Andre Berto

Andre Berto

Berto in 2015
Statistics
Real name Andre Michael Berto
Nickname(s) The Beast[1]
Rated at Welterweight
Height 5 ft 6 1⁄2 in (1.69 m)[1]
Reach 68 1⁄2 in (174 cm)[1]
Born (1983-09-07) September 7, 1983[1]
Winter Haven, Florida, U.S.[1]
Stance Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights 34
Wins 30
Wins by KO 23
Losses 4
Medal record
Men's boxing
Competitor for  United States
World Amateur Championships
2003 Bangkok Welterweight

Andre Michael Berto (born September 7, 1983) is an professional boxer who holds duel American and Haitian citizenship. He is a two-time welterweight world champion known for his punching power, speed and intensity.[2]

Early life

A second-generation Haitian immigrant, Berto was one of seven children raised in Winter Haven, Florida. He was introduced to boxing by his father after getting beat up multiple times by classmates. Dieuseul, who competed professionally in mixed martial arts and taught the sport to Berto at a school in Winter Haven. For Berto, the sport of boxing became a solace to stay out of trouble in the rough community he grew up in.[3]

Amateur career

As an amateur, Berto won a bronze medal in the 2003 World Amateur Championships. He was also a two-time National Golden Gloves champion, a two-time National PAL champion, a three-time U.S. amateur championship medalist, and won 22 state titles in Florida.[3]

2004 Olympics

Berto was an odds-on favorite to breeze through the 2004 Olympic Trials and qualify as a member of the US Olympic boxing squad. Those dreams were dashed in the opening round of the trials, when he was disqualified for throwing Juan McPherson to the canvas. Berto was winning the fight, before McPherson bumped into him before being pushed to the canvas, and was deemed in no condition to continue. The act was ruled a flagrant foul, and Berto was disqualified. A protest was ruled in his favor, as he was declared the winner and advanced to the next round. Berto won that bout as well and prepared for the finals before a follow-up meeting the night before reverted to the initial ruling, eliminating Berto from the tournament. Because his parents emigrated from Haiti, Berto was able to keep his Olympic hopes alive, qualifying for Team Haiti, and subsequently granted Haitian citizenship alongside his American nationality, an exception the island country awarded the Olympian.[4] Berto lost in the first-round to Xavier Noel of France.[3]

Professional career

Welterweight

From December 2004 to October 2006, Berto won 15 fights, with 13 coming by way of knockout. On December 12, 2006, at the Alltel Arena in North Little Rock, Arkansas, Berto stepped up in competition and fought Miguel Figueroa. Berto put together a one-sided destruction of Figueroa, eventually forcing the referee to stop the fight in round six. He was named ESPN.com’s 2006 Prospect of the Year. His next fight took place on February 17, 2007, at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City, New York, against Norberto Bravo of The Contender. Berto defeated Bravo by first round technical knockout after Bravo was knocked down three times, triggering the three knockdown rule. On May 19, 2007, Berto defeated Martinus Clay by seventh round technical knockout.[5]

On July 27, 2007, at the City Center in Saratoga Springs, New York. Berto fought Cosme Rivera. Berto was in full control until he was down for the first time in his career in round six. He was able to recover and open up a bad cut over Rivera's right eye in the seventh round. Rivera stood his ground in the remaining rounds to test Berto, but Berto won by unanimous decision.[6] On September 29, 2007, at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, Berto defeated David Estrada by eleventh round technical knockout to win the NABF welterweight title. Rounds three and eight were described by BoxingScene.com as "round of the year" candidates as both men went toe-to-toe with flush power shots. The end came when Berto dropped Estrada with an uppercut that was followed up by a huge right hand. Estrada made it to his feet, but could not defend himself as Berto attacked with more damaging shots that prompted the referee to jump in and stop the fight.[7]

On February 9, 2008, at the Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula, California, Berto fought Michael Trabant in his first defense of the NABF welterweight title. Trabant stayed on the defensive for the entire fight with Berto landing a variety of punches from all angles. In the fifth and sixth rounds, Trabant was barely able to land a single punch, as he was frequently taking punches to the head. Trabant told the referee after round six that he was no longer willing to continue with the fight. It was the first time that Trabant had ever been stopped.[8]

