Berto overpowers Quintana, proves he deserves shot at Pacquiao -- Sports Illustrated

By Chris Mannix, SI.com

SUNRISE, Fla. -- If there is a criticism to be levied against boxing's elite, it's that they are chronologically undesirable. Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao, Shane Mosley and Juan Manuel Marquez make up the top of most pound-for-pound rankings, but each is on the other side of 30 with Mosley, 38, the resident greybeard of the group. Critics wonder who the sport will turn to when Pacquiao makes politics a full-time gig and Mayweather finally walks away for good.

On Saturday night, they may have gotten their answer. A decorated amateur with two national Golden Gloves titles and an Olympics appearance on his resume, Andre Berto is hardly a newcomer to the sport. Berto first popped on the national radar in 2008, when he picked up the vacant WBC welterweight title with a knockout win over Miguel Angel Rodriguez. Since then the competition hasn't exactly been stiff -- Stevie Forbes, Luis Collazo and Juan Urango won't be banging on the Hall's door in Canastota -- but the wins have kept coming. And on Saturday Berto picked up his best W to date, an utterly crushing eighth-round TKO victory over Carlos Quintana.

At times, it wasn't pretty. Part of it was because of Quintana, a crafty veteran and former world title-holder who once upon a time dismantled Paul Williams. In front of surprisingly sparse crowd, Quintana clutched, grabbed, elbowed and held Berto throughout the early rounds, yanking on his head during clinches and rabbit punching him on the breaks.

Part of it was Berto. Eleven months removed from live action -- a direct result of January's earthquake in Haiti that cost him eight relatives -- the rust was slow to shake off Berto's 147-pound frame. He struggled to keep Quintana at a distance and his jab, perhaps affected by the bicep injury he suffered in the early rounds, seemed to be holstered to his hip. Much of that, though, was expected. Consider the wretched horror we feel when an aging grandparent passes away. Now, multiply that feeling by four and throw in an uncle and a handful of cousins and see where the mind wanders off to.

Even dragging that baggage, Berto was often overwhelming. He staggered Quintana with a straight right hand in the fifth and buried him under an avalanche of combinations in the eighth before referee Tommy Kimmons mercifully stepped in.

"I was hurting, so I wanted to finish the fight as soon as possible," said Berto. "I was a little rusty. I felt rusty. My legs were kind of locking up and I was letting him hold me a little too much. But the job got done."

There's a lot to like about Berto. Run through the checklist of boxing's franchise faces and he matches most of them. He has power with both hands and blinding speed to back it up. His mindset coming into a fight isn't just to win, but to win convincingly. His chin remains relatively untested but he took several power shots from Quintana -- a legit welterweight with 21 knockouts on his resume -- and kept on coming. He's young (26), articulate and eager to step into the spotlight.

The question is, is he ready? The holes in his game -- an occasionally low offensive output and an inability to adjust in the ring -- are obvious to the untrained eye. The quake in Haiti shuttered a showdown with Mosley, an old lion/young lion matchup that was supposed to put Berto's skills to the test. With Mosley and Mayweather now locked into a fight next month, Pacquiao suddenly becomes the most appealing alternative.

On paper it makes a lot of sense. It would unify two titles -- Pacquiao is the WBO title-holder -- and pitting Pacquiao against another power puncher would remove the stench attached to him and his promoter, Bob Arum, after last month's overpriced sparring session with Joshua Clottey.

No doubt Arum and Co. will wait until after Mosley-Mayweather to discuss any potential deal. But if Mosley wins -- which would trigger a rematch clause with Mayweather -- or if negotiations with Mayweather crumble, Berto has earned a spot at the top of the list.

"That knockout was pretty vicious," said Berto. "And I'm only going to get better from here."

Source: sportsillustrated.cnn.com

Lou DiBella: "Pacquiao is absolutely on the radar" -- Examiner

By Vivek Wallace, Examiner.com

Last Saturday night, fight fans around the globe watched as one of the sports most promising stars, Haitian Andre Berto, took on a man well known for playing the classic role of a spoiler, Puerto Rico's Carlos Quintana.

Prior to the bout, many critics found reason to punch holes in any theory that included the young Berto being amongst the sports elite, partly due to what was viewed as stamina related issues and a talent that somewhat appeared to lack evolution.

Initially scheduled to face Shane Mosley, a critical earthquake struck his homeland of Haiti, preventing the fight and putting Berto in the midst of one his longest career layoffs to date.

When Mosley chose to move on and face the always dangerous and purely talented Floyd Mayweather jr., the Quintana bout fell into play and many questioned whether or not Berto would be able to handle a crafty southpaw veteran like Quintana after catching hell with two others who were not nearly as accomplished.

READY FOR THE 'BIG ONE'?

By the end of the night, that question would be answered, and a new one in particular would be raised.

That new question......who next? The relative answer.......well, it may surprise some.....but the first name mentioned by promoter Lou DiBella was none other than the man who co-owns the sports P4P mantle, Filipino Manny Pacquiao, whom DiBella said is "absolutely on the radar if he decides to take the fight".

When asked directly what he thought a showdown with Pacquiao would look like, Berto stated "it would be a great showdown because he (Pacquiao) has never had to deal with my type of speed and power combined. Some of his opponents had one or the other, but you could make an argument that I'd be the first with that kind of mix".

Right on cue, to support his claim was a fellow media scribe who chimed in - "yeah, Mayweather has defense and speed, but even he doesn't have that decapitating power behind his speed like you, champ", referring to Berto.

ANY GIVEN NIGHT.....

The thing that makes boxing so intriguing is that just like the evolution of Berto seemed to change ten-fold in one night's performance, so can any man be beaten in one night's performance.

