Hit man

“I’m worried. I hear this guy is good, too good,” Guy Robb’s trainer said before a recent boxing match. It was sure to be a challenging fight. Amateur boxer Robb was going up against a ruthless and well-seasoned fighter. Robb took those worries with a grain of salt, and in four straight rounds, he knocked out the competition. That seems to be the trend in Robb’s career—knock-outs and triumphs. Well on his way to becoming professional, Robb represents Sacramento as he follows his dreams. So far, he’s undefeated with a solid 6-0 record with two KOs.

How long have you been boxing?

I started late. I was 17 and found myself getting into a lot of trouble. My dad happened to be good friends with Ray Woods, who is pretty prominent in the boxing world and is the stepfather of world-champion boxer Diego Corrales. Corrales was a huge name in the boxing world, but recently passed away. To work with someone involved with a fighter of that caliber was something I am so grateful for. He got me fighting right away and really inspired me. During my senior year of high school, I realized that boxing and training would sort of save me from myself. My age at first was a disadvantage, because most professional boxers start training as young kids. I knew I would be facing fighters who have years of experience over me.

But you advanced pretty quickly?

Yeah, after a little less than two years of training, I competed in a tournament and came home with a bronze medal and was ranked fourth nationally in amateur boxing. The speed of my progression was really exciting, and I just wanted more and more. I advanced really quickly, considering I had only had 25 fights, when a lot of the guys had more than 100 fights.

But after the storm of success, you were forced to take a break.

In 2009 I took a break because I had an injured cornea that I didn’t allow to heal … so it got so bad it forced me to take time off. After I went back to the gym following my break, I had a newfound respect for the sport. I knew for absolute sure that this is what I want to do. This is what I think about every single day, and it’s pretty much my job. It’s all about my family, boxing and training.

You have a son. Would you let him box?

He will learn how to box. But I would never force him to fight.

We went to preschool through sixth grade together.

Oh, God.

Remember what happened? I accidentally hit you and gave you a bloody nose after school one day.

That was my first bloody nose. You gave me my first bloody nose!

Bragging rights! Besides ours, what was your most memorable fight?

The fight I’m most proud of was an amateur fight in Colorado Springs at the nationals. It was my second day at the tournament, and it was so high in elevation your body will freak out if it’s not used to it. Your nose bleeds, your lips chap, your muscles cramp and you get dehydrated. I was in the best shape ever during that time, but the elevation was rough on me. This contributed to what was also the hardest fight I have ever had in my life. I was told that both of us were fighting like zombies. We just looked painfully exhausted. It was a tough fight, but I won.

Recently you flew to San Diego and had a pretty big fight?

I got a last-minute call last week to fly down to San Diego and fight a guy who was undefeated. It was a tough fight, and he gave me a good challenge. That fight turned my 5-0 record to 6-0 … but his side wasn’t too happy about it. They spit at me and flipped me off and were just crazy angry that I broke his streak.

If you become the boxer you aspire to be, what would you do for the boxing scene in Sacramento?

I dream of restoring the classic boxing scene we once had. I dream of large crowds filling up the basement of the Memorial Auditorium and people rediscovering the beauty of the sport. I would hear stories of how old boxing matches would go down, and I think reigniting that would be awesome. Also, I feel that I have taken on the responsibility of leading the new generation of fighters. I want to be that person who young boxers can look up to and see that small-town amateurs really can turn into world-champions if they give it their all and nothing less. Fighters have to be 100 percent dedicated to the sport, physically and mentally. To put it bluntly, if they aren’t 100 percent, they will get beat up, and who wants to get beat up?