Welterweight title

Andre Berto in 2011

On June 21, 2008, Berto captured the vacant WBC welterweight title by defeating Miguel Rodriguez in the seventh round by technical knockout at the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tennessee. Berto knocked Rodriguez down twice in the seventh round, before the referee stopped the bout with 47 seconds left as Berto continually hurt Rodriguez with right hands.[9] Berto's first title defense of the WBC welterweight title occurred on September 28, 2008, at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California against Steve Forbes. Berto consistently outpunched Forbes, winning the fight by unanimous decision with scores of 118–109 on two of the scorecards and 116–111 on the third scorecard.[10]

Berto made the second defense of his title on January 17, 2009, at the Beau Rivage in Biloxi, Mississippi against former WBA welterweight champion Luis Collazo. Berto got off to a rough start as he was hurt in the first round and had a point deducted in the fourth round for holding Collazo's arm. In round seven, Berto opened a cut over the left eye of Collazo. Berto won the fight by a controversial unanimous decision with scores of 114–113 on two of the scorecards and 116–111 on the third scorecard.

On Saturday, May 30, 2009, Berto defended his WBC welterweight title against Juan Urango and won a lopsided unanimous decision.[11]

Berto was to defend his title against "Sugar" Shane Mosley for a WBC, WBA welterweight title unification bout on January 30, 2010. However, Berto announced that he was withdrawing from his title unification bout against Mosley on January 18, 2010 due to family loss in the Haiti earthquake.[12] With Mosley subsequently landing a bout with Floyd Mayweather Jr, Berto faced former WBO welterweight champion Carlos Quintana on April 10, 2010 and won by an eighth round knockout, despite injuring his left biceps during the fight.

On November 27, 2010 he got a TKO victory over Freddy Hernandez. Berto successfully defended his WBC welterweight title, stopping Freddy Hernandez at 2:07 of the first round.[13] He hammered Hernandez (29-2) with a left hook, then floored him with a straight right during the co-feature fight of the Juan Manuel Marquez-Michael Katsidis lightweight championship bout.

Berto vs Ortiz

On April 16, 2011 Berto's reign as champion came to an end at the hands of Victor Ortiz. Ortiz defeated Berto by unanimous decision in a fight that was named the The Ring magazine's "Fight of the Year" for 2011 with 4 ruled knockdowns.[14]

Berto vs. Zavec

On September 3, 2011, Berto returned after his defeat to Victor Ortiz to face IBF Welterweight Champion and Ring Top 10 Welterweight Dejan Zavec. After 5 rounds of a closely competitive fight, Zaveck's corner stopped the fight as he had been cut. The two men embraced and Berto thanked the Slovenian fans for traveling over to America to cheer their countryman on. Berto called his performance "so-so", becoming a two-time world champion and the new IBF Welterweight Champion.

Berto relinquished his IBF Welterweight title rather than face mandatory challenger Randall Bailey in order to facilitate the rematch with Ortiz because he wanted the opportunity to avenge his only defeat (at the time).[15]

After testing positive for a banned substance, the rematch against Ortiz planned for June 23, 2012 was cancelled.[16] It has since been ruled that Berto's positive test was the result of contamination, and Berto has since regained his boxing license.[17]

Return to the Ring

Berto vs. Guerrero

Berto's next fight was scheduled for November 24, 2012, in Ontario, California. The opponent was Ring Top 10 Welterweight and WBC Interim Welterweight champion: Robert Guerrero. Berto was knocked down twice early in the fight but came back well to give Guerrero a tough scrap, but Guerrero managed to narrowly maintain control and won via unanimous decision. Both of Berto's eyes and Guerrero's right eye were closed shut by the end of the fight.

Berto vs. Soto Karass

Following an 8-month lay-off after losing to Guerrero, Berto eventually returned to the ring to face Jesús Soto Karass on July 27, 2013, at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas. In a tough, entertaining back-and-forth fight, Berto lost via TKO in the twelfth round after previously knocking down Soto Karass in the previous round. At the time of the stoppage, one judge had Berto ahead in the fight (105-103), one had him behind in the fight (103-105) and the other judge had the fight even (104-104).

Premier Boxing Champions

On January 22, 2015, it was announced Andre Berto would face Josesito Lopez on March 13, 2015 as part of the new Premier Boxing Champions series on Spike TV. Berto won the fight, stopping Lopez in the sixth round and acquiring the interim WBA welterweight title in the process.[18]

Berto vs. Mayweather

On August 4, 2015, it was announced after months of speculation, Andre Berto would face Floyd Mayweather on September 12, in Las Vegas on Showtime PPV. He lost the fight to Mayweather by unanimous decision. [19]

