Berto to be trained by Virgil Hunter?

By Boxing News - 03/19/2013 - Comments

berto91By Allan Fox: Former IBF/WBC welterweight champion Andre Berto (28-2, 22 KO’s) is being mentioned as possibly adding trainer Virgil Hunter to his team, according to Fighthype.com. Berto lost his last fight against Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero last November in losing by a 12 round unanimous decision, and he looked incredibly poor in taking a beating.

Berto, who is only 29, seems to have lost conditioning since his fight with Victor Ortiz two years ago in April 2011. Berto fights mostly with his back against the ropes now, and rarely comes out to the center of the ring to fight.

Berto recently let his former trainer Tony Morgan go, and is looking for a new trainer to take his place. Could Hunter be the guy that takes over? Hunter is largely known for being the trainer for WBA/WBC super middleweight champion Andre Ward. He also trains Amir Khan and Alfredo Angulo.

Hunter has done a great job with Ward, but it’s still questionable whether he’ll have any impact on Khan, as he looked like the same fighter he’s always been in his last fight against Carlos Molina last December.

Hunter won’t be able to do much with Berto unless he can work on his conditioning, and try to get him to abandon his Mayweather shoulder roll he attempted to use in the Guerrero fight to no success.

Berto looked like he was trying it out for the first time, and he was drilled all night long by Guerrero using that defensive stance. Normally fighters go to a plan B when they find out what they’re doing isn’t working, but Berto stuck with the shoulder roll all throughout the fight and ended up taking a pounding from Guerrero.

I would be surprised if Hunter is able to do anything with Berto. I think Berto’s best days are behind him at this point in his career, and I can’t see him finding the success he had earlier in his career regardless of whether Hunter trains him or not. Hunter can tell Berto to stay off the ropes, but I think Berto will find his way to the ropes every time he fights because the stamina just isn’t there anymore.



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