Robert Guerrero, preparing to challenge welterweight titleholder and pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather Jr. on May 4, was arrested Thursday morning at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York for attempting to board a flight to Las Vegas with an unloaded gun.
Guerrero (31-1-1, 18 KOs), who turned 30 on Wednesday, was to be arraigned on gun-possession charges later Thursday.
Guerrero, from Gilroy, Calif., is training for the fight in Las Vegas and had been on the East Coast for a few days to make several appearances to promote the Showtime pay-per-view fight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Guerrero is a Christian who has spoken publicly about his faith. He appeared on the “700 Club” with Pat Robertson in Norfolk, Va., visited ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Conn., to tape interviews, and hosted a media lunch in New York on Tuesday.
After wrapping up the promotional blitz, he was headed back to Las Vegas on Thursday morning when, according to multiple reports, he tried to bring an unloaded pistol onto his Delta Air Lines flight.
Fox New York reported that he was carrying a .40-caliber Smith & Wesson semi-automatic handgun. He reportedly did not have any ammunition with him.
According to the reports, Guerrero disclosed that he had the weapon at the ticket counter, at which point police were called. A source told ESPN.com that Guerrero has a permit to carry a gun in California, but is not licensed in New York, where gun laws are among the strictest in the nation.
How — or if — his arrest will impact the fight is unclear. Showtime spokesman Chris DeBlasio told ESPN.com that the network had no comment.
Guerrero’s co-manager, Luis DeCubas Jr., who was traveling with him, could not be reached. He did not respond to a text message and his voice mail was full.
