Roger Gutierrez: I Did This For My Mother, Venezuela, My Children
By BoxingScene Staff
Published On Sun Jan 3, 2021, 12:05 PM EST
Roger Gutierrez arrived in Dallas with a promise and he kept it. The Venezuelan fighter promised his late mother a world title and he will return to his native Venezuela with the World Boxing Association (WBA) "regular" super featherweight black and gold belt after defeating Rene Alvarado by unanimous decision at the American Airlines Center.
Gutierrez got a valuable 113-112 win on the three judges’ cards in a bout in which he knocked down his opponent three times (twice in the third round and once in the twelfth).
“I am so happy for this victory,” said Gutierrez. “I did this for my mother. There’s not much more I can say. I had to look for the knockout. I knew I had to do that to win. I want to thank my manager Rafael Moron, the WBA and Golden Boy. This is for Venezuela and for my children.”
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In 2018, the Venezuelan was going through difficult times in the sport, and even posted in his social media that he was retiring from sports. The insistence of his relatives and family made him focus and continue in the discipline he loves to get back on track with several important victories, especially the one against Eduardo “Rocky” Martinez in 2019.
When his mother María Neida was diagnosed with cancer it served as a motivation for Roger. He promised to become a world champion and tackled a long road until Saturday night’s opportunity.
When Gutierrez was confirmed to fight Alvarado, the Maracaibo native traveled from Venezuela to Medellín, Colombia, where he began one of the most demanding and important training camps of his career. Everything was going well and the Venezuelan felt better than ever about the match.
However, on November 29, the tragic news arrived to shake up the world of the now champion. In the midst of the intensity of his camp and his personal motivation, he received the terrible news of his mother’s passing, which hit him harder than any boxer’s punch in the ring.
Roger, overwhelmed, had to make a decision: attend his mother’s funeral in Venezuela and forget about his fight, or go ahead with the title fight in front of him. But a promise is a promise, and as hard as the decision was, “The Kid” decided to stay in his camp for the fight against the Nicaraguan.
He knew it would be a tough fight. Roger had already lost to Alvarado in 2017 by TKO in eight rounds and he had to improve a lot. But he rose to the occasion, showed how much progress he has made in three years and wrote a different history with his victory.
His punch was a threat and conditioned in the fight after his two knockdowns in the third chapter. First with a right uppercut, then with a combination of punches, but that was not enough to end the fight as Alvarado survived and recovered to attack Gutiérrez incessantly in the following rounds, who looked tired in the middle of the fight.
In addition to the fatigue caused by his aggressiveness in the first rounds, he had to deal with a cut on his left eyebrow. But he always stood up, and when his body didn’t respond, his heart spoke for him.
A left hook in the final round touched Alvarado’s jaw and sent him back to the canvas for a third time.
Gutiérrez shed tears in the ring after the announcer proclaimed him the new WBA champion, with a score of 113-112 by all three judges.
The 25-year-old fighter won his 25th fight, while he has 3 losses, 1 draw, and 21 KOs. Alvarado, who did not give up his belt easily, left his record at 32 wins, 9 losses, and 20 KOs.
. the nikka who was in the ring said that wasn't the case.
, you replied to me talking about campbell spinning garcia head around and garcia was throwing nothing but flurries while coming forward those your words. stick to the footwork and other valid shyt or risk being wrong as fukk 
That's like shooting a wolf in the shoulder, but instead of finishing it off, you let it crawl over and bite you. 
......look what he did with maidana. Robert is good at focusing on a fighters strengths.