By Chris Robinson

You can’t name too many fighters in the sport of boxing with more raw talent than Haitian-American workhorse Andre Berto. The undefeated WBC welterweight champion of the world is in line to defend his title on November 27th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas against dangerous banger Freddy Hernandez and if successful a prosperous 2011 likely awaits.

Berto was in line to face ‘Sugar’ Shane Mosley earlier this year but withdrew from the contest because of the mental anguish that came with the January earthquake that ravaged his homeland. Those close to the 27-year old champion knew very well that it was Berto’s chance to make himself a household name and he has since had to show a great deal of patience and fortitude in pushing forward with his career.

Hernandez is a very capable fighter and should present some challenges to Berto but he will likely be overmatched by night’s end. Berto recently went on record with his thoughts towards facing the best fighters in the world next year, including his unfinished business with Mosley as well as enticing clashes with WBA junior middleweight champion Miguel Cotto and seven-division champion Manny Pacquiao, who faces Antonio Margarito on November 13th at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

I recently caught up with Berto to get a gauge of where his mindset is heading into the Hernandez clash. We talked about that fight in particular as well as his thoughts on returning to Las Vegas, what he has learned from Floyd Mayweather Jr., his other passions in life, returning to Haiti and eventually gunning down Mosley, Cotto and Pacquiao.

Looking forward to Freddy Hernandez…
“I actually haven’t ever really seen him fight. My team have been watching tapes on him and giving me a good description of him and what’s been going on with him. It sounds like he’ll have problems with my speed but he’s a tough opponent. I know he has a lot to look forward to but I’m just going to go in there and do me. Use my speed, use my power and stay smart.”

Returning to Las Vegas a champion…
“I love Las Vegas. Every time I have fought there I have always had nice knockouts. I love the city of Vegas and right now I’m returning as a champion and it’s going to be a good time. We’re training hard and I’ looking forward to getting a victory and giving an exciting performance.”

Back to the basics…
“We’ve been at this for a while, ever since we were amateurs. We used to fight five or six times a week for free. Now we’re in a position where we can be in there fighting for millions of dollars. I don’t know why I wouldn’t stay focused, being in that type of position. Being young and getting the exposure that we are getting, and getting money, definitely it could get your off track at times. But you have to really sit back and understand why you are in this sport. You have to understand why all these things are coming to you. It all goes back to the basics and we just have to keep it going.”

The emotions of returning to Haiti…
“It’s a tough situation. Just going there and seeing all of the poverty and the deaths that were going on. After the earthquake it was just a sad situation to see. But then again, you see that people were holding strong and continuing to have each other. It just gives you a little bit more to fight for. To be in the position that we are in, to be able to use my talent definitely as a platform. I get that platform to do so many other things and to be a voice in a lot of situations like that one as well.”

Returning to stop Carlos Quintana…
“I had almost had a year layoff. But I went in there and I got my point across. I just had so much more to fight for on that night. I didn’t let anything deter me at all and I just fought with a lot of passion and had a chance to get him out of there.”

Pacquiao’s edge over Margarito…
“It’s going to be a good fight. I think a lot of people are counting Margarito out a little too soon. But Manny Pacquiao definitely has the speed edge and the edge of just working his angles and just being able to punch him with some accurate punches. If Manny Pacquiao dictates the pace it is going to be a long night for Margarito. But if Margarito brings that pressure it could be too much for Manny and it could be too much for Manny. I think it’s going to be a toss up.”

How long Pacquiao’s career will last…
“I’m not sure. That’s a question you would have to ask him. He has a lot of things going on and I’m not sure at all. I see his fight career coming to an end probably within the next two years.”

Floyd Mayweather Jr. grasping the game of boxing…
“Floyd is an entertainer. He definitely conducts his business the way he needs to so he can make as much money as possible. I think that’s his main objective. He goes in there and he talks a lot and he knows how to promote himself and he knows how to market himself. He knows how to go in there and back it up and at the end of the day he has a nice paycheck waiting for him. I think he’s pretty much grasped the whole game of marketing himself for these fights and backing it up and that’s a pretty good situation.”

Different avenues…
“Boxing has opened a lot of different avenues. I have a whole team around me and I pretty much put a team around me that can continue to open up doors for me. I guess I do a little of everything. In between fights I do photo shoots, I do a lot of events including charity events. Also I have already done two movies as well so everything is opening up and it’s going to continue getting bigger and better.”

Aspirations for 2011…
“First off I have to go in there and handle my business on the 27th and then after, if all goes well, like I said me and Mosley have some unfinished business I would love to take care of early next year. The Cotto fight is another fight people have been asking for, for a year or two. And hopefully we can finish the year off by getting Manny Pacquiao.”

Answering the critics…
“I’ve been getting a lot of criticism from the writers who realistically I don’t think they know too much about the business. They just think that I can just jump in there and fight any of those guys just like that whenever I want to. They know it’s a process and they know fights can’t be made that easily. If it was up to me then hopefully I could line all three of those guys up at the top of the year. And hopefully I can give the boxing writers and boxing fans what they want.”

Chris Robinson is based out of Las Vegas, Nevada. An archive of his work can be found here, and he can be reached at Trimond@aol.com