Andre Berto - The Harvest Is Coming

By Jake Donovan

It was billed as the grand arrivals for all of the Showtime Pay-Per-View participants for this weekend’s show at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Still, the throng of media and fans (and fans posing as media) on hand for Tuesday’s session were there to witness Floyd Mayweather stroll through the doors to kick off Fight week for what he insists will be the last ever bout of his Hall of Fame career.

If it’s any consolation to Andre Berto, he’s not the only longshot in town this weekend. There are many who believe Mayweather has as much chance of sticking to retirement plans as Berto does of winning on Saturday night. In fact, more attention has been paid to whether or not fight number 49 for Mayweather will in fact be in, than to the matchup itself.

Don’t expect Berto to get too upset over that. It can even be argued that he has everyone right where he wants them—that’s assuming he really cares what anyone thinks at this point.

“I don't know even know what the odds are,” Berto (30-3, 23KOs) insists. “I'm over here training for a full fight to make this a war. I don't take time out of my day to sit down and look at the odds and see what other people think. If that was the case I shouldn't have made it out of where I came from because making it out of there is slim to none.

“I didn't go by those odds either and the same thing in this situation. Where my people come from (his parents are from Haiti) is a lot worse than anything in that ring. I just train hard, ride hard and I just push it to the limit, that's it.”

There wasn’t a hint of concern or being overwhelmed by the moment when the former welterweight champ entered the resort lobby Tuesday afternoon. Why should there be: there was no way prior to the start of the summer that he was going to land the opportunity of a lifetime.

It wasn’t something he could have expected so soon on the heels of a come-from-behind 6th round knockout of Josesito Lopez in March, one that brought him up to .500 (3-3) over his last six fights. The struggles over the past four years have been a far cry from the early years, from his pro debut just months after serving on the 2004 Haiti Olympic boxing team to and through a welterweight title reign that lasted nearly three years.

Still, he was a superstar on this particular day, a superstar for at least the 30 minutes prior to his more celebrated opponent eventually hitting the scene.

The sea of press and fans on hand waiting for Mayweather were eager to get a shot, a quote or even a handshake from the gentlemen on the other side of the marquee for this weekend’s event. Berto was happy to oblige, a multi-million dollar smile across his face, the rest of which was masked by designer sunglasses and a red Miami Heat hat. The basketball franchise from Berto’s home state actually played a part in Mayweather’s last fight, one that became the biggest in boxing history.

Its home venue—American Airlines Arena—played host to a “chance” meeting between Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, with a meeting at half-court during halftime kicking off a chain of events that led to the finalization of a fight more than five years in the making.

The May 2 matchup was a rare Mayweather fight where there existed a number of scenarios posed by boxing experts as to how his opponent could win. Of course, none of them played out, as Mayweather dominated Pacquiao en route to a landslide decision.

As September 12 draws nearer, event handlers are hard pressed to find anyone outside of Berto’s immediate team that gives the Haitian-American boxer the slightest chance of winning.

Perhaps some bettors are starting to believe, or it’s just a case of high-rollers with disposable income that don’t mind investing in a longshot. Enough recent action has come in on Berto to where Mayweather is now down to a 30-1 favorite, according to the latest odds posted on Bovada.com.

The undefeated World welterweight champion was roughly a 5-2 favorite to beat Pacquiao in May. He was an 11-1 favorite to beat Marcos Maidana in their first fight—which he won by majority decision—and an 8-1 favorite for the rematch, which he won in more decisive yet less thrilling fashion.

Heading into his fight with Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez two years ago, Mayweather—moving up in weight—was a 13-5 favorite to win the battle of unbeaten superstars.

Simply put, Berto stands the least chance of any of the aforementioned opponents to become the first to beat the best fighter in the world.

For what it’s worth, Maidana fared better in their first fight than any recent challenger, in fact handing Mayweather his stiffest test since his first fight with Jose Luis Castillo in 2002. That would be more reassuring for Berto, if he boasted a style anywhere close to resembling either fighter.

“I don't fight like Maidana, I don't fight like Castillo, I'm a different fighter, I don't have that type of style,” Berto readily acknowledges as media members attempt to draw such parallels. “Maidana, his style works for him, he's very reckless and, not too much speed, a lot of power and he comes from every angle. That's not me.
 
“Castillo same thing, you get a classic Mexican fighter that walks to you and gives you lefts and swings and that's not me as a fighter. I'm saying I'm fast, I got power, and then I can move my feet, I can do a lot more as well. I believe I can apply pressure and box and both will be effective for me.”

The only commentary he provides on just how he plans to pull off the feat, the fighting pride of Winter Haven, Florida points to a past opponent who enjoyed a few rounds of success—even if those moments took place nearly a decade ago.

“I believe I just bring that combination of speed power and explosiveness. The last he fought with that type of situation was Zab Judah, and Zab gave him a lot of problems,” Berto said of Mayweather’s early struggles in their fight way back in 2006. “I think my combination of speed and power that I bring to the table and at same time I believe I have the athletic ability to keep up with Floyd as well.
 
“I believe that's one thing with him, that has served him well throughout the years, is he has skill, he has speed but, but he has aerobic and athletic ability to get out of the way of punches, be able to move his feet, and just do a lot of the different things that make it very difficult on guys that are just straight up and down as he likes to say.”

With enough self-confidence, Berto firmly believes it’s his destiny to pull off what would amount to one of the biggest upsets in boxing history. Not that he will see it as an upset, but rather the reward for the journey he’s endured to make it to this point.

“I sowed my seeds, we put in the work, now it’s go-time. The harvest is coming, you get to enjoy the fruits of your labor. I went through a lot of ups and downs. Everything prepared me for this moment.”

Jake Donovan is the managing editor of BoxingScene.com.
Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
Facebook Page: JakeBScene