The NFL adage speaks of "any given Sunday". In the world of boxing, "any given night" a legend can fall and the 'pen of life' can write an opening chapter for a new legend in waiting who manages to finally cross that pantheon of greatness.

Quintana once stood toe to toe and took the spirit of a man that Pacquiao has seemed to avoid - despite him calling Pacquiao out recently and actually deserving a shot (Paul Williams). To see Berto render this same Carlos Quintana helpless in only 8 rounds was the bold statement that Berto supporters have awaited for quite some time.

In the aftermath of that victory, now that those questions are answered, a new one awaits. And with testing controversies and promotional agendas in the way, maybe, just maybe.......we now have a vision of a fight that CAN BE MADE!

HIGH RISK, LOW REWARD, NO FIGHT

With Berto now awaiting challenges and putting one man who has none in the immediate future on task, it should be intriguing to see what happens next.

I could be wrong, but just like with Paul Williams, one could logically predict that Top Rank's Bob Arum will view the level of risk to be far too much danger in a fight that may not do much at this point to put a stamp on Pacquiao's legacy. The good ole "high risk/low reward" theory.

Logical business sense, but the reality is that if those fights can't be made and the testing accommodation's can't be reached with Mayweather, how is fighting a currently suspended Margarito, or a young and barely known Valero a better option? Or even Clottey, to begin with, for that matter.

Those critical of Arum say it's all a plan to milk his 'cash cow' before tossing him into deep waters with the sharks. I don't know if I totally buy that theory, but I am fully aware that 'cows' can't swim....so perhaps those critics are on to something!

Stay tuned!


(Vivek Wallace can be reached at www.vivekwallace.com, vivexemail@yahoo.com, Youtube (VIVEK1251), Twitter (VIVEK747), Facebook and Myspace).


Source: examiner.com

Andre Berto Shows 'Heart Of A Lion' Against Carlos Quintana -- FanHouse

By Lem Satterfield, FanHouse

WBC welterweight (147 pounds) champion, Andre Berto, of Winter Haven, Fla., was fighting the toughest fight of his life, mentally, physically, and, emotionally, on Saturday night before his partisan fans at at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Fla.

Not only was the 26-year-old Berto facing his most difficult opponent in 33-year-old, southpaw former world champion, Carlos Quintana, of Puerto Rico, but the Haitian-American was doing so with a heavy heart -- this, in a clash that ended an 11-month ring absence during which eight of Berto's family members were killed in the mid-January earthquake that rocked Haiti.

In addition, to that, Berto had to overcome a second-round tear in his left bicep against Quintana, who was looking for his third straight knockout in as many consecutive victories.

"I think I tore it [bicep] probably in the second round. Second or third round. I felt it, and every time that I threw it, I could feel it," said Berto, who donated proceeds from Saturday night's show to his continued efforts toward Hatian disaster relief.

"I could feel that I had hurt it pretty badly, so I just tried to stay strong," said Berto. "Just working my way through it. I was feeling pretty rusty like I said. But we have the heart of a lion, so I just finished it off."

Berto did just that in the eighth round, where an early, left-right combination began a barrage of blows against Quintana that prompted refree Tommy Kimmons to wrap his arms around the beaten fighter signaling the end of the fight at 2:16 of the round.

"I knew that I had hurt him a couple of times during the fight, and I didn't want him to get off of the hook. But I had hurt my bicep, like I said, and I wanted to try to finish the fight as soon as I could," said Berto. "You know, because with each round, it felt like it was getting worse, and worse, and worse. So I just wanted to finish the fight, and to finish it in impressive fashion."

In victory, Berto rose to 26-0, with his 20th knockout, as Quintana slipped to 27-3, with 21 KOs after the HBO- televised bout.

Berto had emersed himself in the cause of Haiti, devoting much of his attention toward saving lives and generally lifting the will and the well-being of those who dwell there.

"I've definitely been missing it. As you can see, I'm still a little rusty. But we had to get back in here. You know, we've been working hard. Just like I said, we went through a lot these last few months in my personal life," said Berto. "But you know, the people there in Haiti are strong, so you know, I'm going to make sure to stay in this ring strong for them."

In Quintana, Berto defeated the only man to have vanquished three-time world champion, Paul Williams (38-1, 27 KOs), as
well as a fighter who is coming off of December's junior middleweight (154 pounds), third-round, technical knockout of Jesse Feliciano (15-8-3, nine KOs), of Las Vegas.

Quintana had dethroned Williams as WBO welterweight titlist in February 2008, but was knocked out in the first round of their rematch four months later. Quintana rebounded from that setback with October's fourth-round stoppage of Joshua Onyango, which was also contested at 154 pounds.

"Quintana's a former world champion. He's well experienced. So he knows all of the little tactics. So he hit me in the back of the head pretty hard. But we got up and we finished the fight. So it's all good," said Berto of Quintana, the third straight southpaw he has faced.

"As soon as I really started to let the pain in my body just numb away, I just took it out of my mind and tried to get back to business. By like the fifth or sixth round, I felt like I was getting back into my groove a little bit. I started to land some effective punches."

In the wake of the tradgedy which killed as many as eight of Berto's relatives, the distraught fighter had pulled out of a scheduled Jan. 30 bout with 38-year-old, WBA welterweight super champion, Shane Mosley (46-5, 39 KOs), who will now face 32-year-old, unbeaten, Floyd Mayweather (40-0, 25 KOs) on May 1.

Berto said that he will now look to face the Mayweather-Mosley winner, or, perhaps WBO welterweight king, Manny Pacquiao (51-3-2, 38 KOs), who is coming off of last month's unanimous decision over Joshua Clottey.

"I have a lot of things to choose from. Stilt, I'm willing to wait. All of those guys -- Shane Mosley, Floyd Mayweather, they've got a fight coming up. You know, Manny Pacquiao looks like he might be free," said Berto.

