After trying to board a Delta flight to Las Vegas while carrying an unloaded gun, the boxer Robert Guerrero was arrested Thursday morning at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York, according to report.
The timing of the arrest isn't good for Guerrero. He is scheduled for fight Floyd Mayweather Jr. on May 4. Mayweather is the welterweight titleholder. How the arrest could affect the fight was unclear Thursday. Guerrero is 31-1-1 in fights.
Media reports said it was expected that Guerrero would be arraigned on gun-possession charge at some point later in the day.
According to ESPN, Guerrero had been on the East coast to do publicity. He appeared on the "700 Club" with Pat Robertson and later went to ESPN's headquarters in Bristol, Conn., for interviews. He also hosted a media lunch in New York. Afterward, it appeared like Guerrero's schedule was to go back to Las Vegas.
The gun he had on him, according to Fox News in New York, was an unloaded .40-caliber Smith & Wesson semi-automatic handgun, which he disclosed that he had at the ticket counter. The agent at the counter called police. Guerrero didn't appear to have ammunition on him. A source told ESPN that Guerrero has a California concealed-carry permit. But because firearms rules change from state to state, that permit wouldn't allow him to carry such a weapon in New York, which has much stricter gun laws.
Guerrero, 30, is from Gilroy, Calif.,and is the current interim WBC welterweight champion. His other championships include the IBF Super Featherweight world champion and two-time IBF featherweight champion. Another one of his titles he gave up after his wife was diagnosed with cancer, so he could help take care of her while she battled for her life. David A. Avila named him the "Fighter of the Year" in 2012. His nickname is "The Ghost."
