By Cliff Rold
With less than four years completed in his professional career, and trying to weave through the thick traffic that makes up 147 lb. expressway, 24-year old Andre Berto (20-0, 17 KO) of Winter Haven, Florida is starting to occupy some prime real estate.
He’s making his second consecutive appearance on HBO.
He’s also secured a number one contender spot from the WBC…which is actually another indictment of sanctioning body ratings considering what Berto has actually accomplished thus far but, hey, still prime real estate for the fighter.
Under normal circumstances, that could add up to increased pressure and expectations for a fighter with the 2004 Olympic pedigree (He was Haiti’s Olympic Boxing team) and physical talent Berto possesses. As indicated, these are not normal times at Welterweight. While the slate of fights in the division for the first half of 2008 are disappointing, that doesn’t mean the crop of talent is. A young fighter rushed into the fire in this field could be irreparably burned.
The direction of Berto’s career suggests no playing with matches.
His bout this weekend with Germany’s Michael Trabant (43-2-1, 19 KO), on the HBO undercard of Paul Williams-Carlos Quintana, follows the sensible development path. Trabant is a sturdy veteran, in much the same mold as previous Berto victims Cosme Rivera and David Estrada, but with a European style that will give Berto some new looks and, likely, multiple rounds.
To Berto’s benefit, Trabant is unlikely to test the youngster’s chin. Rivera had Berto hurt two fights ago, making existing whispers and rumors about that potential liability explicit and spoken. Trabant will be a good gauge to see if Berto has done anything to improve his head movement.
It’s not a guaranteed win for Berto, but it is close enough to being one that prognostications about tomorrow are not out of order. His WBC slot is nicer on paper than it really is with that title being held by Floyd Mayweather. Unless Floyd was to vacate or be stripped, that isn’t a belt likely to come Berto’s direction anytime soon. The remaining titlists (Williams, Cintron, Cotto) are all also unlikely as foes in 2008.
That adds up to a lot of room to breathe for Berto. With tough but beatable foes out there like Frederic Klose, Jackson Bonsu, and Issac Haltshawyo all competing at Welterweight, Berto could conceivably do battle four or five times this year and never do more than watch from a distance as the best of his division pile punches and punishment on one another.
As they do so, a fighter like Berto stands a strong chance to emerge as a fresh, unspent force against a field of name but fatiguing veterans. He has a long way to go, but perhaps no prospect/contender in any division finds themselves with such an enviable position. A field of deep money and talent that can wait along with a mandatory contender card that can be played when Berto is ready and no pressure for sooner? It doesn’t get much better than that.
Cliff Rold is a member of the Ring Magazine Ratings Advisory Panel and the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com