"Any of the top guys, I'm just ready to just get back in there and stay busy," said Berto. "I've been off for 11 months, and I'm just ready to get back in there. I'm 26 years old, and I'm still young, baby, so we're going to just keep pushing and to keep working hard."

Source: boxing.fanhouse.com

Berto successful in fight for cause -- ESPN

By Dan Rafael, ESPN.com

SUNRISE, Fla. -- Andre Berto's life has changed quite a bit in the 11 months since his last fight, a lopsided decision against Juan Urango.

Since then, Berto prepared to fight the biggest bout of his career against fellow welterweight titleholder Shane Mosley on Jan. 30. And then Berto endured the life-changing event that forced that fight to be called off less than two days ahead of time: the devastating 7.0 earthquake that rocked Haiti, the Caribbean island nation where his parents are from and where he has many family members.

Eight members of Berto's family were killed in the disaster that claimed more than 200,000. His sister and niece were missing for days before being located.

After Berto and his brother, Cleveland, went to Haiti on a relief mission, working among the dead and dying to do what they could, Berto vowed to do whatever he could to keep attention on his ravaged homeland.

That brings us to Saturday night, when Berto knocked out former titleholder Carlos Quintana in the eighth round to retain his title in the main event of a card dubbed "Fighting for Haiti."

"I was looking forward to getting back in there and getting this fight out of the way," Berto said. "I know I was rusty. But I was ready to get in there."

Berto did what he could to focus attention on the island, which many have forgotten in the months since the disaster. Berto and promoter Lou DiBella promised to donate a percentage of the gate receipts to Berto's Dynasty Foundation to help the earthquake relief effort.

It is a noble cause. Unfortunately, there probably won't be a lot of money because the crowd was sparse. The attendance was not announced, for obvious reasons, but there couldn't have been more than 3,000 or so in the cavernous BankAtlantic Center.

But those who showed up were into the fight and watched Berto (26-0, 20 KOs), albeit rusty, do his thing in retaining his 147-pound title for the fourth time.

"The kid went through hell with what happened," DiBella said. "You gotta give the kid some credit. He really sucked it up. He was fully trained to fight Shane and then he went through a personal tragedy and then came back for this fight. I thought he showed a lot of character.

"Now we want Manny Pacquiao. Whenever Manny wants to fight us, we are ready."

Although Berto, 26, was rusty and took a few rounds to get rolling, he did so under tough circumstances. He said in the first or second round he injured his left biceps.

"I think I tore it or pulled it," said Berto, who wrapped himself in the Haitian flag. "I really wanted to throw the left hooks to the body and I could feel it. I think he knew my biceps was hurt and he tried to take advantage of it."

Puerto Rico's Quintana (27-3, 21 KOs), 33, however, couldn't take advantage. Although he rocked Berto in the second round with a left hand, Berto was clearly the physically stronger man.

It was only a matter of time until that strength took over.

In the third round, Berto righted himself and unloaded a flurry on Quintana, who was laying on the ropes. Adding to Berto's advantage in the round was when referee Tommy Kimmons docked a point from Quintana for hitting Berto behind the head after having previously warning him for the foul.

Round after round, Berto was slowly breaking Quintana down. A right hand here, a left hook there. Quintana felt them.

In the eighth round, Berto, injury be damned, took it to Quintana. He was teeing off on Quintana and Kimmons was looking closely, ready to stop it at any moment as Quintana was being rocked.

Berto hammered a stumbling Quintana around the ring. He was trying to hold Berto but he would have none of it. He separated himself and unleashed a straight right hand that snapped Quintana's head back, forcing Kimmons to step in and stop it at 2 minutes, 16 seconds.

"He took some savage shots at the end," said DiBella, who also promotes Quintana. "But he's a man's man. He did the best he could. He has nothing to be ashamed of."

"I knew he was hurt and as soon as I hurt him I wanted to finish him as soon as possible," Berto said. "He didn't hurt me at all and that knockout was pretty vicious. And you have to look at it like I've been off a long time. I'll get better from here."

DiBella has promoted Berto for his entire career and was proud of him.

"He hasn't fought in 11 months and he put a lot of pressure on himself for this fight," DiBella said. "It took him a few rounds before he loosened up and he came into his own in the last couple of rounds. He can't stay out 11 months again. He's a young welterweight and he needs to fight.

"I thought he was tight for a couple of rounds and I was a little worried after he grabbed the biceps. Despite the injury, Andre sucked it up and did what he had to do."

Berto was happy with the win, relieved to get back in the ring and still focused on Haiti.

"I went through a lot," Berto said. "The people of Haiti did too. They are strong and I was glad to do what I could. I'm holding up this [Haitian] flag and giving any type of support I could."

Dan Rafael is the boxing writer for ESPN.com.

Source: sports.espn.go.com

Berto stops Quintana in 8th to defend belt -- USA Today

By The Associated Press

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Andre Berto stopped Carlos Quintana in the eighth round Saturday night to retain his WBC welterweight championship at the BankAtlantic Center.

Berto (26-0) did heavy damage from the third round through the eighth. He finally felled Quintana, a former WBO champion, with a succession of hard rights before referee Tommy Kimmons stopped the bout at the 2:16 mark.

Quintana (27-3) had Berto looking tentative in the first two rounds.

But Berto came alive in the third round and began landing combinations for the duration of the fight. He had Quintana against the ropes in the third round. In the fifth round, he rocked Quintana again, this time with a straight right.

Berto landed a couple big rights in the sixth and seventh rounds.

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: usatoday.com

Berto strives to be back on radar -- Miami Herald

By SANTOS A. PEREZ, The Miami Herald

Andre Berto recognizes his title fight against Carlos Quintana on Saturday night is between the bookend bouts involving boxing's top welterweights.

