Andre Berto: 'I'm just as fast, maybe faster' than Floyd Mayweather Jr.
By
Bob Velin August 6, 2015 1:04 pm
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Andre Berto celebrates after beating Josesito Lopez. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
When Andre Berto steps into the ring on Sept. 12 against pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather Jr. at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, he will be an underdog, he says, for the first time in his career.
The odds are currently stacked heavily against him, and the MGM Grand Sports Book line opened at 50-1.
Much has been written about how
disappointing the selection of Berto, a former welterweight champion, has been as Mayweather’s dance partner for the final bout of his 20-year Hall of Fame career.
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Berto, 31, a Floridian of Haitian descent, doesn’t worry about things he cannot control, and being underestimated, he says, is simply part of the business.
“It’s the fight game,” he explained to USA TODAY Sports by phone this week. “The fight game only (cares about) your last performance. With the fight game, it’s just how they’re not interested or they want to hate on a situation.
“Say you do something spectacular, they hop right back on. It’s something (I’ve been dealing with) pretty much my whole career. Coming out of the Olympics, and being highly touted, there have been criticisms of certain performances — I’ve always been held to a high (standard) when it comes to that. . . . And I’ve always been the favorite, so this is the first fight I’m going in as the underdog. You know, it’s a different situation for me, but right now it just feels great, it feels right.”
MORE: Berto selection a disappointment
Berto, who fought for Haiti in the 2004 Olympics — his parents were both born there but he is U.S.-born — says he’s not entirely sure why Mayweather picked him over Amir Khan, or Keith Thurman, or any number of candidates who wanted the fight.
“He’s got a lot of different reasons. Me and him go way back,” Berto said. “It’s a fight that was supposed to happen a long time ago, actually, before the whole injury thing happened. But . . . It is what it is. I think that’s a question that you need to ask (Floyd). I think maybe he sees something there that’s going to be exciting for the people.”
The injury was a serious torn right shoulder tendon suffered against gatekeeper Jesus Soto-Karass two years ago that sidelined Berto (30-3, 23 KOs) for 14 months. He says he fought virtually the entire fight left-handed. And it’s one of the reasons why he is so hungry to show fans that he is no pushover.
“I’ve told everybody I didn’t want this fight just to get a paycheck. I want to try to make history,” he says. “That’s just what it is. Everybody knows that I bring a lot to the table when it comes to power and having that determination. I’ve been knocked down, I’ve fought 12 rounds with a torn shoulder, I’ve done this and I’ve done that. If (Floyd) had to go through anything like that, how would he deal with it? I’ve answered a lot of questions already. They know how I’m going to respond.
IT’S ON: Mayweather vs. Berto set for Sept. 12
“So I’m just dialing in, I’m just dialing in. That’s what I got to do. Of course, this is the fight game, and people are going to say what they want to say. But these are the types of situations that make boxing exciting, even situations that create astonishing moments in boxing history. You see guys that are (big) underdogs come out victorious, so that’s the only thing that’s going through my mind.”
Berto is as healthy as he has been in years, he says. “Yeah, I feel pretty good. As everybody knows, I’ve been dealing with a lot of health issues. I’ve got a lot of things worked out, I’ve got a lot of people to work with me through camp and I’m finally injury-free, I feel good and focused on the task ahead.”
The former two-time welterweight champ has a 7-1 record in world title fights, with four knockouts. His last fight in March was an impressive sixth-round TKO of a faded Josesito Lopez for the interim WBA welterweight title.
Yet he has lost three of his last six fights. His unanimous decision loss — the first of his career — to Victor Ortiz was 2011’s Fight of the Year. A rematch with Ortiz was later cancelled when Berto tested positive for the anabolic steroid nandralone. Berto has steadfastly denied using PEDs.
Despite the losses and controversies, Berto is not lacking in confidence. Asked about how he will deal with Mayweather’s vaunted quickness, Berto says his sparring partners are cat-quick, too, and “I’m just as fast, maybe even faster (than Mayweather). I don’t think Floyd’s fought anyone with speed probably since Zab Judah.”
Getting a shot against the best boxer in the world on the sport’s biggest stage and a career-high payday is a big deal for Berto, and “definitely a good situation.”
“It means everything, man, coming from where I come from, you know, the ratio to succeed is low, just to make it out,” he says. “It means a lot for the city where I’m from (Winter Haven, Fla.), for Haiti as well, and for my family. This is an opportunity we’ve been waiting for, and something we’ve always assured ourselves would happen sooner or later.”
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