By Jake Donovan
A month-long search for an opponent to face Joan Guzman has finally concluded.
The undefeated Dominican will face Jason Davis in a ten-round bout on the non-televised portion of Saturday’s show in Las Vegas, headlined by the HBO-televised junior welterweight bout between Amir Khan and Marcos Maidana.
The bout will be the first for Guzman (30-0-1, 17KO) since his controversial rematch with Ali Funeka earlier this year. Their vacant title fight – which was televised on HBO – was marred by Guzman’s reoccurring follies at the scales, coming in a whopping nine pounds over the lightweight limit.
Guzman won by split decision, but was ineligible to pick up the vacant belt due to his failure to make weight. The moment served as the last straw for many in the industry, insisting that it was one instance too many where he failed to conduct himself in a professional manner.
Such is the reason why this weekend’s bout lands off camera.
“I know I have to once again prove myself to the public,” Guzman said on Monday, expressing gratitude for the opportunity to once again fight and sorrow for having let down so many in the boxing world through the years. “I’m grateful for those who still have faith in me. I still have a lot to offer the sport.”
Golden Boy Promotions still believes in Guzman, as they are willing to stand by his side. Still, they are wise enough to take a cautious approach to scheduling his fights from here on out.
“Richard Schaefer called me to make sure that he will make 140 lb,” revealed Jose Nunez, Guzman’s longtime manager. “He really wants him on (this weekend’s) show but doesn’t want any issues at the scales.”
By their own admission, Guzman’s handlers weren’t doing backflips over the selection of Davis, who comes in with a record of 11-7-1 (3KO) and having lost six straight.
But for the sake of keeping their fighter busy, they made the most of a difficult situation.
“We’ve been through so many opponents that I began to wonder if he would actually fight this weekend,” Nunez admits. The frustrations began with the disappointing news of his intended November 5 showcase on Telefutura being canceled due to contractual issues with the venue.
A silver lining appeared to come of it when Guzman was offered a slot on this weekend’s show at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.
Then came the hard part; finding a worthy enough foe to stand in the opposite corner.
“We were willing to fight anyone they offered us,” Nunez insists. “Ray Narh, Anges Adjaho, Julio Diaz and even the guy who just beat Nate Campbell (Walter Estrada). We just wanted to keep him busy. But for whatever reason, all of them passed on the fight.”
In the past, Guzman would’ve taken a different approach to training under such circumstances, taking short cuts and acting like there wasn’t a fight at all.
This time around, he opted to stay ready so that he wouldn’t have to get ready.
“I’ve been training hard for more than two months, never with any particular opponent in mind once the fight with Fernandez fell through. There were so many different guys mentioned that I just trained to fight, not for any specific style. I really don’t care who I fight.”
He might change that tune after he sits down with his promoter and manager to discuss his future.
While a win over a fighter of Davis’ ilk does little in the grand scheme of things, Golden Boy revealed that Guzman is on the short list of future opponents for a Khan showcase in the UK next spring, should the Brit take care of business against the dangerous Maidana on Saturday.
“Golden Boy is committed to Guzman,” states Nunez. “They repeatedly asked me about his weight and were willing to even move the date for this fight if we knew for sure that he couldn’t make 140.”
Nunez has always stuck by Guzman’s side through thick and thin – the weight issues, his mother’s passing, the lack of discipline – but felt compelled to have a heart-to-heart with him following the rematch with Funeka earlier this year.
Apparently, he liked what Guzman had to say. Otherwise, the Funeka bout would have been his last ever as a professional.
“He’s moved past his personal problems. I told him flat out that he either had to move on from all the things that were holding him back, or else find something else to do for a living.”
Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of Boxingscene.com. Follow Jake on Twitter at twitter.com/JakeNDaBox or submit questions/comments to JakeNDaBox@gmail.com.
