by David P. Greisman

He is not Manny Pacquiao. He is not Floyd Mayweather Jr. He couldn’t beat Victor Ortiz. He’s never faced Miguel Cotto, Antonio Margarito or Shane Mosley.

He fights on HBO and has been spotlighted as a future star and preeminent talent. He has appeared on the network for each of his last 10 fights over these past four years. In total, he has been on an HBO undercard or main event on a dozen nights. He has been paid millions of dollars for doing so.

He is all of this despite what he isn’t – a proven entity, a ticket seller, one of the best 147-pound fighters in the world.

Much of this is not his fault, and yet he is vilified, rooted against. He is a fighter who might just have more doubters than he has supporters.

They say he ain’t nothing, that he’s over-hyped, ripe to be exposed, a media creation.

They might be right.

This is his welterweight burden. He profits from the attention heaped upon him, the money spent marketing the latest protagonist in this pugilistic plotline. HBO has stars and champions and seeks those who will replace them, or at least challenge them, introducing characters into what is essentially episodic programming.

He was to be the heir apparent in a welterweight division of Pacquiao and Mayweather, of Cotto, Margarito and Mosley. He was flashy and marketable, a good-looking, fast-punching former Olympian.

When choosing heirs, it is best to err on the side of caution.

Michael Grant was not the heavyweight heir apparent. Jermain Taylor inherited the middleweight throne but was not fit to be king. Andre Berto might never progress beyond 147-pound beltholder to become the weight class’s true champion.

That doesn’t mean he doesn’t deserve attention. It does mean he doesn’t deserve the amount of attention he’s received.

He has accepted the spotlight and the seven-figure paychecks and must accept the criticism that comes with it, even if it is the network and the promoter that decide whether to air him and how much to pay him.

The large paychecks inflated Berto’s self-worth and made it more difficult to get him in the ring with another top welterweight and actually prove that he was worth the investment. While HBO enabled that, sometimes the competition for big fights and pay-per-view dates means a lack of, well, competition.

A year ago Berto said that Cotto, who had since gone up to the junior middleweight division, wasn’t interested. Berto’s promoter, Lou DiBella, told this scribe last year that a fight with Mosley couldn’t be made because of disagreements on the purse split, the location and even who would fight on the undercard (a Golden Boy Promotions spokeswoman never responded at the time to a request for comment). Berto and Mosley had been signed to fight in January 2010, back when Mosley was the division's lineal champion, but that fight got called off after the massive earthquake in Berto's native country of Haiti. 

Those fights could’ve opened the door for Berto to someday face Pacquiao; a clash with Mayweather seems less possible because the fighters share an adviser.

Instead, Berto got a reported $910,000 for two minutes of work against an overmatched Freddy Hernandez last November in what was one pricy undercard match. And then, amid the criticism, Berto took on a tough challenge, facing Victor Ortiz in April.

Berto-Ortiz was an entertaining, back-and-forth bout, with both men swapping leather and hitting canvas. Ortiz won the decision, taking Berto’s belt and the opportunities that could come next.

It is Ortiz, not Berto, who will be fighting one of the biggest names and biggest money-earners in the sport, stepping in the ring against Floyd Mayweather Jr. in less than two weeks. It is Ortiz, not Berto, who will have the chance to become a proven entity, a ticket seller, one of the top 147-pound fighters in the world.

It was Berto who ended up where Ortiz once was. After Ortiz had lost to Marcos Maidana in 2009, he had been written off as a media creation, over-hyped, exposed.

It took Ortiz nearly two years to leave that behind. Berto took his first step in that direction this past Saturday.

Berto fought Jan Zaveck, one of the second-tier titleholders in the division but acknowledged as a solid fighter. Berto came out like a man who knew he needed to prove something, loading up on hard combinations, digging to Zaveck’s body and getting caught in the process.

Zaveck had little trouble hitting Berto and landed more punches than his opponent. But what punches Berto had landed through five rounds took a toll on Zaveck’s face, leaving a bad cut over his right eye and leading to sudden swelling that compromised his vision. Zaveck wanted to continue. He could hit Berto, and he’d planned on taking Berto into the deep rounds and taking over from there. The fight was stopped before he could get to that point.

