By Mark Vester

At the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero (25-1-1, 17 KOs) won a twelve round unanimous decision over a game Malcolm Klassen (24-5-2, 15 KOs) to win the IBF super featherweight title. The scores were 117-111, 116-113 and 116-112.

Guerrero came out looking very sharp in the first round. He looked a lot bigger than Klassen. Guerrero used his longer arms to get off early. During the end of the first, Klassen began to rush in with some good right hands. There was some good punches thrown by both in the second. Guerrero was throwing many more punches than Klassen. During the third, Klassen just couldn't get inside on the much taller Guerrero. He couldn't find an answer in the fourth. Near the middle of the fourth, Guerrero landed a hook to the body that shook Klassen up.

In the fifth, Klassen began to get off with some hard lefts and rights that were catching Guerrero over and over. It was a dominating round for the defending champion who switched up and started to find his target. It was a close sixth. Guerrero did much better with volume and Klassen landed a few good counters. During an exchange, Guerrero landed an uppercut that knocked Klassen's mouthpiece out of his mouth. In the seventh, Klassen began to come on again by landing some very good punches. There was a clash of heads the opened up a cut near the left eye of Guerrero.

Guerrero doubled up his punches in the eight, continued to land good punches on Klassen. Guerrero appeared to fall apart again in the ninth. Klassen came on strong in the round and seemed to really pound a tired Guerrero with shots to the head and some really telling blows to the body. Guerrero came right back in the tenth, landing and moving better. Klassen slowed down heavy in the eleventh, with Guerrero fighting and looking very strong down the stretch. In the twelfth, Guerrero has issues in the first half of the round. He managed to come on in the second half when Klassen tired.