A Miami native, Berto will fight Quintana at the BankAtlantic Center following Manny Pacquiao's lopsided win against Joshua Clottey on March 13 and before Floyd Mayweather Jr. faces Shane Mosley on May 1 in Las Vegas.

``People will be paying attention, especially since I have been away for a while,'' Berto said. ``This is a deep division, but there are a few of us who are in the top right now. In due time, everything is going to come.''

The backdrop of HBO televising Saturday's fight also could elevate Berto's profile. A victory over the battle-tested, ex-welterweight champion Quintana not only would reward Berto with the fourth successful defense of his World Boxing Council welterweight title but also place him closer to coveted matches against Pacquiao, Mayweather or Mosley.

``This is a big fight in a big stage,'' Berto said. ``I am going to go out and try to put on a great performance.''

Berto was scheduled to face Mosley on Jan. 30 but withdrew after the earthquake that struck his parents' native Haiti on Jan. 12. Berto has not fought since defeating Juan Urango on May 30 at the Hard Rock Live Arena in Hollywood.

``Everything happens for a reason,'' Berto said. ``Everybody's been reading and hearing what has been happening to me for months.''

Berto (25-0, 19 KOs) said the tragedy in Haiti affected him greatly but won't carry over into his bout against Quintana (27-2, 21 KOs).

``It's a situation you are never going to forget, it's always going to be part of you,'' Berto said. ``But I am completely motivated for this fight. We've had a tremendous training camp and we are ready to go.

``Quintana is a slick southpaw fighter. He knows how to capitalize on your mistakes. You just have to stick to your game plan and go to work.''

After spending most of his career as a welterweight, Quintana, 33, moved up to the junior-middleweight division. But Quintana immediately took on the opportunity to face Berto.

``Berto is a very talented fighter, and he is the favorite,'' Quintana said. ``But I enjoy being the underdog. It will give me more motivation to win the fight.''

Saturday's fight will headline a 10-bout card, which also will feature Celestino Caballero's first fight as a featherweight after a three-year run as super-bantamweight world champion. A Panama native, Caballero (33-2, 23 KOs) will face Indonesia's Daud Yordan (25-0, 19 KOs) in a scheduled 12-round bout.

South Florida based-fighters Antowne Smith and Jonathan Cepeda are scheduled to appear in undercard bouts. Cuba's Yudel Johnson, a 2004 Olympic silver medalist, also is on the undercard.

sperez@MiamiHerald.com

Source: miamiherald.com

Is There Anyone Who Thinks This Is A Welter Title Fight? -- The Sweet Science

By Frank Lotierzo, The Sweet Science

He’s never lost a professional fight, but it’s unlikely that anyone aside from members of his own camp - and probably not even them, if they’re being honest - believe that Andre Berto is really the welterweight champion. In a division that features the two best pound for pound fighters in the world, and where one of those two (Floyd Mayweather) may actually get beat by a third (Shane Mosley), it’s very hard to make a case for the guy who just happens to be holding the WBC title. Call this a fight for the welterweight title, little league version.

That doesn’t mean that Berto 25-0 (19) and Carlos Quintana 27-2 (21), who’ll be at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Florida this Saturday night for a fight to be shown on HBO, will bore us. Quintana has just enough credibility to be considered a test for the only slightly battle tried Berto. This seems consistent with the strategy used by the Berto camp: bring in opponents who are good enough so they can’t be brushed off as no-hopers, but not so good as to threaten Andre’s undefeated record and marketability.

I think that the suits at HBO initially had high hopes for the former Olympian (he represented Haiti in 2004), but may have had second thoughts as it’s dawned on them that they were a little too optimistic about his potential. Even Berto himself has been quick to point out that he was still relatively green, and is still learning his business.

This brings up the question of how he got to be a “champion” in the first place. He did it by fighting for a vacant title against Miguel Angel Rodriguez - an opponent with a terrific record, but not much discernable ability - who was brought in from Distrito Federal in Mexico City where’d he’d been beating guys with records like 0-1 and 1-6. It’s not always boxing; it’s always HBO.

To his credit, Berto wants to be a fighter. At this point, his strong suit is aggressiveness and a commitment to his punches. He’s way too muscled up to be a serious puncher, and he’s often noticeably lost when he’s not on offense, but at least he doesn’t try to dog it out there. But his lack of experience was evident a couple of fights ago when facing sturdy veteran Luis Collazo - a guy you’re supposed to beat clearly if you’re being groomed for stardom.

And it’s in looking at that fight where you can see how things may get interesting with Carlos Quintana. Quintana’s a sound, intelligent southpaw, and he’s been to the big time before. In 2006, he gave Miguel Cotto, then at the top of his game, a few solid rounds of work before surprisingly giving up after the fifth. He was brought back as cannon fodder for WBO welterweight champion Paul Williams - like Berto, another star in the making and wound up teaching the younger fighter a few things about boxing, taking his title in the process. Williams avenged the loss about as well as a fighter can, knocking Quintana out in the first round to regain the title about four months later.

Since then, Quintana has been largely inactive: he’s only fought twice since 2008. More tellingly, in his last fight, he was dropped by Jesse Feliciano, who is not a great puncher. Quintana was awarded the fight on a 3rd round TKO when Feliciano sustained a badly cut eye.

I assume that the combination of inactivity, the fast kayo loss to Williams, a knockdown to Feliciano, and the possible perception that he quit in the Cotto fight, along with his very good record, are the reasons why Quintana is being brought in.

But, in beating Paul Williams for the WBO title, he won a genuine championship over a legitimate title holder who is a far better fighter than Berto. And Andre does not like seeing tricky guys in front of him. Some people thought that he didn’t beat Collazo, and, at his best, Quintana is probably the superior fighter, although not the tougher guy. He throws a very sneaky left cross that has some pop to it, and he can move. Additionally, Quintana mixes up his punches very well, always throwing in combination, often unpredictably. Although Paul Williams was inexperienced at the time that Quintana beat him, there was nothing fluky about the win; the champ was frequently confused by what Carlos was doing.