To those who support Berto, this was the beginning of the rebuilding process, getting a world title back around his waist, keeping him on television, bringing back his confidence and then moving on to the next challenge.

To those who doubt Berto, this was more evidence of what he is and isn’t – a guy who can compete in the ring with the less than elite but who doesn’t have the skills or ability to match the hype and praise and spotlight and riches HBO has lavished upon him

Only if he proves them wrong and shows he deserves attention – or once he proves them right and disappears from contention – will the backlash and the burden be gone.

There is no ire for those who never reach the top. Indeed, Zaveck in losing had some calling for him to return to American airwaves.

They’re right. Followers of this sport are quick to write off those who’re defeated, but only those whose hype stole the spotlight from others who might’ve been more deserving. Once that zero goes from their record, they become less than nothing.

But then there are those whose records deceive, who might be more talented or entertaining than they appear based on the numbers. Three of the more extreme examples: Glen Johnson, with his 15 losses, still belongs on television and in title shots. Orlando Salido, with his 11 losses, stunned Juan Manuel Lopez earlier this year, stopping a touted featherweight who hadn’t yet lost as a pro. Emanuel Augustus had a cult following even though he lost nearly as many times as he won.

Andre Berto has been in two enjoyable bouts this year: the loss to Ortiz and the win over Zaveck.

That might not mean much to Berto right now, not while he is still aiming to be on the level of Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr., not while he is still vying to get to where Victor Ortiz is now, and not while he is still seeking to have the status that Miguel Cotto, Antonio Margarito and Shane Mosley once had at welterweight.

But even if HBO realizes its investment won’t bring them the heir apparent, a good fighter who puts on good fights is someone who could still give viewers their money’s worth.

The 10 Count

1.   Boxers can generally say and do what they want outside of the ring without fear of punishment. Money rules all, and even Mike Tyson at his most toxic was eventually able to find places willing to host his fights in exchange for the revenue he’d bring.

There are no league commissioners suspending boxers for being arrested before they’ve even received the due process of the legal system. There are no fines for criticizing officials or uttering racist or homophobic slurs.

It was still interesting that we’ve gone  more than a week without any backlash over Floyd Mayweather Jr. calling his father a “faggot” on the first episode of “24/7 Mayweather-Ortiz.”

Perhaps it was because the word came out toward the end of the confrontation between Floyd Jr. and Floyd Sr. and was uttered quickly and overshadowed by everything else that had happened. The news of it wasn’t reported over and over on television and talk radio like the slurs said by NBA players Kobe Bryant and Joakim Noah.

It didn’t even get picked up by TMZ the way that WWE wrestler CM Punk’s comment was – a comment videotaped at a house show in Australia, of all places.

It’s not like Mayweather being pressured into apologizing for something he said would’ve been unprecedented. A year ago he said he was sorry for a rant he streamed online about Manny Pacquiao.

Mayweather doesn’t have to apologize. He has the right to say even the foulest of comments. Networks and commercial sponsors are the ones who would have to deal with the pressure of any protests or boycotts. Mike Tyson said far worse, however, and everyone still got rich.

Nevertheless, it was just interesting that, given the response to other athletes using that word, this one incident seemed to be overlooked.

2.  Bending the truth – and the space-time continuum – with Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Victor Ortiz on Episode 2 of “24/7 Mayweather-Ortiz”:

Ortiz: “I was nine years old when I said to myself, ‘I’m going to beat him one day, bro. I’m going to give him his first loss.’ ”

As others have noted after the previous time Ortiz uttered this, Ortiz turned nine in January 1996 and Mayweather turned pro in October 1996. It’s possible that, say, Ortiz watched Mayweather in the Olympics and set his sights on him. But it’s not plausible.

Mayweather: “Victor Ortiz is 24. I’m old enough to be the boy’s father. So I’ma son him.”

Mayweather was nine when Ortiz was born. No big deal compared to Ortiz’s questionable story; Mayweather’s comment was merely meant in jest.

3.  Bernard Hopkins, of course, can use Mayweather’s line on Chad Dawson if he so pleases.

4.  Great news for the UFC from 2011, in foresight: The big heavyweight championship fight between Cain Velasquez and Junior Dos Santos is being aired live on American broadcast network television.

