Andre Berto to return to the ring in the Summer

By Allan Fox: Former IBF/WBC welterweight champion Andre Berto (28-3, 22 KO’s) will be traveling to Oakland, California in the next few weeks to to start training with Virgil Hunter for Berto’s ring return this Summer against a still to be determined opponent. Berto, 30, hasn’t fought since last year in July when he was stopped in the 12th round by Jesus Soto Karass. Berto suffered a shoulder injury in the loss, and had to have surgery.

At this point in his career, Berto really needs to get active and hope that he can pick up some big wins and avoid injuries. Berto has had a number of bad injuries to his biceps that has kept him out of the ring. The latest injury involved a tendon in his right shoulder that he tore in the 2nd round in the Soto Karass fight.

The injury was bad enough to keep Berto out of the ring for the last 10 months, and that’s a long time for a fighter to be out of action, especially one who has missed as much time as Berto has. Berto has lost 3 out of his last 4 fights, and his career is not looking bright right now. Besides his loss to Soto Karass, Berto has lost to Victor Ortiz and Robert Guerrero.

The loss to Guerrero was a real beat down for Berto with him suffering bad swelling of both eyes in a fight where he really wasn’t competitive from start to finish. Guerrero didn’t do much other than crowd Berto, and throw nonstop punches while Berto was backed up against the ropes. Berto spent too much time against the ropes, and this made things easy for Guerrero to land at will against him.

Had Berto kept the action in the center of the ring, he may have stood a better chance of beating Guerrero. That was the fight that Berto attempted to use the shoulder roll defense for the first time, and the results were disastrous for him.

If Berto loses his next fight, he needs to think about packing it in and retiring from boxing, because he doesn’t look anything like the fighter he once was in 2007. He’s no longer throwing combinations like he used to, and he seems to have stamina problems nowadays.