Jan Zaveck-Andre Berto: The Pre-Fight Report Card

By Cliff Rold

For a guy who gets a lot of grief, former Olympian and now former WBC Welterweight titlist Andre Berto sure has made some decent scraps.  His to-the-brink moments with veteran Cosme Rivera and Luis Collazo showed the world two things.

Berto is flawed.

And Berto has sack.

It was shown again this past April in what remains one of the frontrunners for Fight of the Year against Victor Ortiz.  On a night where he appeared ready to go multiple times, Berto willed himself to stay up and in the fray.  Each man scored two knockdowns and Berto made sure that the man who gave him his first “L” had to work for it.

What of the man who can give him number two?  Is that man going to be in the ring with him this weekend?

Let’s go to the report card.   

Jan Zaveck

Age: 35

Title/Previous Titles: IBF Welterweight (2009-Present, 3 Defenses)

Height: 5/7 ½ 

Weight: 146.5 lbs.

Average Weight – Last Five Fights: 146.5 lbs.

Hails from: Magdeburg, Germany (Born in Slovenia)

Record: 31-1, 18 KO

BoxingScene Rank: #5 at Welterweight

Record in Major Title Fights: 4-0, 3 KO

Current/Former World Champions/Titlists Defeated: 1 (Issac Hlatshawyo)

Vs.

Andre Berto

Age: 27

Title: None

Previous Titles: WBC Welterweight (2008-11, 6 Defenses)

Height: 5’8 ½

Weight: 146.75 lbs.

Average Weight – Last Five Fights: 145.7 lbs.

Hails from: Winter Haven, Florida

Record: 27-1, 21 KO

BoxingScene Rank: #3 at Welterweight

Record in Major Title Fights: 6-1, 3 KO

Current/Former World Champions/Titlists Defeated: 4 (Steve Forbes, Luis Collazo, Juan Urango, Carlos Quintana)

Current/Former World Champions/Titlists Faced in Defeat: 1 (Victor Ortiz)

Grades

Pre-Fight: Intangibles – Zaveck B; Berto B+

This is a fascinating fight because of what is known, and unknown, about the titlist.  He has a deep amateur background of almost 200 fights in Slovenia and it shows in his fights.  His footwork, use of the jab, his overall fundamentals, bode well for his chances against almost anyone at Welterweight.

In that respect, he is like so much of what is seen in fighters from Eastern Europe.  Fundamentals work and, in large waves, they are working throughout the scale from Middleweight to the top.  However, fairly or unfairly, particularly below Heavyweight, there is still skepticism when someone like Zaveck crosses the pond.  His professional ledger says he hasn’t been in with the highest caliber.  It’s inarguable that Berto has seen superior professional opposition.

Berto is probably the best fighter Zaveck has ever seen in the paid ranks.  He’ll have to prove his worth next to the best Berto has seen.

This fight is an unsung gem because Zaveck is good enough to do just that.  While he doesn’t have the same single shot pop as Berto, and is slower in terms of raw speed, his footwork is better and he moves his head more.

The latter of those two attributes might not say much.  Berto’s head movement has been and remains fairly terrible.  Berto gets caught clean, and often, by opponents that weather the early rush of speed and aggression (or who get to him first).

Coming into the Zaveck fight, Berto’s mindset also has to be questioned.  He’s coming off a first loss, and a bad one as well.  Make no mistake; as thrilling as the Ortiz fight was, Berto lost most of the rounds and took the far worse beating in the fight.  He looked like his legs were never really there again after being hurt and dropped in the first.

Zaveck might not hit harder than Berto, but his chin is probably better and he’s proven capable of hurting a man whose beard has known dents.  Zaveck won his belt from a Hlatshawyo who had previously been dropped a few times, sent to the edge but never quite over.  Zaveck blew through him with clean, accurate, straight shots; the sort of punching Berto is going to be wide open for.

So why does Berto rate higher in intangibles going in?  Simply put, we know he might get hurt but we also know Berto will respond like a champion.  If Berto slips his snaking right hand over the top on Zaveck early on, what happens?  Until a fighter sees someone with Berto-like speed and shakes it off, it’s hard to say.  Some come apart.  At 35, there’s no telling what kind of wear Zaveck brings in before such a punch lands.

The Picks

The thinking here is he’ll take the shot good enough and, after tasting Berto’s Sunday best, Zaveck will have an answer.  Speed is seductive but it’s not a skill.  It’s a physical attribute that can be refined with a skill set.  Berto clearly has enough skill to compete at elite levels of the sweet science.

Zaveck just appears to be more skilled.

It could be that the athletic attributes Berto holds allow him to blow through Zaveck early, but it might be more likely that this fight ends up somewhat like Andriy Kotelnik-Devon Alexander.  There, the younger, faster man was assumed a strong favorite for the wrong reasons.  It ended up a razor thin affair that many felt Kotelnik deserved to win (though he did not get the decision).  Alexander struggled mightily to land against a mature, well-rounded opponent.

The styles are different here.  The storyline going in might not be.  The pick here is a mild upset with Zaveck hurting Berto and keeping him hurt enough for at least a narrow decision if not something earlier than that.

Report Card Picks 2011: 27-10

The Weekly Ledger

But wait, there’s more…

Nieves Barely By Vargas…Again: https://www.boxingscene.com/jose-nieves-narrowly-tops-vargas-tough-rematch--43071

Povetkin, Helenius Shine: https://www.boxingscene.com/-brighter-future-povetkin-helenius-shine-tomorrow--43103

Heavyweight Fallout: https://www.boxingscene.com/heavyweight-fightsyes-fights-review-ratings-update--43142

New Divisional Ratings:

Updated Pound for Pound: https://www.boxingscene.com/bracing-fall-bscene-pound-pound-update--43146

Picks of the Week: https://www.boxingscene.com/boxingscenecoms-television-picks-week--43136