Great news for boxing from 2011, in hindsight: The big heavyweight championship fight between Wladimir Klitschko and David Haye wasn’t aired live on American broadcast network television.

5.  It is a testament to the job Brian Kenny has done as studio host of ESPN2’s “Friday Night Fights” that it’s hard to imagine who should replace him next season.

Kenny is leaving ESPN for a job as lead anchor for the MLB network. His now-former network had made great use of his versatility; he also anchored “SportsCenter” and hosted a radio show.

And his credibility shined through on “Friday Night Fights” – it was always clear that he knew and loved boxing, and it was always clear that those filling in for Kenny (on weeks that he was out) did not know it anywhere near as well.

Will the network see if its workhorse of a boxing reporter, Dan Rafael, can move comfortably into the role of emcee? Will it have other anchors such as Robert Flores or Jonathan Coachman try to step in and learn on the job? Or will it go in the direction of its 30-minute “MMA Live” show, bringing in a panel of journalists and fighters to weigh in on the news?

6.  Some believe that travesties such as the World Boxing Association ranking Hasim Rahman as its No. 1 heavyweight contender is just one more reason we should ignore the sanctioning bodies.

I believe it’s one more reason why we must pay attention to them.

Rahman’s had five wins since his paltry effort against Wladimir Klitschko in 2008, beating guys named Clinton Boldridge, Shannon Miller, Damon Reed, Marcus McGee and Galen Brown. He is 42 years old and weighed 284 pounds against Brown.

If Rahman is allowed a title fight – or if a Rahman title shot is mandated – it will be because of the sanctioning bodies that he will be put in danger, either against Alexander Povetkin or Klitschko. That is a story that cannot be ignored.

At the same time, if Rahman gets a title shot, his ranking comes at the expense of others who might be more deserving. That, too, should not be swept under the rug by pretending the sanctioning bodies don’t exist.

7.  Any boxing fans who caught Victor Ortiz and Oscar De La Hoya being interviewed on CNN’s “Piers Morgan Tonight” likely were bored to sleep by the segment.

Here’s the thing: We weren’t the target audience.

The only reason what’s purported to be a news program – and let’s admit that Piers Morgan makes Larry King look like Mike Wallace – dedicated a segment to boxing is because CNN and HBO have the same parent company. There’s finally some cross-pollination between networks to market fights, though unfortunately that has led to a business decision affecting a company’s news judgment.

The average viewer of “Piers Morgan Tonight” might not typically watch a boxing match. But a fluffy interview just might convince some of them to order the pay-per-view Sept. 17 now that they’ve gotten to know (and possibly like) Ortiz.

8.  Boxers Behaving Badly: If you’re going to steal booze, shouldn’t you at least steal the good stuff?

Alas, retired welterweight Eamonn Magee stole two bottles of champagne valued at about 56 pounds, or $91; he pleaded guilty to theft last week, according to the Belfast Telegraph.

The charge dates back to October 2008 and is just one of the reasons Magee’s been in court since hanging up his gloves.

In early 2010 he won an appeal that overturned a guilty verdict on a charge of assaulting a man in a social club. He then was jailed twice, once for assaulting an ex-partner, the next for threatening to kill his ex-wife, according to the newspaper.

Magee, 40, left the sport in 2007 with a record of 27-6 (18 knockouts).

9.  Now that Oscar De La Hoya has finally admitted to wearing fishnets, women’s underwear and heels in photos that leaked out four years ago, can we move past this?

Every fighter needs a post-retirement gig. De La Hoya, a past Grammy nominee, can now audition without shame for a production of “Rocky Horror.”

10.  Sticking with underwear news, we saw photographs last week showing that Victor Ortiz is the model for a website called Freshpair.com.

Hey, if this line of work is good enough for Jim Palmer and Michael Jordan, it’s okay for Ortiz.

That said, I can already imagine what Larry Merchant will say if Floyd Mayweather Jr. knocks Ortiz out:

“He was more brief… than boxer.”

David P. Greisman is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. His weekly column, “Fighting Words,” appears every Monday on BoxingScene.com.

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