By Allan Fox: Former IBF/WBC welterweight champion Andre Berto (28-2, 22 KO’s) is now being trained by Virgil Hunter for Berto’s fight against Jesus Soto Karass (27-8-3, 17 KO’s) next month on July 27th at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas.
Berto is hoping that Hunter can get his career back on the tracks after a 12 round unanimous decision loss to Robert “The Ghost’ Guerrero last November.
The defeat was Berto’s second loss in his last three fights and a clear sign that there are some serious problems with Berto’s game.
Berto said to ESPN, “I know I have all the talent in the world. Now it’s time to fine-tune the skill. Virg is someone I’ve known since I was a kid…we’re testing things out with this fight and seeing where things go.”
Berto does have the talent, but what he lacks is stamina, defense and boxing strategy to compete at the highest levels of the sport. Both Victor Ortiz and Guerrero exposed Berto’s poor stamina and his bad defense as well as his poor decision making.
In both fights, Berto spent most of the fights with his back against the ropes looking like a tired, older fighter much older than his chronological age. He either couldn’t or wouldn’t stay in the center of the ring. That’s the only place he was fighting well.
When he was on the ropes, Berto took punishment in both fights, yet that’s where he went again and again in both fights. He literally couldn’t stay off the ropes and it cost him both fights.
Hunter is going to have his work cut out for him if he wants to make changes to Berto’s fighting style because it could be that his stamina issues will continue into the future.
Hunter can go over strategy and teach defense all he wants, but if Berto is too tired to implement what he’s trying to teach him then he’s going to continue to suffer defeats into the future.
Soto Karass is very similar to Guerrero with his fighting style and build. This could be a very tough fight for Berto, and it wouldn’t be surprising if Berto loses this one.
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