To my shame, I just discovered the guy at his 36 years old Could anyone illuminate me about the guy? How actually good / bad he was?
very talented but sadly i'll always immediately think of how shocked i was that a fighter would come into a big fight damn near 10lbs over the contracted weight (not that his opponent didnt have help making the weight).
Sadly, the responses here are true, even if just partially, and burdened with animosity. But these reactions mostly show you that, indeed, Joan Guzmán had the skill-set to become a great, great boxer. Instead, he became a good boxer generally perceived as a waste of potential, and the way this potential was, well, wasted...is the root of the aforementioned animosity. It all began with weight issues. He failed to make weight in several fights, including a cancelled fight with Nate Campbell and one against Ali Funeka, in which he weighed 9 lbs. over the limit. The public, naturally, condemned him. To top it all, after a fight against Jason Davis, whom Joan TKO'd in the second round, he tested positive for a diuretic, and was suspended for several months. So, generally, Joan has given us the impression that he is not as serious an athlete as he should have been. However, that's not all there is to Joan Guzmán's story. That's just the part people normally repeat. For instance, Joan's poor management was always a step back for his career. He fought once a year, practically. His style brought some doom over him as well. Being so talented -and so unknown- having the ability to make a fool of many of the so-called elite boxers, did not help him sign off fights against known opposition. Bluntly, many big name fighters (not them personally, but their teams, I assume) refused to fight him. According to Joan, he went through many personal problems in a number of years in his career, which may or may not have influenced in his lack of concentration on serious training. These allegations, however, will never be proven true or false, so that's that. When you ask about Joan, very likely the answers will be the same: biggest waste of talent out there. Maybe true, but there is a man behind the perception of people. And that man has dedicated his life to boxing and has succeeded in it, whether other people like it or not, whether they agree or not. Could have been better? probably. A loser? no way.
