By Jake Donovan
Andre Berto is doing his best to not pay any attention to the longshot odds that come with his September 12 challenge of unbeaten World welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, or the criticism that has come with the fight. Few in the industry believe Berto will be competitive with the pound-for-pound king, much less pull off what would be a monumental upset.
While not in a hurry to leak out any camp secrets as to how exactly he plans to pull off the impossible, the former welterweight titlist did reveal what is getting through training these days.
“I ain’t paying attention to none of that bulls***,” Berto (30-3, 23KOs) quipped when posed with the question—which was asked by several reporters in a variety of ways—during a recent media conference call. “Anybody in this industry can get a nice bit of criticism, especially coming off a couple of losses.
“I prepared myself for this mentally. All them critics, they're not in the gym training for this every day. We're used to doing things nobody else can handle. We're fighters and with that (you learn to accept) criticism. I'm on a mission. My whole team is focused on this one thing.”
Aside from the perceived mismatch, much of the backlash over the selection of Berto—born and raised in Florida, but served on the 2004 Haiti Olympic boxing team in line with his dual citizenship—as a Pay-Per-View opponent stems from the suggestion that the September 12 show will be the last time Mayweather ever laces up a pair of gloves for pay. He and his team have repeatedly insisted he will be content to go out at 49-0 (or 48-1 should Berto score the upset).
With that comes a matchup that many believe to be a buzzkill following his epic May 2 win over Manny Pacquiao in what went down as the most lucrative—and watched—event in boxing history.
The perception is that Berto was handed the opportunity rather than having earned it. The always chiseled welterweight is 3-3 in his last six starts, and even had to rally from behind to stop divisional gatekeeper Josesito Lopez in six rounds in his most recent fight this past March.
Still, the backlash he hears is only more of the same of what he’s dealt with ever since he first began to excel at sports as a youth.
“I don't really care about people hating on my situation. They've been doing it since middle school. If you're not doing your job right, they not gonna hate on you.”
The four-fight Showtime Pay-Per-View airs at a special start time of 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT, and is available for purchase at a suggested retail price of $64.95 (plus $10 for HD).
Jake Donovan is the managing editor of BoxingScene.com
Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
Facebook Page: JakeBScene