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"I'm excited and ready," said Joan Guzman, the former WBO junior featherweight champion who is promoted by Sycuan Ringside Promotions and who challenges WBO 130lb champion Jorge Barrios September 16 at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino. "I give Barrios a lot of credit. He's a tough fighter, but I'm not coming to lose. I want to make history in the Dominican Republic as the only fighter with two world titles." For his past few fights, Guzman (25-0, 17 KOs) uses a certain motivational tool to get him focused on his opponent. "We've got a life-size cardboard cutout of Barrios," manager Jose Nunez said. "When Guzman is doing sit-ups, push-ups, hitting the bag or sparring, the thing is right there in front of him. He definitely knows who he's training for." Nunez also stated, "We started with a new strength and conditioning coach for this fight, and Guzman is eating five times a day, looking really cut and hitting with a lot of power. He's way ahead of schedule. We'd be ready to fight this weekend if we had to."
Tuesday, August 15 2006