Former featherweight and junior lightweight titleholder Robert Guerrero will be inducted into the San Jose Sports Hall of Fame in November, the San Jose Sports Authority announced on Wednesday.
The inductees, who will be honored Nov. 13 at the SAP Center in San Jose, were selected based on their ties to California’s South Bay area and their “lasting impact both on and off the field of play” in collegiate, professional, Olympic and international competitions.
In addition to Guerrero, a native of Gilroy, California, the Class of 2024 inductees include Mike Holmgren, a three-time Super Bowl winner (twice as offensive coordinator of the San Francisco 49ers) and former Bay Area high school football coach; Kerri Walsh Jennings, a five-time volleyball Olympian, Stanford star and Bay Area native; and the late John Arrillaga, an all-conference basketball player at Stanford and a Silicon Valley developer whose philanthropy and expertise were instrumental in shaping Cardinal athletics.
“San Jose’s incredibly rich and diverse sports history makes the Hall of Fame selection process very difficult each year,” said Charlie Faas, chairman of the San Jose Sports Authority board of directors. “The Class of 2024 is a wonderful representation of the deep and meaningful impact athletes and coaches with South Bay connections have made in their respective sports, locally, nationally and internationally. We are excited to welcome these four remarkable individuals into the San Jose Sports Hall of Fame.”
Guerrero, an elusive southpaw nicknamed “The Ghost,” began boxing under the tutelage of his father, Ruben, a former amateur champ. Robert then won a Junior Olympics gold medal at age 15 before turning professional in 2001, winning a featherweight title in 2006 and making three successful defenses before moving up in weight. In 2009, Guerrero claimed a 130-pound title in a unanimous decision over Malcolm Klassen. Additionally, he showed grace and commitment to family when he stepped away from boxing to help support and care for his wife, Casey, after she was diagnosed with leukemia and required a life-saving bone marrow transplant. Following Casey’s recovery, Guerrero went on to appear in blockbuster Las Vegas fights against Michael Katsidis, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Keith Thurman, winning interim belts at lightweight and welterweight along the way.
The most accomplished boxer in Santa Clara County history, Guerrero ended his career in 2023 with a win over Andre Berto, retiring with a record of 38-6-1 (20 KOs).
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