Joan Guzmán facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Joan Guzmán
Statistics
Nickname(s)	El Pequeño Tyson ("The Little Tyson") Sycuan Warrior
Rated at	Super bantamweight Featherweight Super featherweight Lightweight Light welterweight
Height	5 ft 7 in
Reach	67 in
Born	(1976-05-01) May 1, 1976 (age 49) Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	37
Wins	34
Wins by KO	21
Losses	1
Draws	1
No contests	1
Medal record Men's amateur boxing Representing  Dominican Republic Pan American Games Gold 1995 Mar del Plata Flyweight Central American and Caribbean Games Gold 1993 Ponce Light flyweight

Joan Guzmán, born on May 1, 1976, is a former professional boxer from the Dominican Republic. He competed in boxing from 1997 to 2014. Joan was a world champion in two different weight classes. He held the WBO super bantamweight title from 2002 to 2005. He also held the WBO junior lightweight title from 2006 to 2008.

Joan Guzmán's Early Boxing Days

Joan Guzmán started boxing when he was just nine years old. As an amateur boxer, he was very 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 lost to Omar Andrés Narváez, who later became a famous world champion.

Starting a Professional Boxing Career

Guzmán began his professional boxing journey in the United States. His first professional fight was on September 23, 1997, in Phoenix, Arizona. He won by knocking out Juan Miguel Rivera in the second round. After another quick win in New York City, he returned to the Dominican Republic.

He took a break from boxing for two years. When he came back, he had his first fight in his home country on March 11, 1999. He won that fight against Orlando Mateo. He then had six more fights before getting a chance to fight for the Dominican featherweight title. During his break, he also moved down to a lighter weight class, the super bantamweight division.

On October 25, 1999, Joan Guzmán won the national title by knocking out Francisco de Leon. He successfully defended this title once. He also won the NABO regional super bantamweight title in 2001. Later that year, he won two more regional championships, the WBO Latino and WBO Intercontinental titles.

Becoming a World Champion Boxer

Joan Guzmán became the top-ranked boxer in the WBO's super bantamweight division. The champion, Agapito Sanchez, was supposed to fight Guzmán. However, Sanchez had a medical issue and had to give up his title. This meant Guzmán fought Fabio Oliva for the vacant WBO world super bantamweight title on August 17, 2002. Guzmán won the championship with a knockout in the third round!

Sanchez later returned to boxing and finally fought Guzmán on February 26, 2004. Guzmán kept his title by knocking out Sanchez in the seventh round. He defended his title again in 2005, beating Fernando Beltrán Jr. After these impressive wins, Guzmán decided to move up to the super featherweight division.

On September 16, 2006, Guzmán was set to fight Jorge Rodrigo Barrios for the WBO super featherweight title. Barrios was too heavy for the fight and lost his title before the match even began. Guzmán then won the fight by a split decision, becoming the new WBO junior lightweight champion. He defended this title twice, beating Antonio Davis in 2006 and Humberto Soto in 2007.

Moving Up in Weight Classes

In May 2008, Guzmán decided to give up his WBO super featherweight title. He wanted to compete in the lightweight division. He was scheduled to fight Nate Campbell for three different lightweight titles. However, Guzmán was too heavy for the fight and became unwell, so the match was canceled. He later apologized for this.

On December 20, 2008, Guzmán fought Ameth Diaz for a chance to become the WBA lightweight champion. This time, Guzmán successfully made the weight limit. He won the fight by a unanimous decision, which was his first win as a lightweight.

Guzmán tried to win a world title in a third weight division. He challenged Ali Funeka for the vacant IBF lightweight title on November 28, 2009. The fight ended in a draw. They fought again on March 27, 2010, for the same title. Guzmán was again too heavy for the lightweight limit, so only Funeka could win the belt. Guzmán won the fight by a split decision, but the title remained empty.

Competing at Light Welterweight

Because of his struggles to make the lightweight limit, Guzmán moved up to the light welterweight division. His first fight at this new weight was on December 11, 2010, against Jason Davis. Guzmán won by knockout in the second round. However, after the fight, he failed a drug test for a banned substance. Because of this, his victory was changed to a "no-contest," meaning it was as if the fight never happened. He was also suspended from boxing for eight months.

After his suspension, Joan Guzmán returned to the ring in January 2012. He fought Florencio Castellano in the Dominican Republic and won by knockout in the first round. On March 2, 2012, Guzmán faced Jesus Pabón. Guzmán won by knockout in the eighth round. At this point, Joan Guzmán was still undefeated in 35 professional fights.

First Professional Loss

On November 30, 2012, Guzmán challenged Khabib Allakhverdiev for two light welterweight championships. The fight ended in the eighth round when Guzmán hurt his knee. The judges then decided the winner based on the scores up to that point. Allakhverdiev won by a technical decision, which was Joan Guzmán's first professional loss.

Guzmán's Boxing Style

Joan Guzmán was known for his quickness and ability to move around the boxing ring. He often avoided getting hit directly by using his fast footwork. He was also good at defending himself, using techniques like the shoulder roll. He would use his speed to dodge attacks and then quickly hit back with his own punches.

Professional Boxing Record

Life After Boxing

After his boxing career, Joan Guzmán became a trainer. He currently trains a new boxer named Mikkel LesPierre.

See also

In Spanish: Joan Guzmán para niños