Andre Berto
| Andre Berto | |
|---|---|
| Statistics | |
| Real name | Andre Michael Berto |
| Nickname(s) | The Beast |
| Rated at | Welterweight |
| Height | 5 ft 8.5 in (1.74 m) |
| Born | September 7, 1983 Miami, Florida, USA |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 29 |
| Wins | 28 |
| Wins by KO | 22 |
| Losses | 1 |
| Draws | 0 |
| No contests | 0 |
Andre Michael Berto (born September 7, 1983) is a Haitian-American professional boxer. On June 21, 2008, Berto became the WBC welterweight champion by defeating Miguel Rodriguez by seventh round technical knockout. He lost his WBC welterweight title on April 16, 2011 to Victor Ortiz via unanimous decision. Berto bounced back in his very next fight on 4th September 2011, to defeat Jan Zaveck and became the IBF welterweight champion, until he vacated it.
Contents |
[edit] Personal life
Raised one of seven children in Winter Haven, Florida, Berto was introduced to boxing by his father after getting beat multiple times by him. Dieuseul, who competed professionally in mixed martial arts and taught the sport at a school in Winter Haven. For Berto, the sport of boxing became a solace to stay out of trouble. His brother, James Edson Berto, is a professional mixed martial artist. Berto is often called "Mike", his middle name.[1]
[edit] 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 also won 22 state titles in Florida.[1]
[edit] 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 back 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.[2] Berto lost in the first-round to Xavier Noel of France.[1]
[edit] Professional career
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.[3]
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.[4] 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.[5]
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.[6]
[edit] WBC welterweight title
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 second left as Berto continually hurt Rodriguez with right hands.[7] 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.[8]
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.[9]
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.[10] 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.[11] 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.
[edit] Berto vs Ortiz I & II
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 Fight of the Year for 2011 with 4 ruled knockdowns.[12]
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.[13]
[edit] Berto vs Zaveck
On September 3, 2011, Berto returned after his defeat to Victor Ortiz to face IBF Welterweight Champion Jan Zaveck. 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.
[edit] Professional boxing record
| 28 Wins (22 knockouts), 1 Loss, 0 Draws[14] | |||||||
| Res. | Record | Opponnent | Type | Rd., Time | Date | Location | Notes |
| N/A | N/A |  Victor Ortiz |
- | ? (12) | 2012-??-?? | MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada |
|
| Win | 28-1 |  Dejan Zavec |
RTD | 5 (12), 3:00 | 2011-09-03 | Beau Rivage Resort & Casino, Biloxi, Mississippi |
Won IBF Welterweight World title. |
| Loss | 27-1 | Victor Ortiz |
UD | 12 | 2011-04-16 | Foxwoods Resort Casino, Mashantucket, Conneticut |
Lost WBC Welterweight title. The Ring magazine's "Fight of the Year" (2011) |
| Win | 27-0 |  Freddy Hernandez |
TKO | 1 (12), 2:07 | 2010-11-27 | MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada |
Retained WBC Welterweight title. |
| Win | 26-0 |  Carlos Quintana |
TKO | 8 (12), 2:16 | 2010-04-10 | BankAtlantic Center, Sunrise, Florida |
Retained WBC Welterweight title. |
| Win | 25-0 |  Juan Urango |
UD | 12 | 2009-05-30 | Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Hollywood, Florida |
Retained WBC Welterweight title. |
| Win | 24-0 | Luis Collazo |
UD | 12 | 2009-01-17 | Beau Rivage Resort & Casino, Biloxi, Mississippi |
Retained WBC Welterweight title. |
| Win | 23-0 | Steve Forbes |
UD | 12 | 2008-09-27 | Home Depot Center, Carson, California |
Retained WBC Welterweight title. |
| Win | 22-0 | Miguel Angel Rodriguez |
TKO | 7 (12), 2:13 | 2008-06-21 | FedEx Forum, Memphis, Tennessee |
Won vacant WBC Welterweight title. |
| Win | 21-0 |  Michel Trabant |
RTD | 6 (10), 3:00 | 2008-02-09 | Pechanga Resort & Casino, Temecula, California |
Retained NABF Welterweight title. |
| Win | 20-0 | David Estrada |
TKO | 11 (12), 1:17 | 2007-09-29 | Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey |
Won vacant NABF Welterweight title. WBC Welterweight title eliminator. |
| Win | 19-0 | Cosme Rivera |
UD | 10 | 2007-07-27 | City Center, Saratoga Springs, New York |
|
| Win | 18-0 | Martinus Clay |
TKO | 7 (10), 2:15 | 2007-05-19 | FedEx Forum, Memphis, Tennessee |
|
| Win | 17-0 | Norberto Bravo |
TKO | 1 (10), 2:28 | 2007-02-17 | Hammerstein Ballroom, New York, New York |
|
| Win | 16-0 | Miguel Figueroa |
TKO | 6 (10), 1:59 | 2006-12-09 | Alltel Arena, North Little Rock, Arkansas |
