Andre Berto's Biloxi Blues‏‏

fitefanSHO14y ago

How a loss to Jan Zaveck could leave Andre Berto as boxing's forgotten fighter. They say a boxer is only as good as his last fight, and in the case of Andre Berto that last fight was a valiant, but losing effort to Victor Ortiz in a 'Fight of the Year' candidate that cost Berto his WBC welterweight title, his undefeated record, and perhaps even a mega-fight with boxing superstar Floyd Mayweather. So just how good is Andre Berto based on his last fight and what if anything did he gain by losing like he did? That depends on how you look at it, because another oft-cited boxing axiom is that when two fighters engage in a 'Fight of the Year' type fight like Berto and Ortiz did earlier this year, both fighters are generally elevated on the strength of that collective performance. But has that really been the case with Andre Berto? Has Berto really been elevated and if not, why has he been unable to capitalize on that performance in the way that Victor Ortiz has? Obviously by winning, Ortiz gets the glory and the next big fight with Money Mayweather but let's also look at how both fighters have conducted themselves since their fight last April. To his credit, Victor Ortiz has been nothing but gracious and respectful in the media toward Andre Berto while during this same time, Andre Berto has made veiled allegations on Twitter that Victor Ortiz was on steroids for their fight. Andre Berto has also made many inexplicable excuses for his own performance, essentially saying that he was not at his best and that it wasn't the real Andre Berto in the ring that night. Berto seems unwilling to act like a true champion and simply say he lost to the better man, with no excuses. While Victor Ortiz has done his best to win over his many critics, Berto has seemingly done everything possible to give them ammunition against him. By his own hand, Andre Berto is in danger of becoming a forgotten fighter and although he and his promoter Lou DiBella deny this, they both seem to know it's true. During a media conference call to promote the fight against Zaveck, Andre Berto seemed genuinely annoyed at the suggestion that he risks becoming a forgotten fighter, and shot back at this journalist by saying, "Is that what it is? You lose one fight and you're forgotten about already? Fighters like Mosley and Hopkins have shown, they lose one fight, they come back bigger than they were before. That's what blows my mind about boxing writers and just boxing in general. You lose one close fight and people act like they'll write you off. In boxing, you can turn into a superstar overnight. I had a bad night and after that fight, I had to really sit back and realize a lot of things. But I don't care what people think, or what they are gonna write, I'm just doing this for me, my family and the real Berto fans and that's it." Said promoter Lou DiBella, "In a fight of the year candidate like the one Andre fought against Ortiz, your status is supposed to go up, not down." http://www.boxing360.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/584-berto-ortiz.jpg That is generally true for action fighters like Gatti & Ward, but in the case of Andre Berto, his status appears to have diminished. That may have more to do with how Berto has conducted himself since the loss than with how he fights. Berto did himself no favors on Twitter with his steroid comments aimed at Ortiz, and he has done himself no favors by making excuses for the loss, and by not giving Ortiz the unconditional respect that Ortiz has so clearly given to him since their memorable fight last April. A loss to the unknown Jan Zaveck could easily put Berto in career limbo, and there is a strong likelihood that any remaining loyalty in Berto at HBO and among boxing fans would wither away as attention shifts to other fighters with more appealing styles. IBF welterweight titlist Jan Zaveck, fighting for the first time in the United States against Berto, would like nothing more than get his name on the map at the expense of Andre Berto, "I didn't come here to America to buy or sell something. I came here to defend my title. It doesn't matter if you know me or not, after this fight many more people will know who I am and many more people will want to know who I am." Whatever goodwill and additional interest that he might have generated as a fighter for his gutsy loss to Ortiz has been squandered by Berto himself, and his unwillingness to accept the loss and give the proper credit to the man who beat him. Fans don't want to hear excuses after a loss, even though they might be used to them. Fans especially don't want to hear a fighter cry "steroids" after a loss. That's just bad form, and it's very disrespectful, particularly coming from a fighter who is now working with Victor Conte, founder and president of the infamous BALCO, a sports nutrition company with ties to steroid use in professional sports. For the record, Conte served prison time in 2005 after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute steroids. Conte is now a nutritionist and conditioning coach with Team Berto. http://imgs.sfgate.com/c/pictures/2009/12/16/mn-ATHLETES_STER_0421458846.jpg So as Victor Ortiz prepares to face Floyd Mayweather in September in Las Vegas on Pay-Per-View, Andre Berto prepares to face the relatively unknown welterweight belt holder Jan Zavek in Biloxi, Mississippi on HBO. For Ortiz, it's a win-win situation. Ortiz will be paid millions, he will fight on the biggest stage a fighter can ever hope to compete on, and he is within striking distance of becoming an elite fighter in the sport of boxing. Ortiz is living up to the saying that a fighter is only as good as last fight, and that performance against Berto has undeniably elevated his status as a fighter. Andre Berto on the other hand, is in an almost no-win situation now. If he loses to Zaveck, that will be two upset losses in a row and the people who might have been on the fence about Berto will now have a legitimate reason to move on and forget about him as a top level fighter. If he wins, he picks up the IBF welterweight title, but what comes after that? More mandatory defenses against unknown fighters? More less than scintillating fights on HBO, as is his norm? Or can Andre Berto fully re-invent himself and become the elite fighter he dreams of becoming? Only time will tell. But by losing to Victor Ortiz, Andre Berto has given the boxing world an opportunity to pass him by and if he loses to Jan Zaveck, it's doubtful he could ever catch up. LINK: http://fitefansho.blogspot.com/2011/08/andre-bertos-biloxi-blues.html

