HBO Boxing: Joan Guzman Dominates Humberto Soto, Calls Out Pacquiao

ByBoxing Press

Click for larger image © Sumio Yamada / Sycuan Ringside Promotions

WBO junior lightweight champion Joan Guzman out-boxed, out-slicked and out-worked challenger Humberto Soto en route to winning a 12-round unanimous decision, Saturday, Nov. 17, at the Borgata Resort in Atlantic City, N.J. on the acclaimed HBO series “Boxing After Dark.”

The one-sided scores were 117-111, 118-110 and 117-111. It was Guzman’s second title defense.

Guzman (28-0, 17 KOs), dug deep into his bag of tricks unveiling his entire arsenal as the defensive wizard stymied the veteran Soto (43-6-2, 27 KOs) with blistering combinations and sported a defense that was close to indestructible.

“I was too fast for him,” Guzman said. “He never hurt me. I want Pacquiao next.”

Guzman looked like the complete package tonight, at times making Soto look foolish with his repeated failed attempts to land any effective combinations. Throughout the night, Soto had a better chance of hitting the air than hitting Guzman.

“No one has been able to hit Guzman consistently,” said Scott Woodworth, vice president of Sycuan Ringside Promotions, the San Diego, Calif. based promotional company that promotes Guzman. “That is what makes him so dangerous.”

“He is just too fast and quick for anyone. He is like a blur; you can’t hit what you can’t see. Even when Soto forced Guzman to the ropes, he still couldn’t hit him. Soto would just swing at air. Guzman put on a boxing clinic today. He looked unbeatable.”

Often times Guzman would stalk Soto with his hands down, unafraid of what Soto would be throwing since Guzman knew it had little chance of finding its intended target.

“Soto had good combinations, he just couldn’t land enough of them,” Guzman said. “He is tough though. He wouldn’t go down.”

Soto is considered by many boxing pundits to be one of the top junior lightweights in the game and Guzman walked right through him.

“Guzman looked flawless tonight,” said Floyd Mayweather, Sr., Guzman’s new trainer. “He made a very good fighter look like he doesn’t know how to fight. This is only the beginning. Guzman has bigger fights waiting for him.”

Guzman, from Brooklyn, N.Y. by way of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, again showed why he is one of the most feared and respected boxers at 130 pounds.

To be recognized as that in the same division that includes such greats like Manny Pacquiao and Marco Antonio Barrera is quite an accomplishment.

“Sycuan Ringside would love to match Guzman against Manny Pacquiao,” said Sean Gibbons, matchmaker for Sycuan.

“If Pacquiao won’t fight us than we would be happy to fight Juan Manuel Marquez. If these guys don’t want to fight Guzman we will go up in weight to 135 pounds so Guzman can become a three-division champion.”

The 12-round championship bout was promoted by Golden Boy Promotions in associate with Sycuan Ringside Promotions and Top Rank Inc.