|
| Win | 15-0 | James Crayton |
KO | 5 (8), 0:34 | 2006-10-21 | Don Haskins Center, El Paso, Texas |
|
| Win | 14-0 | Roberto Valenzuela |
TKO | 1 (8), 2:19 | 2006-08-05 | Madison Square Garden, New York, New York |
|
| Win | 13-0 | Sammy Sparkman |
TKO | 2 (10), 2:50 | 2006-06-17 | FedEx Forum, Memphis, Tennessee |
|
| Win | 12-0 | Gerardo Cesar Prieto |
TKO | 3 (4), 1:52 | 2006-05-17 | Mohegan Sun Casino, Uncasville, Connecticut |
|
| Win | 11-0 | Horatio García |
RTD | 3 (8), 3:00 | 2006-04-14 | Agua Caliente Casino, Rancho Mirage, California |
|
| Win | 10-0 | Jonathan Tubbs |
TKO | 3 (8), 2:44 | 2006-02-03 | Northern Quest Resort & Casino, Airway Heights, Washington |
|
| Win | 9-0 | Taronze Washington |
KO | 1 (8), 2:50 | 2005-12-03 | Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada |
|
| Win | 8-0 | Maurice Chalmers |
TKO | 1 (6), 1:36 | 2005-11-04 | Buffalo Run Casino, Miami, Oklahoma |
|
| Win | 7-0 | William Johnson |
KO | 1 (4), 1:36 | 2005-10-01 | St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa, Florida |
|
| Win | 6-0 | Anthony Little |
TKO | 6 (6), 1:36 | 2005-06-09 | Grand Ballroom, New York, New York |
|
| Win | 5-0 | Tim Himes |
TKO | 1 (6), 2:10 | 2005-05-06 | Foxwoods Resort Casino, Mashantucket, Connecticut |
|
| Win | 4-0 | Daniel Neal |
UD | 4 | 2005-02-24 | Hammerstein Ballroom, New York, New York |
|
| Win | 3-0 | Edgar Galvan |
TKO | 1 (4), 1:59 | 2005-01-28 | Hammerstein Ballroom, New York, New York |
|
| Win | 2-0 | Joseph Benjamin |
UD | 4 | 2005-01-21 | Mohegan Sun Casino, Uncasville, Connecticut |
|
| Win | 1-0 | Michael Robinson |
TKO | 3 (4), 2:15 | 2004-12-04 | Barton Coliseum, Little Rock, Arkansas |
Berto's first professional win. |
[edit] 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 New Orleans Saints American football star Reggie Bush.[15]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Schulberg, Benn (2006-02-06). "Andre Berto: New Star in Town". The Sweet Science. http://www.thesweetscience.com/boxing-article/3384/andre-berto-new-star-town/. Retrieved 2008-04-19.
- ^ Donovan, Jake (2006-02-06). "Andre Berto Prepares For Phase Two of His Career". BoxingScene.com. http://www.thesweetscience.com/boxing-article/3384/andre-berto-new-star-town/. Retrieved 2008-04-19.
- ^ "Andre Berto Bio". HBO. 2008-06-22. http://www.hbo.com/boxing/fighters/berto_andre/bio.html. Retrieved 2008-06-23.
- ^ Vester, Mark (2007-07-28). "Andre Berto Gets Off The Deck To Beat Rivera". BoxingScene.com. http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&id=9692. Retrieved 2008-04-19.
- ^ Vester, Mark (2007-09-29). "Andre Berto Stop David Estrada in a Thriller". BoxingScene.com. http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&id=10535. Retrieved 2008-04-19.
- ^ Vester, Mark (2008-02-09). "Andre Berto Batters Michel Trabant in Six". BoxingScene.com. http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&id=12530. Retrieved 2008-04-19.
- ^ "Berto blasts through Rodriguez to claim WBC welterweight belt". USA Today. 2008-06-22. http://rss.usatoday.mlogic3g.com/news.jsp?key=860824. Retrieved 2008-06-23.
- ^ Woodall, Bernie (28 September 2008). "Berto retains WBC welterweight crown over Forbes". Reuters. http://www.reuters.com/article/sportsNews/idUSTRE48R09J20080928. Retrieved 2008-09-28.
- ^ "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. http://www.sportsnetwork.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=sportsnetwork&page=boxing/news/newstest.aspx?id=4204542. Retrieved 2009-01-17.
- ^ "Berto withdraws from Jan. 30 bout". ESPN. 2010-01-18. http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=4837075&campaign=rss&source=ESPNHeadlines. Retrieved 2010-01-18.
- ^ Vester, Mark (2010-11-27). "Andre Berto Destroys Freddy Hernandez One Round". BoxingScene. http://www.boxingscene.com/andre-berto-destroys-freddy-hernandez-one-round--33285. Retrieved 2011-04-12.
- ^ Rafael, Dan (17 April 2011). "Victor Ortiz stuns Andre Berto". ESPN.com. http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/boxing/columns/story?columnist=rafael_dan&id=6371839. Retrieved 17 April 2011.
- ^ Christ, Scott (23 November 2011). "Victor Ortiz vs Andre Berto Rematch: Lou DiBella Says Fight Is On". Bad Left Hook.com. http://www.badlefthook.com/2011/11/23/2582724/victor-ortiz-vs-andre-berto-rematch-january-28-february-11-hbo-boxing-news. Retrieved 20 December 2011.
- ^ http://boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?human_id=283680&cat=boxer
- ^ Berto, Andre; Joan Raymond (March 8, 2010). "Frequent Flier Holder of a Title, Yes, but Not a Heisman". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/09/business/09flier.html. Retrieved 2010-03-09.
[edit] External links
- Professional boxing record for Andre Berto from BoxRec
- Bio - file interview with Andre Berto at BoxingInsider.com
- Andre Berto on Myspace
| 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 |