HBO’s agenda is clear with this fight, but there are enough question marks to make it worth watching. I’d have liked it better if Quintana had been active during the last year or so, but he hadn’t fought in a year before he won the title from Williams. He definitely knows how to fight.

Andre Berto is in a tough spot as the WBC champion. He’d be a decided underdog against Pacquiao, Mayweather, Mosley, Williams (who says he can still make the weight), and the returning Antonio Margarito. He got where he is a little too fast, in a division that’s a little too dangerous. It’ll be interesting to see how he does on Saturday night.

Source: thesweetscience.com

With Haiti on his mind, Berto returns to ring -- USA Today

By Bob Velin, USA TODAY

Andre Berto was 18 days away from the biggest fight of his career in January when the news broke that changed his life.

Berto was preparing for his Jan. 30 welterweight unification title fight in Las Vegas against Shane Mosley when his parents' native Haiti was shaken to its core by a massive earthquake that destroyed the capital of Port Au Prince, killing more than 200,000 people. Eight of the dead were relatives of Berto. Two more survived but were among the hundreds of thousands left homeless.

Less than a week later, Berto pulled out of the Mosley fight, citing physical and mental exhaustion, and headed to Haiti — the country he fought for in the 2004 Olympics — with his brother Cleveland to offer his assistance.

Three months later, the undefeated Berto is set to return to the ring for the first time since last May, taking on former welterweight titlist Carlos Quintana on Saturday (HBO, 10:30 p.m. ET) at Sunrise, Fla.

The hiatus was just what he needed. "It gave me time to focus on me, on the family, and take some time off from boxing," he says. "I feel fresh, I feel motivated. I can't wait to get in there."

The 26-year-old Berto (25-0, 19 KOs), isn't looking at Quintana as merely a steppingstone to the heavy hitters of the 147-pound division, such as Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather and Mosley. He knows Quintana (27-2, 21 KOs) can be dangerous, as Paul Williams found out in 2008. Quintana's the only blemish on Williams' record.

Four months later Williams KO'd the Puerto Rican in the first round of their rematch. Quintana's only other loss was to then unbeaten Miguel Cotto in 2006.

"He's a slick southpaw. You have to be careful, you have to assert your dominance early," says Berto of Quintana, 33. "I'm just going to go in there and do what I gotta do."

Berto has no regrets about pulling out of the Mosley fight. He saw his Haiti mission as something of a calling. It changed his outlook on life.

"What happened in Haiti was something that just hit me," he says. "It hit a lot of people around the world. I did what I did for a reason. I could never take back a situation like that, me going over there to help people in need instead of getting a paycheck.

"It was something I don't regret. I'm young, I have a lot of fight in me and I'm ready to go full force."

As happens often in natural disasters such as the Haiti quake, says Berto, it's kind of forgotten outside of the disaster area after a month or so. He's trying to make sure that doesn't happen.

That's why this fight is billed as "Fighting for Haiti." A percentage of proceeds from the fight and surrounding events will go to Berto's Dynasty Foundation, which will send funds to Haiti. Also, HBO will show footage from Berto's Haiti visit during the fight.

"We're putting a gameplan together to make sure that everything we receive gets to the people," he says. "We're two feet in."

Berto says the Haiti tragedy helped him realize his purpose.

"At the end of the day I was blessed with a talent," he says, "and I believe that a lot of people don't really see their purpose within their talent. I've really had a chance to find that purpose.

"This foundation is going to continue to give me the vehicle to help others, when it comes to Haiti, or the local boys and girls clubs or a lot of other situations I've already been a part of. It's been a motivating factor for me and I'm happy."

What could help Berto more than anything is using what he witnessed in Haiti to help him handle adversity in the ring.

"Everything I saw down there is an experience I'll never forget," he says. "What I'll face in the ring at any time is not going to be anything compared to what I've seen and been a part of in Haiti.

"It's matured me and made me stronger and I'm going to show it all on fight night."

Floyd returns:

He's baaack. And the people at HBO's all-access series 24/7 couldn't be happier that Floyd Mayweather Jr. and family will be part of the four-episode run-up to the May 1 welterweight title fight between Mayweather and Shane Mosley at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

The series will debut Saturday at 10 p.m. ET, as a lead-in to the Berto-Quintana fight.

HBO's cameras will follow Mayweather & Co. around his Las Vegas gym and nearby home, while Mosley will be filmed at his Big Bear, Calif., training camp.

Source: usatoday.com

Andre Berto Takes On Carlos Quintana, Haitian Relief -- FanHouse

By Lem Satterfield, FanHouse



WBC welterweight (147 pounds) champion, Andre Berto, of Winter Haven, Fla., will end a near 11-month ring absence on Saturday night when he defends his crown against southpaw, former world champion, Carlos Quintana, of Puerto Rico, before what should be a partisan crowd at the Bank of America Center in Sunrise, Fla.

But when the 26-year-old Berto (25-0, 19 knockouts) steps into the ring opposite the 33-year-old Quintana (27-2, 21 KOs), he will not only be re-asserting the promising career of a man many see as the heir-apparent to greatness in the division.

A Haitian-American, Berto will also be continuing the disaster relief efforts he has been involved in since Haiti, his parents' island nation, was rocked by an earthquake in mid-January.

In the wake of the tradgedy which killed as many as eight of Berto's relatives, the distraught fighter pulled out of a scheduled Jan. 30 bout with 38-year-old, WBA welterweight super champion, Shane Mosley (46-5, 39 KOs), who will now face 32-year-old, unbeaten, Floyd Mayweather (40-0, 25 KOs) on May 1.

