Guerrero knocks off ring rust with TKO of Arrieta

It was as if Robert Guerrero never left the ring.

The former lightweight champion hadn’t fought since August while tending to his wife, Casey, who has leukemia. Guerrero staged a triumphant return Friday, dominating Roberto Arrieta and scoring an eighth-round technical knockout victory, in the main event at the Tropicana.

“I felt great,” Guerrero said after improving to 26-1-1. “I worked my jab, got some rounds in and got out of there without getting hurt. I’m very pleased.”

Guerrero knocked down Arrieta (35-16-4) four times — once in the second and third rounds and twice in the eighth. Guerrero was never in trouble.

After Arrieta went down twice in the first 28 seconds of the eighth, referee Jay Nady stopped the fight.

“I got a little anxious a couple of times,” Guerrero said. “I tried to land some bombs. I think I was a little rusty with hearing the crowd. But it felt great to be back.”

Guerrero said it has been tough to concentrate on boxing, considering his wife’s health. But performances like Friday’s prove he can focus in the ring.

“It’s a tough juggling act,” he said. “But when you’re a professional, you have to be able to block things out.

“It means a lot to be back. Casey is fighting for her life. I just came out here and had fun.”

As Guerrero and his wife await results next week on the effectiveness of her recent bone marrow transplant, Guerrero is plotting his future in the ring. Golden Boy Promotions today will announce a July 31 fight between lightweight stars Juan Manuel Marquez and Juan Diaz. Guerrero wants to fight the winner this fall.

“This sets me up for a bigger fight,” Guerrero said. “I made a statement at 135 that I’m back. I want the winner of Marquez-Diaz.”