Professional boxing record

30 Wins (23 knockouts, 7 decisions), 4 Losses (1 knockout, 3 decisions), 0 Draws[20]
Res. Record Opponent Type Rd., Time Date Location Notes
Loss 30-4 United States Floyd Mayweather, Jr. UD 12 2015-09-12 United States MGM Grand Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada For Lineal, WBA (Super), WBC & The Ring Welterweight titles.
Win 30–3 United States Josesito López TKO 6 (12), 1:02 2015-03-13 United States Citizens Business Bank Arena, Ontario, California Won Interim WBA Welterweight title.
Win 29–3 United States Steve Upsher Chambers UD 10 2014-09-06 United States U.S. Bank Arena, Cincinnati, Ohio
Loss 28–3 Mexico Jesús Soto Karass TKO 12 (12) 2013-07-27 United States AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas For vacant NABF Welterweight title.
Loss 28–2 United States Robert Guerrero UD 12 2012-11-24 United States Citizens Business Bank Arena, Ontario, California For Interim WBC Welterweight title.
Win28–1Slovenia Jan Zaveck TKO 5 (12) 2011-09-03 United States Beau Rivage Resort & Casino, Biloxi, Mississippi Won IBF Welterweight title.
Loss27–1United States Victor Ortiz UD 12 2011-04-16 United States Foxwoods Resort Casino, Mashantucket, Connecticut Lost WBC Welterweight title.
Win27–0Mexico Freddy Hernández TKO 1 (12), 2:07 2010-11-27 United States MGM Grand Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada Retained WBC Welterweight title.
Win26–0Puerto Rico Carlos Quintana TKO 8 (12), 2:16 2010-04-10 United States BankAtlantic Center, Sunrise, Florida Retained WBC Welterweight title.
Win25–0Colombia Juan Urango UD 12 2009-05-30 United States Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Hollywood, Florida Retained WBC Welterweight title.
Win24–0United States Luis Collazo UD 12 2009-01-17 United States Beau Rivage Resort & Casino, Biloxi, Mississippi Retained WBC Welterweight title.
Win23–0United States Steve Forbes UD 12 2008-09-27 United States The Home Depot Center, Carson, California Retained WBC Welterweight title.
Win22–0Mexico Miguel Angel Rodriguez TKO 7 (12), 2:13 2008-06-21 United States FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee Won vacant WBC Welterweight title.
Win21–0Germany Michel Trabant RTD 6 (10), 3:00 2008-02-09 United States Pechanga Resort & Casino, Temecula, California Retained NABF Welterweight title.
Win20–0United States David Estrada TKO 11 (12), 1:17 2007-09-29 United States Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey Won vacant NABF Welterweight title.
Win19–0Mexico Cosme Rivera UD 10 2007-07-27 United States Saratoga Springs City Center, Saratoga Springs, New York
Win18–0United States Martinus Clay TKO 7 (10), 2:15 2007-05-19 United States FedEx Forum, Memphis, Tennessee
Win17–0United States Norberto Bravo TKO 1 (10), 2:28 2007-02-17 United States Hammerstein Ballroom, New York, New York
Win16–0United States Miguel Figueroa TKO 6 (10), 1:59 2006-12-09 United States Alltel Arena, North Little Rock, Arkansas
Win15–0United States James Crayton KO 5 (8), 0:34 2006-10-21 United States Don Haskins Center, El Paso, Texas
Win14–0Mexico Roberto Valenzuela TKO 1 (8), 2:19 2006-08-05 United States Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
Win13–0United States Sammy Sparkman TKO 2 (10), 2:50 2006-06-17 United States FedEx Forum, Memphis, Tennessee
Win12–0Mexico Gerardo Cesar Prieto TKO 3 (4), 1:52 2006-05-17 United States Mohegan Sun, Uncasville, Connecticut
Win11–0United States Horatio García RTD 3 (8), 3:00 2006-04-14 United States Agua Caliente Casino, Rancho Mirage, California
Win10–0United States Jonathan Tubbs TKO 3 (8), 2:44 2006-02-03 United States Northern Quest Resort & Casino, Airway Heights, Washington
Win9–0United States Taronze Washington KO 1 (8), 2:50 2005-12-03 United States Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada
Win8–0United States Maurice Chalmers TKO 1 (6), 1:36 2005-11-04 United States Buffalo Run Casino & Hotel, Miami, Oklahoma
Win7–0United States William Johnson KO 1 (4), 1:36 2005-10-01 United States St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa, Florida
Win6–0United States Anthony Little TKO 6 (6), 1:36 2005-06-09 United States Grand Ballroom, New York, New York
Win5–0United States Tim Himes TKO 1 (6), 2:10 2005-05-06 United States Foxwoods Resort Casino, Mashantucket, Connecticut
Win4–0United States Daniel Neal UD 4 2005-02-24 United States Hammerstein Ballroom, New York, New York
Win3–0Mexico Edgar Galvan TKO 1 (4), 1:59 2005-01-28 United States Hammerstein Ballroom, New York, New York
Win2–0United States Joseph Benjamin UD 4 2005-01-21 United States Mohegan Sun, Uncasville, Connecticut
Win1–0United States Michael Robinson TKO 3 (4), 2:15 2004-12-04 United States Barton Coliseum, Little Rock, Arkansas Professional debut.