Berto emersed himself in the cause of Haiti, devoting much of his attention toward saving lives and generally lifting the will and the well-being of those who dwell there, and to whom procedes from saturday night's card -- billed "Fight For Haiti" -- will be directed.

According to Berto's promoter, Lou DiBella, ringside tickets, sold at $250, go at two for the price of one as do those priced at $100. Out of the $500 VIP tickets, $100 is tax deductible and goes toward Hatian relief. Out of all of the other seats in the arena, "10 percent is tax deductible, and 10 percent goes to Haitian relief," said DiBella.

"We've taken several trips to Haiti and had a chance to give out 10,000 pairs of shoes to children the last trip. We've had a chance to sponsor a few orphanages, and this was before the earthquake even happened," said Berto, reached at his training quarters near his hometown of Winter Haven.

"It was a tough time because so many things were going on in my personal life when it came to the Haiti situation," said Berto, whose workouts take place between two and three hours from Sunrise. "But that's a situation that happened, and something that I can't take back. I've been away from the ring for a while, and I'm excited to be back."

Berto said that he is ready to transition back into the sport against Quintana, the only man to defeat Paul Williams (38-1, 27 KOs).

Quintana is coming off of December's junior middleweight (154 pounds), third-round, technical knockout of Jesse Feliciano (15-8-3, nine KOs), of Las Vegas.

Quintana had dethroned Williams as WBO welterweight titlist in February 2008, but was knocked out in the first round of their rematch four months later.

Quintana rebounded from that setback with October's fourth-round stoppage of Joshua Onyango, which was also contested at 154 pounds.

"You have to be concerned, as a part of the Andre Berto team, that it's been a long layoff and a very emotional time for him, and you have to hope that his focus is on Carlos Quintana, where it needs to be," said DiBella, Berto's promoter.

"From everything that I've heard, and been told, he's had a great camp. One of my other fighters, Willie Monroe, who will be fighting on the undercard, has been one of Berto's main sparring partners," said DiBella. "Willie's a tough kid, and Willie said that Berto's sharp as hell and expects Berto to do very well."

Quintana's only other loss was by fifth-round knockout against former world champion Miguel Cotto in December of 2006.

"I think that this is his toughest fight. I think that Quintana is slick, he was aable to clearly out-box Paul Williams, and I think that that's a big credential to have beaten Williams," said DiBella. "I really look at this as a fight that could really elevate Andre Berto to the top eschelon of the welterweights."

Quintana is the third straight southpaw Berto will face, and the "eighth or ninth" he has fought overall, he said.

In January of 2009, Berto scored a unanimous decision over former WBA king, Luis Collazo, a left-hander from Queens, N.Y. against whom Berto swapped turns being rocked in a battle of wills, power and speed.

In his last fight in May, Berto earned a unanimous decision over then-IBF junior welterweight (140 pounds) champion, Juan Urango (22-3-1, 17 KOs), a left-hander from Cooper City, Fla., by way of Colombia.

"I've been fighting guys that guys just don't want to fight because they're awkward southpaws and tough guys. Luis Collazo was a completely different southpaw than Urango, and Urango is a completely different southpaw than Carlos Quintana," said Berto.

"Collazo was more of a technician, very smart and picked his shots. He wanted to make sure that he made the right moves. Urango was just one of those strong, straight-forward bulls who was coming to just knock you out with strong punches," said Berto. "Carlos Quintana, he's a smart, southpaw as well, but he likes to use his movement with a long reach, and he likes to use the angles and catch you off balance with his punches."

Berto said that his sparring partners have been able to emulate Quintana's style to the point where "they have same movement," and, "have been giving me exactly what I need, so it's been going good."

"I'm kind of getting used to the whole southpaw look, but I know that Quintana's definitely coming to make a statement, and he's going to be hungry for the title. Quintana's a sharp southpaw who is sneaky and smart, and if you make too many mistakes, he'll definitely make you pay," said Berto.

"But I'm 100 percent focused on this fight. Being out of the ring for a while, there may be a little ring rust, maybe not," said Berto. "But Quintana doesn't care about anything else that's going on. He's just coming to take what I have. I've had a tremendous training camp, but I know that he'll be coming with his best."

But so will Berto, who will be looking to duplicate the atomosphere of his match up with Urango that took place at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Hollywood, Fla., before what was a crowd partisan to Berto.

"Being on the stage, and on HBO, and bringing it down to South Florida, everybody was excited, everybody came out and supported me. It was a tremendous night of boxing, and I know that it's going to be even bigger this weekend," said Berto.

"That's [Quintana] the only thing everybody around here has been talking about, and I've been getting tons of calls from Miami, Fort Lauderdale and the Sunrise areas, and so everybody is excited," said Berto. "It's going to be a special night, not just for me, but for the people of Haiti, because ticket sales are going to the cause of Haitian relief, so it will be a win-win situation."

Source: boxing.fanhouse.com

Andre Berto: Staking His Welterweight Claim -- AllHipHop

By Ismael AbduSalaam, AllHipHop.com

Three months ago, Andre Berto had the biggest fight of his career in front of him. On January 30, Berto was set to face Shane Mosley in an opportunity to become one of the premier stars of the welterweight division.
Then tragedy struck.

A devastating 7.0 earthquake ravaged Berto’s native Haiti, resulting in the death of 8 relatives a little over 2 weeks before fight night. Distraught and unable to focus on combat, Berto decided to withdraw from the fight, paving the way for Mosley to face Floyd Mayweather on May 1.

