Roberto Guerrero defended his IBF Featherweight Title against Jason Litzau in Lemoore, CA. The card was televised by Showtime Boxing's ShoBox The Next Generation.
On Friday, February 29, at the Tachi Hotel and Casino in Lemoore, CA, Roberto Guerrero knocked out Jason Litzau at 2:25 of round eight to retain his IBF Featherweight Championship.
Guerrero, 24, was simply too strong for the game, but out-classed fighter from St. Paul, Minnesota. Guerrero, of Gilroy, CA, controlled the fight from the opening bell, with Litzau unable or unwilling to pull the trigger in round one and large portions of rounds two and three.
Litzau, extremely tall for a featherweight at 5'10," often gave up his height advantage by crouching in and ignoring the jab. At one point in the third round, Litzau dropped his hands to mock Guerrero, who promptly landed a body shot, hurting the 24-year-old challenger.
With a cut opened over his left eye (headbutt), and his nose bloodied, Litzau seemed to awaken his offense through rounds five and six as Guererro took his turn on his toes and tried to box. Litzau continued to step forward on the tiring Guerrero, but couldn't sustain his attack long enough to win rounds.
In round seven, Guerrero began stepping backward, attempting to bait Litzau into counters. It worked as well as he could have hoped. Near the middle of the round Litzau's crouching in caught up with him when he followed Guerrero, as the champion stepped back and delivered a left uppercut, dropping Litzau. Up immediately, Litzau, fighting on instinct, continued to press forward until Guererro fired a left uppercut/looping left/right hook combination to finish Litzau for good.
Guererro, whose wife, Carrie, is battling leukemia (in remission), said afterwards that she is his inspiration.
Options are plentiful for Guerrero (22-1-1, 15), with names like Jorge Linares, Manny Pacquiao, and the winner of Israel Vazquez vs. Rafael Marquez III being the most discussed. Litzau's record drops to 23-2 (19)
On the undercard, heavyweights T. J. Wilson and Travis Walker delivered an entertaining rematch of their controversial October 2007 fight in which Wilson stopped Walker at :15 of the first round. The rematch took a little longer, this time with Walker knocking out Wilson at 1:50 of round two.
While Walker may not have the skill to challenge Wladimir Kilitschko any time soon, his heart and determination impressed, and he carries above average power in both hands. Whether he'll be able to improve his technique enough to deliver that power to more skilled opponents remains a question. Walker's record improves to 27-1-1 (22), while Wilson's drops to 12-2 (8).
