By Lyle Fitzsimmons

Andre Berto’s in conflict this week.

Though the WBC welterweight champion is coming off a January win over Luis Collazo that yielded the highest praise of his four-year professional career, he’s determined not to earn it again this time around.

You see, while the razor-thin unanimous verdict let him keep his 147-pound title belt and impress critics with toughness and resilience he’d not previously displayed, it wasn’t exactly a blood-and-guts impression he was hoping to leave.

In fact, as Berto admits, the tough-man effort on fight night was the product of a sub-par work ethic en route.

“I could tell things were different in the camp leading up to the fight. I was sidetracked and I allowed myself to be distracted. I kind of strayed away from the things I normally do and I didn’t feel sharp,” he said.

“It’s no one’s fault but my own and I’m not happy about it, but I guess the good things that came out of it were that I got a chance to show something a little bit different, like my heart and my tenacity. People see that in me.

“I had to bite down and show everybody I had a beast in me.”

And now that the bruises have faded and cut has healed, he’s back to work.

His chance at a less-rousing encore comes Saturday night in his home state of Florida, where he’ll fight for the first time since 2005 in a defense against rugged Colombian
export Juan Urango at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.

Urango, a two-time IBF champion at 140 pounds, is ranked seventh by the WBC at 147 and comes in with just one loss in 23 career fights – a wide points verdict against Ricky Hatton two years ago that ended his first title reign.

He regained a vacant crown with a unanimous nod over Herman Ngoudjo in his most recent fight and, with a win Saturday, would have seven days to inform the IBF of his reigning plans, according to Championship Chairman Lindsey Tucker Jr.

But not surprisingly, Berto doesn’t think such choices will be necessary.

“He’ll be a tough opponent, but when I look at him I don’t see any one thing that he does magnificently well,” he said. “He’s got power and he’ll try to walk people down and drag things out, which will force me to execute and use my speed.”

And, according to the maturing 25-year-old, preparation won’t be an issue this time.

“A lot of things have come my way in the last couple of years – a lot of distractions and a lot of people coming out of the woodwork – and it’s my job to stay grounded and stay focused,” Berto said. “So for camp this time we just got away from all that and went back to basics – a real boot camp.

“It gets stagnant sometimes, so you have to add a few things. It gets stale if you stay with the same routine over and over, but at the same time, you have to tell yourself to work that way for seven or eight weeks. Because at the end of it you get to go out there and perform, and then you’ll have the time to do whatever you want.”

Online oddsmakers expect Berto to do whatever he wants with Urango, prompting bet365.com to install him as a 4-to-6 choice to win by decision or technical decision and a 7-to-2 pick to win by knockout, TKO or disqualification.

Urango is 4-to-1 to win by stoppage and 17-to-2 to win on points.

“There’s extra pressure when everyone expects you to win and expects you to perform well, and anything can happen in boxing if you past a guy,” Berto said. “He’s a big kid for 140 and I think he fits as a welterweight. My job is to go out and win.”

And beyond the victory, riches may await.

Berto resides alongside a cluster of high-end rulers in the sport’s premier division, sharing the 147-pound spotlight with WBA champion Shane Mosley, WBO champion Miguel Cotto and recently deposed IBF champion Joshua Clottey, who’ll fight Cotto in New York on June 13.

Not to mention a handful of carpetbaggers and/or returning retirees in Manny Pacquiao, Juan Manuel Marquez and Floyd Mayweather Jr., who seem destined to join the belt-holders and each other in a series of potentially lucrative pay-per-view events at or around the welterweight limit.

All things considered, not a bad place to be for an upwardly mobile kingpin.

“It’s an exciting division and I’m glad that I’m a part of it,” Berto said. “As long as I keep winning I’ll be in the mix and eventually my time will come. A lot of the older guys are already established so they don’t think they need to come and fight a guy like me, but at some point someone’s got to step up to the plate.”  

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This week’s title-fight schedule:

TUESDAY
WBA flyweight title – Uttaradit, Thailand
Denkaosan Kaovichit (champion) vs. Hiroyuki Hisataka (No. 12 contender)
Kaovichit (46-1-1, 20 KO): First title defense; Unbeaten in last 27 fights (26-0-1)
Hisataka (17-7-1, 6 KO): Second title fight; Two wins in six fights since 2007
FitzHitz says: Kaovichit in 10

WBC flyweight title - Tokyo, Japan 
Daisuke Naito (champion) vs. Xiong Zhao Zhong (No. 10 contender)
Naito (34-2-3, 22 KO): Fifth title defense; Unbeaten in last eight fights (7-0-1)
Zhong (12-1-1, 8 KO): First title fight; One win over foe with better than .500 record
FitzHitz says: Naito in 6

WEDNESDAY
IBO middleweight title - Brisbane, Australia
Daniel Geale (champion) vs. Anthony Mundine (No. 3 contender)
Geale (21-0, 13 KO): Second title defense; Turned pro in 2004
Mundine (35-3, 23 KO): Former two-time champ at 168 pounds; Second fight at 160
FitzHitz says: Geale by decision

FRIDAY 
WBC strawweight title – Phuket, Thailand
Oleydong Sithsamerchai (champion) vs. Muhammad Rachman (No. 19 contender)
Sithsamerchai (30-0, 12 KO): Third title defense; Defense WBC Youth title 16 times
Rachman (62-7-5, 31 KO): Former IBF champion (2004-07); Lost two of last three
FitzHitz says: Sithsamerchai by decision

SATURDAY
WBC welterweight title – Hollywood, Fla.
Andre Berto (champion) vs. Juan Urango (No. 7 contender)
Berto (24-0, 19 KO): Third title defense; Second fight in home state
Urango (21-1-1, 16 KO): IBF champion at 140 pounds; Two wins in three title fights
FitzHitz says: Berto in 10

WBA heavyweight title – Helsinki, Finland
Nikolay Valuev (champion) vs. Ruslan Chagaev (champion in recess)
Valuev (50-1, 34 KO): Two-time WBA champion; Fifth overall title defense
Chagaev (25-0-1, 17 KO): Won title from Valuev in 2007; Forfeited belt due to injury
FitzHitz says: Valuev by decision

Lyle Fitzsimmons is an award-winning 20-year sports journalist and a full voting member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Reach him at fitzbitz@msn.com .