By Mark Vester
At the Home Depot Center in Carson, California, WBC welterweight champion Andre Berto (23-0, 19 KOS) won a twelve-round unanimous decision over veteran Steve Forbes (33-7, 9 KOS). The scores were 118-109, 118-109, and 116-111.
The first round was an exhibition of boxing skills. Both men let their hands go at the end of the first and did land some decent shots. Forbes began to use his own speed and was landing some hard crisp shots in the second, Berto began to fight back in the final minute and Forbes would then battle back near the bell. Berto would re-establish himself in the fight when he began to back Forbes up in the third with some hard punches. They stood close and traded combinations in the fourth, Berto getting the better of the exchanges.
Berto put on a display of speed and power in the sixth, Forbes began to put in more work to the body. Berto continued to press the action hard in the seventh, pushing Forbes back, but the veteran still kept exchanging. Berto's uppercut and hard combinations would hit the target often during the seventh-round action. A Berto uppercut in the eight sent Forbes' mouthpiece flying in the sky. A lot of body damage exchanged with both getting in their licks. Forbes began to slow down in the ninth and being damaged to the head often, and the pattern continued in the tenth.
Berto would miss very few shots in the eleventh, making it look like target practice at times. Forbes continued to try and landed two big left hooks in the final seconds. During the final round, Berto tried what he could to do more damage. Forbes was very defensive and made it to the final bell.
Berto is now believed to be fighting Luis Collazo (29-3, 14KOs), ranked number-one by the WBC, in his next fight. Collazo should be another good test.
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