Today, Andre Berto’s mind is clear and back on boxing. This weekend, the WBC titlist seeks to put the division back on notice in a risky comeback bout against southpaw spoiler Carlos Quintana, who holds upset victories over previously undefeated standouts Paul Williams and Joel Julio. If he succeeds in spectacular fashion, are superstars like Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao next in line?

AllHipHop.com: You lost 8 family members in the January Haiti earthquake. With such a devastating emotional loss just a few months ago, what made you know this weekend was the time to make your in-ring return?

Andre Berto: Yeah, I went back to Haiti to give aid. And I had to take some time to get my mind right. I took about 6 weeks to reflect on things in Haiti. It was an intense trip and needed my mind together. Now I’m focused and it’s time to get back in there.

AllHipHop.com: When you went down to Haiti after the quake, what did you witness?

Berto: It was crazy, just completely different from my last experiences. It was like a war zone. A lot of planes were coming in trying to bring cargo and supplies. Walking through the streets you saw building after building just crushed and pancaked down to the floor. In the hospitals and streets I helped, and saw a lot of death and broken bones, man. A lot of pain. At the same time, I saw the strength of a lot of people who survived. They adapted and did the best they could under the circumstances.

AllHipHop.com: Not that Haiti isn’t front page news anymore, do you still see a lot of people as you tour the States still devoting energy to the essential rebuilding period?

Berto: I always figured that would happen news-wise. But I still see a lot of people showing the effort. There are still a lot of nurses and doctors going there to help. So the support is still there where it counts.

AllHipHop.com: Let’s move on to the fight this Saturday (April 10) against Carlos Quintana. Was he the first pick for you and your team?

Berto: They brought me a few names. But I think Quintana is a fighter with good credibility. There’s bigger name guys that I wanted to fight, but those guys in my division are already tied up with matches so I had to fall back on that. So that made Quintana the best available competitor regarding quality at this time.

AllHipHop.com: Now how are you approaching this fight? Quintana has 2 losses, and the one that stands out to me in particular is the Cotto loss where Miguel walked him down. Is that something you’re looking at being that you’re likely to be stronger than him?

Berto: That’s true, [but] there’s a lot of different ways of going about it. Cotto walked him down with power. Paul Williams caught him with a long shot. I’ll have to have different strategies. Sometimes he likes to stand there and bang it out. Everybody knows that’s my forte. And the same time, he also likes to move around and box. So I’ll be ready for anything he tries to bring to the table. I know how to box, bang, have power, so I have all the tools needed to come out with the victory.

AllHipHop.com: This will be your third consecutive fight with a southpaw, and your second fight since your 2009 Fight of the Year candidate with Luis Collazo. What have you learned since that encounter about how to handle southpaws?

Berto: The Collazo fight I didn’t take it as serious and that was almost my downfall. That’s normally what older fighters count on, and that was the first time I ever did that. I kind of got on my high horse and on fight night he came and brought it. I know how to fight southpaws, and have been doing so for years and training with guys like Winky Wright. I had to get back on the grind.

And then when I had the fight with Juan Urango I made it look easy. So I just had to get focused and with the gameplan.

AllHipHop.com: Before the fight with Shane Mosley was canceled, you had built some animosity towards him after Mosley proclaimed he’d end your career. Is there still beef there or do you know just look at it as words said just to hype the fight?

Berto: It kind of ruffled my feathers because I know how Mosley is. Before he showed good faith towards me, always at my fights and praised me. He always tried to be close to me and said I reminded him of himself when he was young. So he had some real off the wall things to say about me, and I knew that wasn’t him.
But recently he’s still doing things out of his character due to the guys around him. They’ve been pumping him up. But he has a big fight coming up with Floyd, but if he ever gets in the ring with me I’ll handle him.

AllHipHop.com: What direction is your camp looking to head in after the Quintana fight? The scene is a lot different from when you last fought: Margarito is gone, [Zab] Judah is out of the welterweight picture…

Berto: Yeah, but there’s still a lot of opportunities out there still. But right now my focus is on Quintana. We’ll have to get past this and it is a tough fight. But after that I expect a lot of big fights. The welterweight division is the hottest in boxing and the one to watch.

AllHipHop.com: Let’s get your prediction on the upcoming superfight with Floyd Mayweather and Shane Mosley.

Berto: It’s going to be a good fight, man. It’s tough to call. Mosley has the speed and the power. Floyd has everything else. Floyd is very technical, and if Shane lets him get in his groove and comfortable, it’s going to be a long night for Mosley. But if Mosley imposes his speed, size, and strength, it might be a tough fight for Floyd. But I’m leaning towards Floyd in this one.

AllHipHop.com: The Everlast shirt you’ve been marketing looks really good. Is that a design you came up with yourself?

Berto: Yeah, we pretty much did that as a relief fund right after the earthquake hit. All proceeds go to that. Tons of people purchased it and showed their support. It’s on Everlast and we’ve been doing our part on my site to continue that awareness.

AllHipHop.com: I remember you issued Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocino to a charity boxing match last year. Did he ever answer you?

Berto: [Laughs] I saw him out in LA recently. It’s still up to him. He’s always up to a lot of different challenges. Maybe this summer we can get something together for charity. But yeah, I still haven’t forgot!

AllHipHop.com: Has HBO or anyone else approached you about locking up with Paul Williams. You guys
are both young and even though he jumps around in weight, his claims he can still make the welterweight limit if need be.

Berto: I’ve heard about it, but me and Paul have the same team when it comes to the management end [Author’s Note: Both are managed by Al Haymon, who also works with Floyd Mayweather]. So they’re trying to keep us away from each other unless there is a lot of money in the pot to grab. Right now we are in separate lanes doing our things.

AllHipHop.com: Closing thoughts for the Knockout Nation readers?

Berto: Everybody make sure they tune in on April 10. It’s going to be an event! It’s a special card so don’t miss it.

