By Nick Bellafatto
Former three-division champion Robert “The Ghost”Guerrero is this weekend facing an opponent who’s nickname is “Mini Tyson.” But in looking closely at the undefeated WBC #1 rated Selcuk Aydin of Trabzon, Turkey, he may be a far cry from Hall of Fame fighter “Iron” Mike Tyson, especially considering the power the Turk does pack has only been effected against less than top tier competition.
To expand on the Tyson analogy, whereas the Cus D’Amato trained fighter from Brooklyn, New York would feature head movement to avoid punishment in an effort to administer his own, Aydin doesn’t move his head much if at all. In light of this, the Ottoman prizefighter may in the end prove to be the victim of an old boxing adage which goes, “if you don’t move your head your opponent will move it for you.”
With that said, not only will Robert Guerrero attempt to assist Aydin in that department, but the Mexican prizefighter himself utilizes head movement, a circumstance which will cause his adversary to fall in and become vulnerable to counter punches from various angles. For this technical reason I usually favor the fighter that features head movement.
And if you’re looking for any similarities between these two combatants, one appropriate comparison can be made in that each man has been side-stepped while in the position of mandatory challenger. Juan Manuel Marquez had avoided “The Ghost” for quite some time, just as sure as Floyd Mayweather Jr. had repeatedly failed to step up and face Aydin. However, in all fairness to Floyd, Aydin is not a box office draw which could have very well factored in. In any event, I feel it’s safe to say that the comparisons between Saturday’s main-event fighters start and end here.
For Selcuk Aydin, who will enter the ring with as much as a five inch reach disadvantage as the slightly shorter man, he’s strictly a come forward type brawler who loads up with straight rights and left hooks, especially against southpaws. Not much for movement one way or the other, the Turk will cover up much of the time, affording scoring opportunities for those who oppose him. Very comfortable in tight with his peekaboo stance, “Mini Tyson” looks to be tailor made for Robert who will most likely turn Aydin and land counter shots all night long.
And with Selcuk in the past proving vulnerable to uppercuts, non other than the weapon of choice for Guerrero, the Mexican likes to slide his head to one side or another to deliver this quite devastating blow. In fact, this particular punch is highly likely to catch Aydin at the most opportune of moments when he’s least expecting it, so that it’s effect should be magnified.
Furthermore, “The Ghost” has defeated the better competition on a regular basis, whereas perhaps because Aydin has been so avoided by upper echelon fighters, he may in fact be at a disadvantage because of it. An additional liability on the part of the top rated welterweight contender is that in attempting to close the gap on an adversary, of which he will have to do against the lengthier Guerrero, Aydin will take one, two, or three shots to land his own.
This observation in conjunction with the fact that he will not be able to outbox the hometown fighter makes it all the more urgent that Selcuk score the knockout that he’s been alluding to. Aydin has a tough beard which may buy him the time to track Robert down, but the crux of the matter is, will he get to “The Ghost” to do the deed? In an attempt to impose his will, there is no question that the Turk is counting on sheer force to topple the Mexican fighter.
On the other hand, does Robert have enough pop on his punches to slow down or stop an oncoming Aydin so as to avoid getting knocked out himself? Not only do I believe this to be the case, but it’s quite possible that Robert will be able to handle Aydin’ punches consistently. After all, Selcuk’ knockouts have come against unrecognizable B and C level fighters.
All told, Guerrero’ experience level combined with his ring generalship will allow him to hold his ground in spots so as to effectively infight, while his use of angles against an opponent who is not so motivated or well versed in cutting off the ring will prove consistently troublesome for Aydin. The shortcomings of Selcuk are almost sure to surface right away against an opponent who can bang or move around with the best of them.
And as the action unfolds this Saturday night, I anticipate that the fists of the more seasoned and better all around fighter Guerrero will find the mark so that “The Ghost” should be able to avoid getting ghost busted. In fact, I see Robert opening up his opponent so that through an accumulation of landed blows, he will turn the tables to rather bust up the stalking Aydin.
And however speculative this scenario may appear to some, what is for sure is that Robert Guerrero is in for some rough tactics along the way from a man who once attacked a referee during his amateur days. Aydin will wrestle, while he’s prone to rabbit punching. And when it comes to throwing borderline shots or worse, the visiting fighter is not shy.
In the end, for whatever determination Aydin has in debuting before a major U.S. cable viewing audience, his skill level compared to that of Guerrero is somewhat primitive. Robert is perhaps not giving himself full credit here as he is expecting the Turkish fighter to put up a battle. I surmise that any effort on the part of Aydin will be thwarted for the most part as Robert is rather focused on the task at hand.
This is quite understandable given that the Gilroy fighter doesn’t want to under estimate his foe knowing he’s involved in the Mayweather sweepstakes. In that case I’ll under estimate Aydin for him. Guerrero by UD or even a stoppage in a war of attrition before a raucous hometown crowd, so that Robert will in effect become the “Mini-Buster Douglas” to that of an opponent known as “Mini-Tyson.”
Guerrero vs. Aydin, a 12-round fight for the WBC Interim Welterweight World Championship, is presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Arena-Box Promotion and sponsored by Corona, DeWalt Tools, and AT&T. The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast will air live at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast) with the co-feature to include top-rated welterweight prospect “Showtime” Shawn Porter (19-0, 14 KO’s) facing off with two-time world title challenger Alfonso Gomez (23-5-2, 12 KO’s) for the NABO Welterweight Title. Preliminary fights are to air live on SHOWTIME EXTREME® at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT.
