Boy, am I glad I decided to go to Las Vegas last week to cover Juan Manuel Marquez's impressive 11th-round knockout victory against Joel Casamayor to win the recognized lightweight championship instead of going to Biloxi, Miss., to cover Nate Campbell's … well, nothing.
His opponent, the mouthy Joan Guzman, didn't bother to make weight and refused to fight over the weight, so there was no fight.
At least in Vegas, there was a worthy main event. In Biloxi, junior welterweight titlist Timothy Bradley's undercard fight against hand-picked blown-up lightweight Edner Cherry became the nominal main event.
Campbell, one of the most dedicated fighters in the sport, was anxious to defend his lightweight belts but was left high and dry when the unprofessional Guzman not only was 3½ pounds overweight (138½ instead of 135) but then refused to fight Campbell in a nontitle fight, a scenario perfectly acceptable to Campbell, his co-promoters (Don King and Terry Trekas) and Showtime, which got stuck with a less-than-stellar show when the fight blew up hours before the telecast.
(As an aside, it would have been nice had Showtime and King gotten together and televised featherweight Elio Rojas' decision win against Hector Velazquez in a title eliminator in a solid undercard fight not slated for the broadcast. It made perfect sense since it was a legitimate match and because Rojas had previously appeared on "ShoBox," Showtime's prospect-oriented series. Of course, that move would have made too much sense).
So now Campbell is stuck. He has no fight, and the television schedules are filled for the remainder of the year. And, oh yeah -- he didn't get his much-needed $300,000 purse either, because in boxing if you don't fight, you don't get paid. Not one penny.
He can go after Guzman in civil court for damages, but that costs money and the payoff could be years away.
After all the dumb trash talk Guzman did before the fight was even made, about how Campbell was supposedly ducking him even though Guzman had never even fought in the lightweight division, he ought to be ashamed of himself.
I think it's pretty obvious now that Guzman's supposed visa problem -- you know, the one that prevented him from going to the United Kingdom to defend his junior lightweight title against Alex Arthur earlier this year -- might not have been so bad. The real issue probably was that Guzman knew he never had a prayer of making 130 pounds for that defense.
Guzman ended up vacating that title and moving to 135, where he was installed as Campbell's mandatory. That move by the WBO was a little sketchy to begin with, but at least it figured to be a decent fight -- had it happened. Only after it was called off did we hear about how Guzman arrived at his training camp with Floyd Mayweather Sr. weighing more 170 pounds. If he was going to fight middleweight champ Kelly Pavlik, that would have been fine. When you're supposed to fight for lightweight belts, it's a problem.
In any case, Guzman -- who got off with a slap on the wrist, a small fine from Mississippi regulators -- issued a statement apologizing for his actions. Here is that statement, but frankly, I don't believe for one second that these are actually his words. But here you go anyway:
"I was wrong and I apologize. There is no one else to blame for me not making the lightweight division weight limit of 135 pounds for my WBO, WBA and IBF title bout against Nate Campbell this past weekend. No trainer is to blame. No nutritionist is to blame. No manager is to blame. No promoter is to blame. Put the blame on me, Joan Guzman, because I was completely at fault."My conduct in this important matter was unprofessional. I rolled the dice by coming in too heavy at the start of my training camp. I was able to get away with this many times before but, at age 32, my body shut down on me with 3½ to go. My metabolism rejected taking off so many pounds in a short period. I apologize, first and foremost, to Campbell. I hope he accepts my sincere apology. I apologize to all the boxing fans, his, mine and fans who just wanted to see two accomplished fighters compete.
"I apologize to everyone in my native country, the Dominican Republic, and I am sorry I let you all down after you have given me years of great support. I apologize to the Showtime network and hope I can earn their forgiveness over time. I apologize to the Beau Rivage Resort & Casino and to all the great people of the Biloxi area. I apologize to Campbell's entire team from co-promoters Don King and Terry Trekas on down. I certainly apologize to my team starting with Sycuan Ringside Promotions, the entire Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation and to my manager, Jose Nunez. I apologize to other members of my own team all of whom worked so hard. I apologize to the WBO, to the WBA, to the IBF and to the Mississippi athletic commission.
"I learned a lesson, a hard lesson, and I just hope that, in time, I can regain the trust and the confidence of all concerned.
Humbly submitted,
Joan Guzman"
That was sweet, but it doesn't change what he did.
As for Campbell, he also issued a statement after the mess. Here is, in part, what "The Galaxxy Warrior" had to say:
"I can't begin to tell you how disappointed I am in Joan Guzman. So much went into this fight. My preparation, my time away from my family. So much. And for him to pull this stunt shows a complete lack of respect for the sport, the fans, the network, and myself. I wanted my pound of flesh. I wanted his '0.' I found out he had pulled out of the fight while on my way to the dressing room. I found out later that this nonsense had been going back and forth all day. He was gonna fight, he wasn't gonna fight, he was gonna fight, etc. Terry had kept me pretty insulated from most of it though, so I didn't know until on my way to the dressing room what was up. I really feel bad for the fans who came out, and for DKP, Showtime, and the Beau Rivage, who put so much effort into making this fight happen. A lot of money and effort went down the drain due to the unprofessional conduct of this idiot. "One other thing that makes me laugh too is that throughout this entire promotion, Guzman and his people made allegations against me regarding steroid use, yet it is Guzman who bulked up so much mass that he couldn't even make 135. And to get sympathy, they are claiming that he was throwing up blood. This is not a symptom of dehydration to make weight. Throwing up blood is a symptom of using too much diuretics. He didn't even try to lose any weight after weighing 138½ on his first try. He went back to his room and watched TV. And all this 'rushed to the hospital' nonsense is just bull---- spin from his people. They only took him to the hospital after the weigh-in because getting an IV is a quicker way to rehydrate than naturally taking in fluids. But that's besides the point. This wasn't a case of someone getting the flu, or an injury during fight week. Those things legitimately happen sometimes.
"They knew the weight was gonna be a problem. But instead of letting people know, and making another deal or something for the fight to move forward, they pulled this crap at the last second. I've also heard a few stories saying that it was the doctor that pulled the plug on the fight. I don't believe that is true. Terry asked the commissioner what his ruling was, and if it was medical related, or what. The commissioner told him 'I advised the fighter of the consequences of not participating in the fight, and the fighter elected not to participate.' I even told them I didn't care what he weighed. He could have came in at 160 for all I care. I just wanted that ass and that '0.' I'm very disappointed.
Nate Campbell
IBF/WBO/ WBA lightweight champion"
Nate, if it's any consolation, we were all disappointed.
Dan Rafael
