Jesse James Guerrero is ready for his big moment.
The Gilroy native—after racking up five wins and a draw, all in Mexico—will compete for the first time as a pro stateside on March 25 at Save Mart Center in Fresno. The 19-year-old boxes Eduardo Alvarez in a 109-pound (flyweight) undercard bout on a Top Rank Boxing Card that has Jose Ramirez-Richard Commey as the co-feature.
The main card will be broadcast live starting at 7pm local time on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+. The first undercard bout starts at 3pm.
“The nerves haven’t hit me yet, but I’m sure they will, especially if I’m fighting in front of five, 10,000 fans,” Guerrero said. “I’m just excited and I’m ready to go. It’s going to be a really different feeling, a different environment, and I just have to be ready for whatever comes my way.”
For the last month, Guerrero has been holed up across town living with his grandfather and trainer, Ruben Guerrero, in training camp. Jesse’s day typically starts off with a training session, followed by a run, sparring and additional workouts later in the day.
“I’m on lockdown pretty much,” he said. “I repeat the same things everyday until fight night. Training has been good. By the end of this week, I should have 86 rounds of sparring, a lot more rounds than my last couple of training camps.”
Guerrero has been working with a variety of sparring partners so he can be prepared for any situation against an opponent he knows very little about.
“We couldn’t find any film [on Alvarez], nothing,” he said. “Again, it’s how it was in Mexico. I just have to feel him out in the first round and adjust once I get into the ring.”
Guerrero has been focusing on his movement, defense and honing his jab so he can set up his big right hook.
“We’ve been working on a lot of different things preparing for this fight,” Guerrero said. “Anything can happen in the sport of boxing so I have to be prepared at all costs.”
Coming from a lineage of renowned boxers, Guerrero wants nothing more than to make his family proud.
“I’ve got a lot to prove and a lot of weight to carry,” he said. “I’m doing it for everybody: the fans, the town of Gilroy, my family. The [Guerrero] name means a lot, especially in the sport of boxing.”
Jesse’s father, Ruben Jr., said Jesse has Rick Mirigian as his new manager. Mirigian is well known in the boxing world as he’s worked with several notable pros, including Ramirez.
Even though this represents Jesse’s biggest pro fight to date, he’s taken comfort in the fact that Ruben has been a trainer for over twice as long as he’s been alive.
“For my grandfather, this is nothing new to him,” Jesse said. “He’s preparing me for everything and doing everything he can for me. … I’m ready to show on national television and the world as a 19-year-old what I’m all about.”