Andre Berto vs. Carlos Quintana airs this Saturday (April 10) at 10:30PM EST. The card follows the 10PM debut of Mayweather-Mosley 24/7.

Source: allhiphop.com

Andre Berto ready again after crisis in Haiti -- Miami Herald

BY SANTOS A. PEREZ, Miami Herald

Eleven months ago, Andre Berto stepped into the ring at Hard Rock Live Arena in Hollywood, ready to defend his welterweight title against Juan Urango and enhance his stock in the talent-rich welterweight division.

Berto defeated Urango and retained his World Boxing Council belt, but instead of keeping a busy fight schedule, he has remained inactive. The lengthy separation between fights finally ends Saturday night when Berto makes the fourth defense of his title against Puerto Rico's Carlos Quintana at BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise.

A vital reason for Berto's inactivity stems from the earthquake that struck Haiti on Jan. 12. Born in Miami to Haitian parents, Berto became deeply involved in the earthquake relief effort, forcing the postponement of his bout against Shane Mosley on Jan. 30.

``I was training for the biggest fight of my life,'' Berto said. ``We tried to stay in the routine a couple of more days. As soon as [the earthquake] happened, it affected me greatly.''

Berto had reason to worry: His sister lives in Haiti, and the family didn't know of her whereabouts for days. They finally received news that she and her daughter were safe.

But the joy of learning of his sister's survival turned to despair when Berto's uncle and his family died as a result of the earthquake.

HOMEWARD-BOUND

Although Berto, 26, grew up in Miami and later moved to Winter Haven, he never disconnected from his Haitian roots. Before the earthquake, Berto made humanitarian trips to the island nation, especially visiting children in schools and orphanages. Not surprisingly, Berto flew to Haiti soon after the postponement of his fight with Mosley.

``It was just a different place from what I had seen before,'' Berto said. ``You smelled a lot of pain, smelled the death. There was a just a lot of tragedy.

``Everybody was in a frenzy, scattered around. Schools crushed to the ground. The children we went to see [in previous trips] were gone. But, at the same time, I saw a lot of strength. [People] were still trying to make something out of nothing. I saw people singing Haitian spirituals and hymns. Hope was also present.''

After his return from Haiti, Berto found a new fight date and opponent. With Mosley choosing to face Floyd Mayweather Jr. on May 1, Berto will fight Quintana, a Puerto Rico native and former welterweight champion.

``It's been a while since I've been in the ring, but I've had tremendous sparring,'' Berto said. ``We are ready to go.''

Berto's promoter, Lou DiBella, said he understood Berto's decision to withdraw from the Mosley fight.

``Before the earthquake, he was in great shape. It was a good time to get Mosley,'' DiBella said. ``Andre wasn't prepared mentally after the earthquake. With your sister and niece missing, you are obviously not going to be completely focused. Once he was ready, he wanted a big fight. We got him the best welterweight available. This is the fight that can vault him to an attractive fight.''

Berto (25-0, 19 KOs) said he won't be consumed by the Haiti crisis once he gets in the ring against Quintana (27-2, 21 KOs). But Berto knows that Saturday's fight will provide a platform to assist Haiti. In fact, the card is billed as ``Fighting for Haiti,'' and proceeds will benefit the Haiti earthquake relief effort.

``Everything happens for a reason,'' Berto said of his inactivity and his new opponent. ``I believe everybody's been reading and hearing what's been happening for months.

``There is also anticipation because I have been gone for a while.''

HOPKINS WINS BIG

Bernard Hopkins avenged his 1993 loss to Roy Jones Jr. with a lopsided decision late Saturday against the Pensacola native in Las Vegas.

Hopkins (51-5-1) was the busier puncher in the 12-round light-heavyweight bout. The fight was marred by repeated fouls, as Hopkins twice fell to the canvas after Jones (54-7) hit him with punches behind the head and once from a shot below the belt. Hopkins, 45, also hit Jones, 41, with a punch below the belt.

Two judges scored the fight 117-110 for Hopkins; the third had Hopkins winning 118-109. Jones beat Hopkins for a middleweight crown in 1993.

sperez@MiamiHerald.com

Source: miamiherald.com

Holyfield going for Pacquiao

Philippines Today

PHILIPPINE NEWS SERVICE -- BEING the underdog in his Nov. 14 title fight against Manny Pacquiao is not a big deal as far as Miguel Cotto is concerned.

For the Puerto Rican and his head trainer Joe Santiago, not installed as the favorite despite him being the reigning World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight champion could even work wonders.

“Miguel is driven by the people saying Pacquiao will beat him,” said Santiago. “It’s extra motivation and he is coming with fire because people are saying he can’t win.”

Three weeks before the highly-talked about much between two of the world’s best fighters today, Pacquiao remains a 2-1 favorite to bust up Cotto.

The 28-year old reigning champion was in a similar boat when he met Carlos Quintana in 2006 for the vacant World Boxing Association (WBA) welterweight title.

The fight ended in a technical knockout in favor of Cotto. READ MORE

Custom Search

Related Articles:
Glen Johnson: "I'm a huge Pacquiao fan"

Underdog tag fires up Cotto against Pacquiao

GMANewsTV.com

He’s the defending World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight champion but he’s installed as the underdog against Filipino superstar Manny Pacquiao.

Believe it or not, Boricuan bomber Miguel Cotto wouldn’t mind. On the contrary, he cherished that underdog tag for it gives him extra motivation and fire to pull the rug from under the favored Pacquiao when they lock mitts on Nov. 14 in Las Vegas.

According to his chief trainer Joe Santiago, Cotto faced a similar situation back in 2006, against compatriot Carlos "El Indio" Quintana for the vacant World Boxing Association (WBA) welterweight crown. Result: He shamed oddsmakers by hacking out a fifth round TKO win. READ MORE