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Making his first title defense, Nate Campbell will risk his newly acquired IBF, WBO and WBA lightweight titles against undefeated two-division world champion Joan Guzman on Saturday, September 13, 2008, live on Showtime Championship Boxing at 9 p.m. ET/PT and delayed on the West Coast.
The fight will be co-promoted by Don King Productions and One Punch Productions from a location to be determined.
Campbell, 32-5-1 (25), from Jacksonville, FL, is coming off a tremendous upset win over previously undefeated unified lightweight champion Juan “Baby Bull” Diaz. “The Galaxxy Warrior” outgunned and battered the previously unbeaten Diaz on March 8 in Cancun, Mexico, winning by split decision.
At age 36, Campbell finds himself in possession of three world titles and great interest from the likes of the undefeated Guzman, previously a champion at the 122 and 130 pound limits, who would like to take away what Campbell has recently won at 135 pounds.
Guzman, 28-0 (17), a ShoBox alum from the Dominican Republic now fighting out of Brooklyn, NY, was scheduled to defend his junior lightweight crown against Alex Arthur on May 3 in Arthur’s home country of Scotland. When Arthur insisted on a later date, Guzman opted to move up to lightweight to challenge Campbell .
The clash pits Campbell ’s relentless and punishing style against the savvy, agile and rabbit-quick “Sycuan Warrior” Guzman. Campbell is known for having some of the heaviest hands in the division, while Guzman is a defensive wizard who rarely gets hit and can unload serious amounts of punishment when needed. It’s the classic power versus speed matchup that makes it almost impossible for the experts to pick a clear favorite.
Adding to that, a personal rivalry has been brewing with a war of words in the press, erupting when Guzman fired the first shots by castigating Campbell after wedding photos celebrating his recent nuptials appeared on many boxing websites.
“Everyone has seen the picture of Nate and his wife in their cute, white wedding outfits,” Guzman said. “I hope they’re enjoying their honeymoon because Nate’s honeymoon at the top of the lightweight division is going to end once he fights me.
“I think he’s afraid of me. I’ll make Nate look so bad that he’ll retire after I wipe the floor with him. I guess I can understand why Nate doesn’t want to fight me. Twenty-eight boxers have tried to beat me and none of them came close to succeeding.”
The equally loquacious Campbell wasted little time in responding to Guzman. “This clown [Guzman] reminds me of one of those yapping little rat dogs,” Campbell said. “[They] yip, yip, yip at your ankles.”
Their verbal sparring has subsided for now, leaving both sides ready to settle their feud inside the ring.
With pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao moving up in weight last month to dethrone David Diaz and claim the remaining major world championship at lightweight, both Campbell and Guzman would love nothing more than to emerge victorious in the hopes of possibly luring the “Pac Man” into a match to determine the undisputed champion in the division.
Showtime Championship Boxing announcers Steve Albert and Al Bernstein will call the action from ringside with Jim Gray reporting from ringside. The executive producer of Showtime Sports is David Dinkins Jr. with Bob Dunphy directing.
For information on Showtime Sports Programming, including exclusive behind-the-scenes video and photo galleries, complete telecast information and more, please go the new Showtime Sports website at http://www.sho.com/sports.
