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| Joan Guzman will start his journey into the featherweight division against Terdsak Jandaeng, on August 26. This move up to featherweight from junior featherweight is a combination of elevating his boxing legacy and a clever test to see if he is prepared to enter the reality of a wealthy division of well trained boxers. How will it help his legacy? |  © Team Guzman |
Guzman is optimistic about his new weight class, which could put him into the peak of making a lasting impression in a division, and this is the motivation needed when you are raising your legacy. It is a test, because he is entering into a fight that could start the building blocks for championship fights in a division that has so much to offer to the boxing world.
At five-foot-seven and the owner of a sixty-seven-inch reach, Guzman certainly has the size to sit comfortably in the featherweight division. The commander of a 23-0, 17 knockouts record, his power defines focus and flush landings to the core. Guzman went the distance in two ten round scheduled matches and two twelve scheduled round matches and came out the winner without a question. He has a proficient amateur record, winning 310 fights and only losing ten; so stamina, dedication, and maturity are within his arsenal.
Guzman’s power has served two aspects in his career. If you look at it from a second class fan standpoint, he would seem like a powerhouse puncher; if you had the pleasure of seeing him fight and you are a hardcore boxing fan, you would understand his power is built on his boxing skills. It is what separates boxers from brawlers and leaves middle room for the word fighter. Therefore, misplacing Guzman as a power fighter could make you end up kissing the canvas if you are his opposition.
Guzman handled himself well in the junior featherweight division; however, there was a pleasure and pain cost for the former champion. A pleasure in that he made great progress in that division, a pain, because he was not completely comfortable with that weight. Guzman sure planted his arrival into the featherweight division with a bold opponent in Terdsak Jandaeng, 18-0, 13 knockouts. Jandaeng will be fighting for the sixth time this year, which is an eye opener, being that he is undefeated. So, we can remove the journeyman bandwagon and treat this fight as a legitimate match in which the winner will have the promising chance of facing WBO champion Scott Harrison.
Forgive me for a minute if I play an unlicensed promoter, and I mean no disrespect by looking past Jandaeng and his undefeated record, but if Guzman walks away with a win, the future of him landing a match with either Juan Manuel Marquez, Chris John, In Jin Chi, and also squeezed into the mix, Humberto Soto, will be prevalent. The outstanding fights that could evolve from this one fight could have Guzman falling asleep with hope and awaking to determination. Guzman has protested his intentions of making the featherweight division his place of championships. Now he has the chance to show the world why he deserves that bevy of recognition, championship belts and bigger fights.
This is nothing new to Guzman. From building his innate boxing skills in the Dominican Republic, arduous training and earning a gold medal in the Pan American Games to gaining the WBO title in the junior featherweight division. Perhaps it is new to the second class boxing fan, who can only attribute his knowledge on Guzman as a power puncher. More than ever, Guzman has a chance to educate both hardcore fans and second class boxing fans with his fight come August 26.
The world will be watching and his chance to charm the fight fans is coming and the anticipation can leave one wondering: will he enter the featherweight division with a power punch or a powerful presence?
Contact Shaun Rico LaWhorn at filmmaking_mentality@msn.com