Comments (12)

fitefanSHO

Bump for tonight's fight. KO Digest Q's to Zaveck and Berto. Plus fireworks w/ Lou DiBella. :boxing:

14y ago

Leohappy

I can ask around but my guess on Zaveck would be no more than 250K. It's strange how information about the purses has gotten so hard to find, and it kinda seems like people don't even really care. Back in the 80's and 90's, the purse amounts were like a part of the promotion, and fighters seemed to enjoy bragging rights for purses, these days it's like a big old secret or something. yeah hmm if you ask zavec this question he's gonna say one of two things: i earn enough or i don't ask you how much you earn so i expect the same from you... but i thought hbo does publicize this info. i often see people posting the numbers here on the forum. and 250k is low imo...

14y ago

fitefanSHO

800k ??? and how much do berto's opponents usually get? what do you think zavec is going to get? i find it hard to believe that he would fight for any less than 500k. considering he's been getting around 100-150k$ in slovenia (70k$ for the fight + sponsorship) and this is a very risky fight for zavec.if he loses his belt, his only bargaining chip will be gone. let's face it hbo and db agreed to this fight only because of the strap. I can ask around but my guess on Zaveck would be no more than 250K. It's strange how information about the purses has gotten so hard to find, and it kinda seems like people don't even really care. Back in the 80's and 90's, the purse amounts were like a part of the promotion, and fighters seemed to enjoy bragging rights for purses, these days it's like a big old secret or something.

14y ago

Leohappy

As for the paydays, I'm told Ortiz is getting 5 million and Berto 800K. Berto clearly lost more than just his "O" and his WBC belt last April. 800k ??? and how much do berto's opponents usually get? what do you think zavec is going to get? i find it hard to believe that he would fight for any less than 500k. considering he's been getting around 100-150k$ in slovenia (70k$ for the fight + sponsorship) and this is a very risky fight for zavec.if he loses his belt, his only bargaining chip will be gone. let's face it hbo and db agreed to this fight only because of the strap.

14y ago

fitefanSHO

As for the paydays, I'm told Ortiz is getting 5 million and Berto 800K. Berto clearly lost more than just his "O" and his WBC belt last April.

14y ago

fitefanSHO

I'm trying to get an answer to this question but my GUESS would be like 800K for Berto and maybe like 3 or 4 mil for Ortiz, but that's just a guess.

14y ago

Leohappy

obviously less than ortiz is in his ppv fight. but is he making the 1.1mil he has made in eacg of his last 6 fights? he's not a champ anymore, how can they give him 1 mil/fight? i've been wondering how much zavec is going to cash in this fight. maybe they will split the 1 mil purse between both?

14y ago

MRMREC

That's a good question, and I don't know the answer. It seems to me that how much the fighters get paid is not as commonly known information as it has been in the past. My guess is that his pay is significantly less than what Ortiz will make against Mayweather. obviously less than ortiz is in his ppv fight. but is he making the 1.1mil he has made in eacg of his last 6 fights?

14y ago

Spiegelo

That's a good question, and I don't know the answer. It seems to me that how much the fighters get paid is not as commonly known information as it has been in the past. My guess is that his pay is significantly less than what Ortiz will make against Mayweather. Hahah it deserves to be nowhere NEAR that number. That being said I hope it's a great fight. I'm not rooting for either man, just the best man to win and no funky decisions favoring the comeback fighter like we've been seeing lately like with Paul Williams, Devon Alexander, and even Zab against Matthyse.

14y ago

fitefanSHO

how much is berto making on this fight? still in the millions? That's a good question, and I don't know the answer. It seems to me that how much the fighters get paid is not as commonly known information as it has been in the past. My guess is that his pay is significantly less than what Ortiz will make against Mayweather.

14y ago

Leohappy

well said. green paint coming. a loss would also hurt berto much more because he's younger. i can't wait to see this fight because zavec has typically been an underdog in every one of his fights, but he always found a way to win. i think it will be interestingto see how these two are going to match up in the ring. most youtube comments i have seen only confirmed to.me that nobody has a clue at all. people automatically pick berto like he's gonna be fighting an imaginary guy.

14y ago

MRMREC

How a loss to Jan Zaveck could leave Andre Berto as boxing's forgotten fighter. ... LINK: http://fitefansho.blogspot.com/2011/08/andre-bertos-biloxi-blues.html how much is berto making on this fight? still in the millions?

14y ago