Personal

In a March 2010 column he wrote for The New York Times, Berto described some of his efforts for Project Medishare in Haiti after the earthquake, as well as relating that he is frequently mistaken for American football star Reggie Bush.[21] His brother, James Edson Berto, is a professional mixed martial artist. Berto is often called "Mike", his middle name.[3]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Premier Boxing Champions - Andre Berto
  2. ↑ Sares, Ted, ed. (13 August 2015). "Andre Berto: From Star-Crossed to Lotto". Boxing.com. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Schulberg, Benn (2006-02-06). "Andre Berto: New Star in Town". The Sweet Science. Retrieved 2008-04-19.
  4. ↑ Donovan, Jake (2006-02-06). "Andre Berto Prepares For Phase Two of His Career". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved 2008-04-19.
  5. ↑ "Andre Berto Bio". HBO. 2008-06-22. Archived from the original on 5 June 2008. Retrieved 2008-06-23.
  6. ↑ Vester, Mark (2007-07-28). "Andre Berto Gets Off The Deck To Beat Rivera". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved 2008-04-19.
  7. ↑ Vester, Mark (2007-09-29). "Andre Berto Stop David Estrada in a Thriller". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved 2008-04-19.
  8. ↑ Vester, Mark (2008-02-09). "Andre Berto Batters Michel Trabant in Six". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved 2008-04-19.
  9. ↑ "Berto blasts through Rodriguez to claim WBC welterweight belt". USA Today. 2008-06-22. Retrieved 2008-06-23.
  10. ↑ Woodall, Bernie (28 September 2008). "Berto retains WBC welterweight crown over Forbes". Reuters. Archived from the original on 1 October 2008. Retrieved 2008-09-28.
  11. ↑ "Berto barely beats Collazo to keep WBC welterweight title. Earlier in 2010 Berto will defend his WBC title against american veteran Shane Mosley.". The Sports Network. 2009-01-17. Retrieved 2009-01-17.
  12. ↑ "Berto withdraws from Jan. 30 bout". ESPN. 2010-01-18. Archived from the original on 22 January 2010. Retrieved 2010-01-18.
  13. ↑ Vester, Mark (2010-11-27). "Andre Berto Destroys Freddy Hernandez One Round". BoxingScene. Retrieved 2011-04-12.
  14. ↑ Rafael, Dan (17 April 2011). "Victor Ortiz stuns Andre Berto". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on 30 April 2011. Retrieved 17 April 2011.
  15. ↑ Christ, Scott (23 November 2011). "Victor Ortiz vs Andre Berto Rematch: Lou DiBella Says Fight Is On". Bad Left Hook.com. Retrieved 20 December 2011.
  16. ↑ "Andre Berto tests positive". ESPN.com. 28 May 2012.
  17. ↑ Berto's Focus is Back, Vows To "Destroy' Opponents - Boxing News
  18. ↑ Berto vs. Lopez packing action for PBC debut on Spike | Premier Boxing Champions
  19. ↑ Wells, Adam. "Floyd Mayweather Confirms He Will Fight Andre Berto on September 12". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  20. ↑ Andre Berto - Boxer
  21. ↑ Berto, Andre; Joan Raymond (March 8, 2010). "Frequent Flier Holder of a Title, Yes, but Not a Heisman". New York Times. Retrieved 2010-03-09.

External links

Vacant
Title last held by
Floyd Mayweather, Jr.		 WBC Welterweight Champion
June 21, 2008 – April 16, 2011 		Succeeded by
Victor Ortiz
Preceded by
Jan Zaveck		 IBF Welterweight Champion
September 3, 2011 – November 8, 2011
Vacated 		Vacant
Title next held by
Randall Bailey
Vacant
Title last held by
Keith Thurman		 WBA Welterweight Interim Champion
March 13, 2015 – September 12, 2015
Lost bid for super title 		Vacant
Title next held by
David Avanesyan
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