Shawn Porter Sees Berto as a Live Dog With Mayweather

Andre Berto has taken inspiration from Serena Williams's shock defeat at the US Open tennis championships.

Berto, the underdog in the welterweight title fight in Las Vegas on Saturday night, faces undefeated Floyd Mayweather.

The challenger, who has lost three of his past six fights, was asked on Friday night whether he could emulate Italy's Roberta Vinci, the world number 43 who defeated Williams in the semifinals of the US Open.

"Of course, man. God is good, so you better tune in,” he replied. "We are here for a reason and I don't care about the other [stuff]. I’ve already been through a lot."

Asked if it bothered him that nobody was giving him a chance against Mayweather, Berto said: “It don't matter. Where I come from, we never had a chance to come out of that.

“Just the fact that I am here tells you something," he added, alluding again to his troubled background in Florida.

Former champion Shawn Porter, whose record stands at 26-1-1, with 16 knockouts, said Berto, 32, has youth on his side against Mayweather.

"People are overlooking that he is younger and has some speed and quickness," said Porter, adding that he had been looking for evidence that Mayweather was slowing up but had not found any.

"He still looks spectacular and he still looks great in every fight. That said, it's going to be a much more competitive fight than people anticipate."