Guerrero, Porter Head Card Featuring Five Unbeatens

Baltimore's Jessie Nicklow and Fernando Guerrero have a history of amateur fights against each other -- "all of which were close," said Nicklow.

"We fought maybe five times, if I recall," said Nicklow, who is 19-1-2, with seven knockouts. "Fernando beat me three times, and I beat him two times."

Nicklow will get a chance to even the score against Guerrero (16-0, 13 KOs) of Salisbury, MD., during Friday night's Showtime-televised clash of middleweights (160 pounds) at the Grand Casino in Hinckley, Minn.

Guerrero-Nicklow will be the main event of a Lou Dibella-promoted card that features five unbeaten boxers whose records, combined, are 52-0, with 34 knockouts.

In an eight-round co-feature, 22-year-old, 154-pounder, Shawn Porter (11-0, nine KOs), of Akron, Ohio, will face 27-year-old Jamar Patterson (8-0, four KOs) of Utica, NY, in a battle of junior middleweights.

A third fight matches Philadelphia's 27-year-old Lanard Lane (9-0, six KOs) in a welterweight (147) battle opposite 22-year-old London-born Morrocan Said El Harrack (8-0, three KOs) of Henderson, Nev.

Nicklow is rising in weight to face Guerrero, having suffered his lone defeat during a November 2008, rematch with George Rivera.

"When we got the call, I said, 'I want that fight.' I know that I can beat Fernando. So this is an opportunity to show the world what I can do," said Nicklow, who will be in his first scheduled 10-rounder coming off of June's majority decision draw with southpaw John Mackey (11-4-2, five).

"My trainer, Danny Kisner, has a gameplan for us. I beat (Guerrero) before in the amateurs, so I know how to win. I'm aggressive, but I'll need to box and move around to beat Fernando. It's going to be an exciting fight," said Nicklow, 22.

"Hopefully, I'll come away with a win and go from there," said Nicklow. "All I want to do is fight, and this is my opportunity to do it and possibly move on to bigger and better things."

If victorious, Guerrero and Porter, respectively, will compete in ESPN-televised bouts on Feb. 19 from Cleveland, Ohio, against southpaw Jesus Gonzalez (24-1, 13) of Phoenix, Ariz., and Cuban-born southpaw Damian Frias (16-2, seven) of Miami.

Nicklow marks the second straight 10-rounder for Guerrero, a southpaw who was floored in the final round of his last fight -- October's majority decision over Ossie Duran (23-8-2, nine) for the NABO title.

"A lot of people will classify me as a banger, but the way that I classify myself is just whatever way I have to fight to beat the guy," said Guerrero, 23.

"If the guy's real strong, I'll box him because I know how to box," said Guerrero. "If the guy's not that strong, then I'll bang with him. It depends who the opponent is, because I can do it all."

Guerrero has spent his recent time sparring with the junior welterweight (140 pounds) Lamont Peterson (27-1, 13 KOs) and lightweight (135) Anthony Peterson (29-0 19 KOs).

Barry Hunter trains Guerrero and the Peterson brothers.

"I've met Jessie Nicklow. He's a nice kid, but he's just one of the many roadblocks that are going to be in our way. If we can't maneuver around it, we got to go through it or over it. That's our plan," said Hunter.

"If Jesse comes with force, we're going to have to greet him with force," said Hunter. "This is just another step toward a world title for Fernando."

A 2007 national Golden Gloves champion and 2008 U.S. Olympic alternate, Porter earned amateur wins over present pro prospects such as Guerrero and Shawn Estrada.

Porter spent six weeks sparring with Manny Pacquiao to help him to prepare for last month's 12th-round knockout of Miguel Cotto.

"I took a lot from that [Pacquiao] experience. He has a lot of good training habits and rituals that he uses -- like praying before and after a training session. And his work ethic is pretty amazing," said Porter, who is coming off of November's fourth-round knockout of Jerome Ellis (12-10-2, 10).

"That kind of stuff stuck with me," said Porter. "I think it's really going to help me throughout my career from a training aspect to actually performing in the ring."

Patterson will be ending a 16-month layoff, having last been in the ring for an August 2008 four-round majority decision over Jason Jordan.

Nevertheless, what Porter brings to the table is nothing new, said Patterson.

"[Porter] comes forward, comes straight at you. He throws a lot of punches. But I know how to handle that. A lot of guys let him pound on them like that, but I'm not going to let him," said Patterson.

"I come forward a lot, but I box a lot. I move around the ring, but not too much wild stuff and all," said Patterson. "If you want to slug it out, we can slug it out for a while, but then I go back to my regular boxing routine. I'll switch it up from a boxer to a slugger."

Lane believes that he will be able to adapt to whatever El Harrack has to offer.

"I don't know too much about the guy I'm fighting. I can look at a tape, but it doesn't really matter to me. I'm not going to rely on a tape," said Lane.

"When I get in there, it depends on what they're doing," said Lane. "I feel their punching power and see what they're doing, and I make my adjustments right then and there."

But having sparred with some of the world's premier fighters at Johnny Tocco's Gym in Las Vegas, El Harrack said he'll be ready for whatever Lane brings on Friday night.

"I've been in the ring with Zab Judah, I've been in the ring with Ricky Hatton, Antonio Margarito, Manny Pacquiao, Joel Casamayor, and I've got the better of a lot of them," said El Harrack.

"When a fight gets tough, I think 'This is all I have. I have to get tougher,'" said El Harrack. "So I hope he comes ready for war, because I'm ready to die in there."