Back in 2008 Andre Berto burst on the scene winning in electrifying fashion vs. Miguel Angel Rodriguez and he was awarded a “Vacant” WBC welterweight strap. At the time the belt was worthless because Berto was widely recognized as a second tier champion, not by lack of talent but by his relative youth. Whispers about his style were only heard on podcast like “The Boxing Truth” and if you view Boxing from a cynical (see racial) point of view it would have been easy to dismiss the criticisms as sour grapes from Mexican journalists- but I didn’t.
Early in his career the explosive athlete seemed to perfect jumping in with one, maybe two punches at a time and quickly locking up opponents in a way that hinted at his eclectic combat sports background. Purely reflexive, with a Martial Arts stance that left him wide open for anyone who could survive his athletic gifts? He also seemed to not be as slick as he would have to be for a welterweight who appeared to be a “generous” 5’8. Nevertheless Berto was connected to the Haymon Machine that appeared to feed HBO and Showtime with talent, a virtual monopoly in the sport if there ever was one. We would just sit back and accept Berto as a sort of “kiddie champion” in training wheels to be fed when his food is chopped up just so. In 2009 Louis Collazo, a casualty of “The Game” showed that Berto can be taken by a skilled technician-the fight also showed that Berto is the Real Deal in the heart department-a blessing and a curse. His response to extreme resistance was adequate enough to see him as a future player, but the performance also put him a little too close to being beaten by someone who isn’t. Shane Mosley was a perfect stepping stone for Berto, he could “out Shane” Shane and position himself for bigger purses and a possible showdown with the man the sport isn’t cranking out enough credible opponents for- Floyd Mayweather. The January 2010 unification bout would have given him at least something to say when the Money Team considered what crumbs to throw him, because we all know Floyd loves belts, it would all be “in house” and it all made sense. And then Hurricane "Tomas" happened, and it challenged the young Champion in ways Boxing will never be able to, against career considerations Berto flew to Haiti and nobody could ever blame him.
In April 2010 Berto came back and obliterated Carlos Quintana in a performance that now looks suspicious considering what happened in the near future. Victor Ortiz was supposed to be a “nice little tune” up for a Mayweather bout in late 2011, but the kid showed up bearded and looking like an NFL linebacker- they went life and death in the kind of fight that changes the loser physically and mentally. Ortiz was supposed to show up and quit under Berto’s physical skills and heart, but he stole the show while adding to Berto’s odometer. Steroid accusations flew both ways but after a clean Ortiz went “roid rage” vs. Mayweather the two “kiddie Champs” needed one another again. Punishment is something you never forget, and in an ironic turn Berto-the sore loser who accused Ortiz of using PED’s got popped for Nandrolone in the build up to their rematch. Victor Conte was standing near the car crash, but the reformed inmate is a new man with adherence to VADA so Berto was left to the wolves (that would be people like me) on this one. That rematch could have propelled Berto back into the discussion of heir apparent, or at least next guy up-instead he was the guy who made Ortiz a “24/7” Co Star. Instead of HBO highlighting the good works he did for his people in Haiti after the Hurricane it was Victor Ortiz and the ambiguity surrounding his alleged abandonment.
The Guerrero opportunity looked the same way Ortiz looked from a distance minus the quitting; smaller guy coming up, legitimate enough as a name to keep Berto moving in the right direction –or so you would think. Gatekeepers aren’t exactly in on the distinction in the beginning, in fact there are people who see something in them long before we see it, and they’ve perfected the art of knowing just when and whom they can match him against. Guerrero and Berto went in the Citizens Bank Arena ring last Saturday with empty report cards, Berto graded high in what you knew he would and Guerrero came up aces in area’s we didn’t know he could at 147 lbs. Gatekeepers are entertainingly predictable, you knew Berto would be dangerous and gutsy, and his murderous uppercuts in the middle to late rounds came as no surprise because he was marked and feted accurately by Guerrero’s team. The Ghost knew he could drag Berto into a dogfight, he also knew that Berto wasn’t elite enough to dictate it nor abandon it on his own terms- a flaw seen in Shane Mosley throughout his decorated career. After suffering knockdowns in the first two rounds Berto was back in a FOY Candidate which can’t be advantageous for the more talented fighter. Afterwards he showed little grace in defeat, the fight was filled with Fritzie Zivic manners that somehow drove Berto to actually initiate the first on screen post fight debate-only reinforcing his growing rep as a sore loser.
My theory is this, Berto was starting to realize the pattern that was taking place and at his relative youth (29) wanted to fight it as it was starting to set in. Will Danny Garcia come calling next, seeing Berto as a perfect access pass into the Money division? will every young guy looking to get near the "real" Haymon client come looking for Berto?. 2013 is a soul searching year for the once promising Olympian and he’s going to have to beat down the next guy trying to get to Mayweather through him for fear of being a chauffeur. If not he will fade back into a role that men even more accomplished than him have fallen into, the talented “Gatekeeper”-Watch guard of the Throne- there to test the mettle of the future elite while falling just a minuscule short of being elite themselves.
And this can’t be what Andre Berto had in mind when he started his promising career.
