By Luis Sandoval

2012 was a tough year for Andre Berto as he suffered the second loss of his career at the hands of Robert Guerrero and also missed out on a chance for redemption against Victor Ortiz after tests found traces on nandrolone in his system. It was later determined contamination was the cause of the positive tests but it resulted in Berto being inactive for over a year and he also lost a fight that could’ve catapulted him into a mega match with Floyd Mayweather.

Andre is now back in the gym and is slated to fight Jesus Soto Karass in July as he looks to put his career back on track. The former two time champion says he’s making changes and we will see a better Andre Berto when he steps back into the ring.

“[I’m] getting back to these same old Andre Berto man. Being smart and not doing too much of that fancy sh*t.  Hands up and going in there and doing what I do but being a lot smarter. Be a lot more technical in there. Utilizing everything that I'm about. I got a lot of speed, I got a lot of power but you got to put the right techniques with it to get the full potential and that's what I'm working on” Berto would tell BoxingScene.

Earlier this year Berto made the decision to break ties with long time trainer Tony Morgan as he looks to head in a new direction. Andre admits there were things he did wrong and he was asked what he felt was the cause of it.

“Just getting comfortable man. Just the fact of being comfortable. Being so talented you feel you can do some of everything. Sometimes a lot of that sh*t gets confusing. Sometimes you just got to stick to the basics and do what you know how to do best so that's the main thing I'm doing now. I love what I'm becoming and I'm extremely focused right now” said the former Welterweight champion.

Berto’s next assignment against Soto Karass  is still considered a tough fight by some but he could care less who he faces. All he knows is whoever they put in front of him will get beat and that’s what he plans to do to Soto Karass.

“He's a tough opponent man but right now I don't give two sh*ts on who it is. I don't care who's in front of me. I got a chance to really see the other side of this game and at times you get to see the top and at times you get to see the bullsh*t. And every morning I wake up and still got to see some of the bruises from my last fight and that sh*t irks me. That sh*t makes me hungry. That sh*t, I'm not afraid to talk about it. So at the end of the day I don't care who it is I'm going in there to destroy, going in there to f*ck him up. This is the person ya'll wanted me to be man, so I'm here! Like I said, no more smiling. Just going in there to handle business” said Berto.

There is definitely a fire lit under Andre Berto as he’s regrouped, refocused and ready to head back to the top. Berto is currently living and training in Los Angeles and while he says he has not acquired a new trainer yet, he does have someone in mind and we’ll find out about it soon.

You can follow Luis Sandoval on Twitter @Truewest007. You can also tune in to BoxingScene Radio, Boxingscene’s official audio show every Tuesday from 6-8PM PST with hosts Ernest Gabion, Luis Sandoval, and Ryan Burton.