By Jim Dower: The World Boxing Council ordered WBC welterweight champion Andre Berto to start negotiations for a fight with number #2 ranked contender Selcuk Aydin by September 17th. However, Berto wants to take on light welterweight contender Andriy Kotelnik rather than the little known Aydin.
Berto may not have much choice in taking this fight unless they can pay Aydin a step aside fee while Berto moved ahead and fights Kotelnik in November or December. HBO wants to see Berto fight Kotelnik, as Aydin has no fan base in the United States.
But if the WBC pushes this, Berto may not have much choice in the matter. Either he fights Aydin or pays him to step aside. If no agreement can be made by September 17th, it will go up for purse bids. Aydin might be problems for Berto because of his crude power.
He’s coming off of a controversial win 12 round split decision win over Ionut Dan Ion in June, a fight where Aydin looked like he should have lost. But Aydin is still a fighter that might give Berto some problems because of his power.
Berto hasn’t been in with any big punchers since capturing the WBC welterweight title in 2008 and has defended the title twice against light welterweights instead of fighters from his own weight class. A fight against Kotelnik will be Berto’s third fight against a light welterweight out of his five title defenses.
The only welterweights Berto has fought have been the light hitting Carlos Quintana and Luis Collazo. Kotelnik doesn’t have nearly the same kind of power that Aydin possesses, so that could be another reason why he might be the more preferable opponent for Berto to fight.
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