Joan Guzmán facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Joan Guzmán |
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| Height | 5 ft 7 in | |||||||||||||||||||
| Reach | 67 in | |||||||||||||||||||
| Born | May 1, 1976 Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic |
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| Stance | Orthodox | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Total fights | 37 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Wins | 34 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Wins by KO | 21 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Losses | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Draws | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||
| No contests | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Joan Guzmán (born May 1, 1976) is a former professional boxer from the Dominican Republic. He was a champion in two different weight classes. He held the WBO super bantamweight title from 2002 to 2005. Later, he won the WBO junior lightweight title, holding it from 2006 to 2008.
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Amateur Career
Joan Guzmán started boxing when he was nine years old. As an amateur boxer, he was incredibly successful. He won 310 out of 320 fights! One of his biggest wins was a gold medal at the 1995 Pan American Games. He also competed in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. There, he faced Omar Andrés Narváez, who would later become a famous world champion.
Professional Career
Guzmán began his professional boxing journey in the United States in 1997. His very first fight was in Phoenix, Arizona, where he won by knockout in the second round. After another quick knockout win in New York City, he returned to his home country, the Dominican Republic.
He took a break from boxing for two years. When he came back in 1999, he won his first fight in the Dominican Republic. He then had several more wins. He even won the Dominican featherweight title by knocking out Francisco de Leon.
Becoming a World Champion
Joan Guzmán became a top-ranked boxer in the super bantamweight division. In 2002, he got a chance to fight for the vacant WBO world super bantamweight title. He won the championship with a knockout in the third round. He successfully defended this title against Agapito Sanchez in 2004 and Fernando Beltrán Jr. in 2005.
After these wins, Guzmán moved up to the super featherweight division. In 2006, he fought Jorge Rodrigo Barrios for the WBO super featherweight title. Guzmán won the fight and became a world champion in a second weight class! He defended this new title twice, beating Antonio Davis and future champion Humberto Soto.
Moving to Lightweight
In 2008, Guzmán decided to move up to the lightweight division. He aimed to win a world title in a third weight class. He faced some challenges with his weight, which sometimes caused fights to be cancelled. However, he kept working hard.
In December 2008, he fought Ameth Diaz and won by decision. This win brought him closer to another world title shot. He later fought Ali Funeka for the vacant IBF lightweight title. Their first fight was a draw, and in their second fight, Guzmán won by decision.
Later Fights and Unbeaten Streak Ends
Guzmán continued to move up in weight, eventually fighting at light welterweight. He won several fights in this new division.
His amazing unbeaten streak finally came to an end on November 30, 2012. He fought Khabib Allakhverdiev for a super lightweight championship. During the fight, Guzmán hurt his knee, and the fight had to be stopped. The judges then decided the winner based on the scores up to that point, and Allakhverdiev was declared the winner. Even though he lost, Guzmán showed his skill in the later rounds of the fight.
Joan Guzmán had an impressive professional boxing record of 34 wins, 1 loss, 1 draw, and 1 no contest, with 21 knockouts.
Post-Boxing
After his boxing career, Joan Guzmán started helping other boxers. He is now a trainer for a new boxer named Mikkel LesPierre.
See also
In Spanish: Joan Guzmán para niños
