By Keith Idec
Andre Berto has noticed Floyd Mayweather Jr. isn’t quite the same fighter he once was.
Mayweather’s opponent on Saturday night admits, however, that the 38-year-old Mayweather (48-0, 26 KOs) still gets great results in the ring because he has preserved his body about as well as he could have done.
“There’s definitely been some slippage throughout the years, the last couple fights,” Berto said on a recent conference call. “But like I said, he’s one of the those guys that doesn’t abuse his body. He’s always going to respect his sport. So if you respect the sport, the sport’s going ot respect you. He hasn’t really been taking too much of a toll in the ring and he hasn’t really abused himself outside the ring.
“He’s going to stay as sharp as he’s been the last few years. But you can be as sharp as you are – all it takes is one single moment for somebody to capitalize on it.”
Despite his age, Las Vegas’ Mayweather remains a 30-1 favorite over the 32-year-old Berto (30-3, 23 KOs), of Winter Haven, Fla., entering their 12-round WBA/WBC welterweight title fight Saturday night at MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The fight, which Mayweather claims will be the last of his 18-year pro career, will headline a four-fight Showtime Pay-Per-View broadcast scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT ($74.95 in HD).
Keith Idec covers boxing for The Record and Herald News, of Woodland Park, N.J., and BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.
