On Tuesday night, former two-time welterweight champion Andre Berto made a pit stop by the Boxing Lab Radio Show, BoxingScene.com’s official audio program , hosted by Ryan Burton, Luis Sandoval, and Ernest Gabion.
Berto is eyeing a February 11th rematch with Victor Ortiz in a fight set to go down at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Ortiz handed Berto the only defeat of his career this past April when he floored him twice, while surviving two knockdowns of his own, and pulled out a close unanimous decision.
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<--- Bonus slideshow: Looking back on the wild Berto-Ortiz fight, plus Ortiz's drama with Mayweather and Berto's return against Zaveck
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It was a loss that seemed to haunt Berto at first, but the Haitian-American pointed out that his recent performance, a 5th round TKO over then-IBF champion Jan Zaveck on September 3rd, showed his temperament as a fighter.
“I think a lot of people, once they go through their first defeat, it’s kind of hard to come back,” said Berto. “I showed a lot of people in my last fight that I didn’t get deterred by it. I came out with a lot of aggression and I wasn’t coming out gun-shy. Mentally, I’m good and extremely focused.”
Ortiz was in the spotlight following the Berto win with his September 17th date against Floyd Mayweather Jr., a fight he would lose via 4th round knockout.
In that contest, Ortiz appeared to be picking up a little momentum in 4th before flagrantly head-butting Mayweather along the ropes, an act that saw referee Joe Cortez penalize him for with a point deduction. Seconds later Mayweather caught an unsuspecting Ortiz with a left-right combination that planted him on his rear and ended the fight.
Last month Ortiz, then speaking with MaxBoxing.com’s Radio Rahim, revealed that he had actually had intentions of breaking Mayweather’s nose with his intentional butts, an act that would put the 24-year old in hot water.
Nevada State Athletic Commission Executive Director Keith Kizer pointed out to Lance Pugmire of the Los Angeles Times that Ortiz is now in serious jeopardy of not being licensed for the Showtime-televised Berto rematch, and that he will likely have to appear before the commission on January 11th to explain himself.
Giving his take on Ortiz's admittal, Berto seemed to be in disbelief.
“I just heard about that,” said Berto. “I think that was stupid on his part. Just letting something like that come out. I think it was very stupid on his part and his team’s part. It’s something he has to handle and something he has to deal with. If it’s in Vegas or anywhere else, we’re going to be prepared and ready to go.”
Another twist in the Berto-Ortiz rematch is the fact that the newly-founded VADA (Voluntary Anti-Doping Agency) has been approved to test both fighters. VADA is the brainchild of BALCO founder Victor Conte and Dr. Margaret Goodman, and the 28-year old sees it as nothing but a plus.
“I think it’s a great situation,” Berto stated. “Because, of course, I know for a fact that performance-enhancing drugs are rampant in the sport. To involve a company like VADA, you won’t have to come out of pocket to have the drug tests done. It will clean up our sport a little bit.”
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To listen to Berto's complete interview, please visit The Boxing Lab Radio - January 3rd, 2012
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Chris Robinson is based out of Las Vegas, Nevada. He can be reached at Trimond@aol.com. Please follow him atwww.Twitter.com/CRHarmony
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