By Edward Chaykovsky
Virgil Hunter, trainer of former champion Andre Berto (30-3, 23KOs), feels his boxer's abilities are being overlooked and underrated.
The heavy industry talk has Berto in line to face WBC/WBA welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. (48-0, 26KOs) on September 12th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, with the event taking place without a pay-per-view fee on CBS.
Berto is an exciting fighter, but he's 3-3 in his last six fights and averaged one fight per year since 2012. The lack of activity and quality wins has made him a significant underdog. Some betting circles have Mayweather as high as an 80-1 favorite.
Despite the odds, Hunter believes his boxer has the ability, and the talent, to shock the entire world - if the fight actually happens.
“Once [Berto] gets your rhythm, once he’s allowed to fight at his pace, the conditioning that he has now and the knowledge, he could pretty well get you out at any moment from that point on,” the veteran cornerman told Boxing News .
“He can punch with both hands and he’s fast. He’s a better boxer than people give him credit for. Anybody on any given night can be beat. It’s just that the other fighter has to have the attributes to do it. You have to be able to fight over your head because Floyd is a master of controlling range and distance.”