By Lem Satterfield

In November, WBC welterweight titlist Andre Berto of Winter Haven, Fla., turned in what he hoped would be another consecutive, signature performance, this, with a 2 minute, seven-second stoppage of previously, once-beaten, Freddy Hernandez, of Mexico City, before a stunned crowd at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

It was the second, consecutive stellar performance by Berto, who was coming off of April's eighth-round knockout of southpaw former world champion, Carlos Quintana (27-3, 21 KOs).

At the time of their clash, Quintana had been the only man to have beaten southpaw three-time titlist, Paul Williams (39-2, 27 KOs), a fighter who was widely regarded as one of the top three performers, pound-for-pound, behind eight-division king and WBO welterweight Manny Pacquiao (52-3-2, 38 KOs) and unbeaten Floyd Mayweather (41-0, 25 KOs).

Williams was subsquently stopped in the second-round of a November rematch with southpaw WBC middleweight champ Sergio Martinez (46-2-2, 25 KOs), whose victory avenged a December majority decision loss during which both men were down in the first round.

So not only did Berto end Hernandez's 12-fight winning streak that included six knockouts since he had last suffered defeat by split-decision to Golden Johnson in February of 2005, but he figured to have established himself as a candidate for potential bouts opposite Pacquiao, Mayweather, WBA junior middleweight king Miguel Cotto (36-2, 29 KOs) or five-time titlist Shane Mosley (46-6-1, 39 KOs).

"Right now, it doesn't matter who I fight. I've already eaten all of my appetizers, so I'm ready for the main courses of the division. So Shane Mosley, we have some unfinished business if he wants it. Or Miguel Cotto, or definitely Manny Pacquiao," said Berto after defeating Hernandez.

"I think that I would be the best fighter out there for Pacquiao," said Berto. "I think that he definitely needs to fight someone who has speed who is strong and who is young, and so let's see what happens."

But the big fights haven't happened for Berto, to the chagrin and frustration of both the fighter and his promoter, Lou DiBella.

"The reason that a fight with Manny Paquiao didn't happen has nothing to do with the money. The reason that Miguel Cotto is not fighting Andre Berto has nothing to do with the money. We would have made deals that were extraordinarily favorable, so, believe me, the reasons that they won't get into the ring with an Andre Berto, and that those fights not happening has nothing to do with the money," said DiBella.

"The real reasons are that [Top Rank Promotions'] Bob Arum can't control the entire promotion, which has something to do with it," said DiBella. "But, I mean, Mayweather obviously hasn't fought in a year, and there are a lot of factors for that fight not happening. But some of it is the flat out fear of a young, hungry, very hard-hitting fighter, and that's part of the problem that Andre Berto presents."

Berto will return to the ring for the sixth defense of his belt against hard-hitting, 24-year-old southpaw Victor Ortiz (28-2-2, 22 KOs) on April 16, at the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Conn.

In victory, Berto hopes that his performance will speak for itself, even as he said that he is not likely to call out potential rivals during post-fight interviews.

 "My big fight right now is on April 16. It's going to be a big show on HBO. I'm fighting a young, hungry lion. Me calling out all of those guys, you know, I've been there and done that. You know, everybody knows where I'm at and everybody understands. It's nothing that I have to keep on trying to preach or that I have to keep trying to being loud about," said Berto, during Thursday's national conference call.

"It's become like a cliched-type of situation. Wheter it's Nonito Donaire at 118, or Sergio Martinez at 160, when they put on a great performance, the first question is always asked, 'Who do you want to fight? Mayweather or Pacquiao? I mean, I think it's a cliche," said Berto. "So right now, it's like, 'Just keep on putting the guys in front of me, and I'll just keep on dominating them.' I'm just going to make my presence known. Because all of that barking, as you can see, really doesn't get business done. If these guys truly want to fight you, then they'll fight you. If not, then, you know, just keep on walking. I think your performance in general, that will get things done."

Berto-Ortiz will be part of an HBO-televised, split-site double-header whose co-feature matches WBA junior welterweight champ, Amir Khan (24-1, 17 KOs) against southpaw countryman, Paul McCloskey (22-0, 12 KOs) from the in the M.E.N. Arena in Manchester in their native England.

"I think that I've gotten credit, but a lot of it has been downplayed. The boxing public in general just wants more. They see an exciting fight and that you dominate an incredible opponent, they want to see more. They want to see you go straight to the top and to fight the No. 1 guy. I mean, that's just how fight fans are. The fact that I'm so young, and I'm new to the scene, and I have speed, and I have power, so they want to see me be tested against the best, like the Mayweathers, the Pacquiaos," said Berto.

"But until that happens, anybody else who is under that, then they're just like, 'Well, okay.' You know, I not only have to win, but I'm supposed to win. So I can't really get too upset with that. I used to a lot, because I didn't understand it," said Berto. "But at the end of the day, man, they really see my potential and the skills that I have.

I've grown up in front of the world, having fought on HBO from my 16th, or, 17th fight on. They've watched me grow, like a student come from ninth grade to 12th grade. You want to see them try and tackle the best."

Berto was indeed mentioned as a potential rival to, among others, Cotto, Mosley, welterweight contender Mike Jones (22-0, 18 KOs), and, WBO and WBC junior welterweight titlist Tim Bradley (27-0, 11 KOs), but none of those fights ever materialized.

