I've always loved boxing for it's purity. True, the business end is highly tarnished, but once that bell rings, it's just one man against one man. My goal with this series of works is to capture the persona of the fighter as a person, not just as a pitchman or advertising image. Sometimes I think I get as much enjoyment out of seeing the fighters' reaction to the painting as I get from actually creating it. I usually approach them unannounced at a press conference or Hall of Fame engagement. . . .their face when they realize that someone took the time to immortalize their image in a piece of artwork is worth all the hours of painting, traveling, and waiting. More times than not, the fighter wants to HAVE the piece, rather than autograph it for me, which was my initial intention; to make a truly unique autograph showpiece. I've often considered that the piece isn't complete until the subject actually "endorses" it with their personal autograph. Lately, I've been commissioning pieces for the personal collections of these awesome warriors. . . we'll see where this takes me. Thanks for looking, Chris Guzman

LOOK FOR MY LATEST PIECES: Of course, my radio show will be represented at the International Boxing Hall of Fame Induction Weekend the second weekend in June for Lewis's induction. I will be selling prints of my "LENNOX: Undisputed" piece at the Canastota High School Boxing Memorabilia Show on Saturday, June 13. Also, prints of "PAUL WILLIAMS" and my table full of hand-painted boxing gloves will be stuffed to the gills with good deals on original art. . . .perfect for autographs from the boxing celebrities present during the weekend. See you there! CG