JOAN GUZMAN

updated November 12, 2007

The Dominican Republic is known for producing some of the best athletes playing baseball today, such as Sammy Sosa and Pedro Martinez. But if former WBO super bantamweight and super featherweight champion Joan Guzman has his way, sports fans will soon start thinking of his island as the home of one of boxing's best.

And with a name like "Sycuan Warrior" the concussive punching Guzman has to be exciting. And he is, having scored 17 knockouts in 27 wins without a loss, en route to earning a reputation as one fighter you want to avoid at all costs.

But while prospective opponents may be steering clear of Guzman, at home in the Dominican Republic, Joan is a hero, a fact made clear in 2003, when he joined Sosa, his good friend Martinez and baseball Hall of Famer Juan Marichal to carry the traditional torch for the Pan American Games.

It's an honor well deserved for the soft-spoken 31-year-old, who has been working towards his goals since he was a child.

Having started boxing at eight, Guzman racked up an impressive resume as an amateur boxer, winning 310 fights against only 10 losses. Included in these victories was a gold medal winning bout at the Pan American Games.

With his sights set on professional success, Guzman turned pro on September 23, 1997, stopping Juan Rivera in two rounds. In just his second bout three months later, Guzman was delighting the crowd at Madison Square Garden in New York City, KO'ing Henry Bowden in two frames.

Yet as Guzman's reputation for scoring crushing knockouts grew, opponents started disappearing. Guzman returned home to the Dominican Republic and cleared out all local competition, winning the DR featherweight title in the process.

In August of 2001, Guzman, now 14-0 with 12 KOs, scored one of his most devastating victories when he knocked out highly regarded Hector Julio Avila in just two rounds to win the vacant NABO super bantamweight title. Avila was unconscious for over five minutes before recovering.

On September 29, 2001, Guzman returned to US shores, decisioning Edel Ruiz over 12 rounds to win the WBO intercontinental, and WBO Latino super bantamweight crowns. And after decisioning Armando Guerrero five months later, the only thing left for Guzman to accomplish was to win a world title.

He got his chance on August 17, 2002, in Cardiff, Wales, when he knocked out Fabio Oliva in three rounds to win the vacant WBO super bantamweight championship, becoming only the 13th Dominican to win a world boxing title since Carlos (Teo) Cruz did so in 1968.

Guzman then won two non-title fights, both by first round knockout. On July 28 of 2003 he halted Jorge Eliecer Monsalvo and then one month later on Aug. 29, Guzman dispatched of Alfaro Gonzalez.

On February 26, 2004, Guzman faced his greatest challenge to date when he took on former champion and fellow countryman Agapito Sanchez in a 12 round championship bout, but the bout was no contest as Guzman tore through Sanchez in seven one-sided rounds.

After another successful title defense over Fernando Beltran Jr. (W12) in April of 2005, Guzman moved up to the featherweight division and quickly earned the WBO's number one contender position with a win over tough Terdsak Jandaeng. But after a series of postponements of a fight with champion Scott Harrison, Guzman decided to move up to 130 pounds, where he easily outpointed former world champ Javier Jauregui in his divisional debut in May of 2006, and then added the WBO crown to his trophy case with a 12 round decision win over hard-charging Jorge Rodrigo Barrios on September 16, 2006.

After defending his title in December of last year with a lopsided decision win over Antonio Davis, Guzman will make his second defense of the title against Mexican warrior Humberto "Zorrita" Soto on November 17th at the Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa.