show, the stage switches from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas to the Grand Oasis Resort in Cancun.

“Everything happens for a reason,” the 25-year-old Guerrero said.  “I still got a date. We got to stay motivated and stay disciplined. I’m very excited to go to Cancun. I’ve never been there before, and I’ve always wanted to visit. I just never thought I’d be fighting there.”

The 32-year-old Winchester (12-4, 4 KOs), from Greensboro, N.C., is on a two-bout winning streak and has displayed a sturdy chin in decision losses to Glen Tapia and Matt Korobov.

“It was hard to get video on [Winchester], but if it’s him or any other person, we’re just training to win,” Guerrero added.

Guerrero’s new trainer, Ricky Funez, went into more detail about his fighter’s training camp.

“Fernando took a couple days off after the Berto card got canceled, but he continues to stay in shape,” Funez said.  “We’ve been sparring at the Fortune Gym and in Oxnard at Robert Garcia’s gym. He did nine rounds yesterday with Alfonso Blanco, another guy, and even a couple rounds with Brandon Rios.”

In his last outing, Guerrero stopped Robert Kliewer on Dec. 10th in Washington, D.C.

Ryan Maquiñana writes a weekly column for Comcast SportsNet Bay Area (CSNBayArea.com). He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and Ring Magazine’s Ratings Panel. E-mail him at rmaquinana@gmail.com , check out his blog at www.maqdown.com , or follow him on Twitter: @RMaq28.