Mosley, for example, had already turned down a 50-50 split against Berto for a May, 2010 bout with Mayweather, who won by lopsided, unanimous decision after having been staggered in the second round.

Mosley was then chosen for a May 7 clash with Pacquiao in defense of Pacquiao's WBO belt, getting the not over Berto and WBO and WBA lightweight king, Juan Manuel Marquez (52-5-1, 38 KOs).

"I'm not protecting Andre Berto. I'm sick of having to defend Andre Berto or his record and his resume because I just think that it's unfair. There is no reason for me to defend Andre Berto because he doesn't have to be defended. But I think think that part of it is that he has made some very good fighters look bad," said DiBella.

"Andre Berto is clearly not been given the opportunities to face big-named guys. But, you know what? I'm focused the way that Andre is focused, and the way that his trainer, Tony Morgan is focused," said DiBella. "It's the way that Andre's entire camp is focused. We're focused on a real fight on April 16 against Victor Ortiz, and I expect Andre to go out and do his job and then we'll talk after that fight about what's next."

Counting Quintana, Ortiz will mark the fourth southpaw faced in six defenses by Berto, including decisions over Louis Collazo (30-4, 15 KOs), and, Juan Urango (22-3-1, 17 KOs), respectively, in January, and, May, of 2009, in Berto's second and third defenses.

Berto said that his southpaw sparring partners have him prepared for anything Ortiz has to offer.

"I have some tremendous sparring partners. I really think that it's going to be a mistake of theirs if they're sitting back and studying the Collazo fight. I believe that that's the main thing that they're doing. A lot of people saw that that was a close fight, but then, again, I wasn't prepared physically or mentally for that fight at all," said Berto.

"That's one of the worst ways that I will ever look. But if they want to use that, then that's fine. I just have had tremendous sparring work in, and it's been non-stop," said Berto. "So it's just trying to get familiar with that southpaw style, having those punches and those angles coming toward you. Mentally, I'm prepared and my mind is ready for those punches."

In perhaps his most notable fight, in June of 2009, Ortiz lost a ferocious battle with then-WBA interim junior welterweight titlist Marcos Rene Maidana (29-2, 27 KOs), of Argentina at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Maidana was floored three times, and, Ortiz, twice before Ortiz finally succumbed to a sixth-round knockout loss.

After going down the second time, Ortiz, his right eye badly cut, and his left eye displaying a big, dark mouse beneath it, appeared to shake his head to indicate, "No," when referee, Raul Caiz asked him if he wanted to continue.

"We just saw a moment in a fighter's career that could define his career," said HBO ringside commentator, Max Kellerman. "Ortiz was dropped, cut, exhausted, faced with an opponent who refused to lose, and in a moment of weakness, gave up."

Since then, however, the 24-year-old ortiz is 4-0-1, with three knockouts, including May's 10-round, unanimous decision over former world champion, Nate Campbell, September's third-round stoppage of ex-titlist Vivian Harris (29-5-1, 19 KOs), and December's 10-round, majority draw with Lamont Peterson (28-1-1, 14 KOs).

"Victor Ortiz was the new Fernando Vargas. He was the most exciting young kid coming out of Golden Boy. He had a nice look, he had the Spanish background, he was knocking everybody out," said Berto.

"And then, he got knocked out, and people acted like they didn't even know him anymore," said Berto. "They looked at him like, 'Oh man, he quit,' and everybody turned their backs on him so quickly. That's why, in this boxing game, you just have to be prepared to win. You have to continue being consistent."

During every step of his four-bout unbeaten streak, Ortiz's heart was questioned by his opponents. Harris, for example, even took shots at Ortiz's win over the aging Campbell.

"I've watched all of his fights. Even his last fight with Nate Campbell. I watched that fight, and when Nate Campbell hit him when he was on the ropes, he just winked up his eyes like, 'Oh my God.' This thing is not even about the Maidana fight and stuff like that. That's done," said Harris.

"I'm a different fighter than Maidana. I hit harder than Maidana. I'm a far different fighter than Nate Campbell and the last two kids that he fought," said Harris. "I'm a sharp shooter. My sharp shooting is definitely going to land. I know once I land, he's got to question himself. I hope he doesn't get flashbacks."

Ortiz responded, however, by detroying Harris. Ortiz floored Harris with a left cross early in the second round, and then just 30 seconds later knocked him down with a hard right hand. Another half-minute or so later, Ortiz knocked Harris down for a third time. With no three-knockdown rule in effect, the fight continued.

But in the third round Ortiz landed a short hook that knocked Harris down once more, and the referee stopped the fight without even counting.

But the doubts concerning Ortiz surfaced, yet again, agianst Peterson, whom Ortiz was unable to finish off despite twice dropping him in the third round.

Peterson maintained enough poise to battle back to salvage the draw, a 10-round, majority draw, boxing well in general, and, at times, biding his time and taking advantage of the space given him by Ortiz to creatively come back with well-placed counter shots.

"Everybody else has seen something in Ortiz. They've seen this hungry kid the last couple of years get in there with some tough competition. And the kid that they thought was a hungry lion or a big tiger ended up being a little pussy cat," said Berto.

"So, you know, I believe that, you know, mentally, that kind of played with him a little bit, and he's just trying to get back to where he needs to be," said Berto. "And, I think that this fight here is either going to bring the best out of him, or it's just going to recreate that nightmare which was that Marcos Maidana fight. The middle of that ring is a cold place to find out the truth. I'll use my skills to expose him on fight night."