Welterweight Andre Berto is set for a comeback!
Is former welterweight champion Andre “The Beast’ Berto (32-5, 24 KO’s) getting ready for come back? Given he was ranked #10 by the WBA as recently as June, it sure seems like it. The favorable ranking is so glaring because The Beast has not fought a professional bout in three years. The last time that Berto was in the squared-circle he battled twelve rounds with a badly faded Devon Alexander to win a split decision victory. Sure, he posted his interest in coming back a few weeks ago, but how often do retired boxers whimsically talk about staging a comeback? With this new ranking however, those haphazard comments have much more weight.
Berto was introduced to the world as an HBO darling with the promise of grand future ahead of him. He had a look and style of fighting that the network was happy to push. On June 21, 2008, Berto defeated Miguel Rodriguez to capture the vacant WBC 147-pound title. He would go on to defend the belt five times. Despite fulfilling the dream of becoming a world champion, The Beast’s career never reached the true heights initially sought.
This is not to say that the once explosive Floridian has anything to hang his head low about. Whether win, lose or draw he slid through the ropes to face fighters such as Juan Urango, Luis Collazo, Victor Ortiz (twice), Robert Guerrero, Shawn Porter and Floyd Mayweather Jr. Even in his losses, Berto has always remained a supreme showman, warrior and never shamed himself in battle.
WHO’S IT GOING TO BE??
Yet, just as much Berto’s name is synonymous with ‘action fights,’ it’s also intimately linked to ‘injury.’ Over the course of his career, The Beast has been roughed up, had his face swollen to gruesome proportions, torn his bicep and torn a shoulder tendon to highlight a few. The normal wear and tear on a boxer’s body is extreme, but one would have to wonder how much the well-weathered 37-year-old boxer has left in the tank.
Also, who would Andre Berto fight? Within the WBA rankings there are few names that are readily sellable to an American audience. The most recognizable tags are #9 Conor Benn, #8 Jesus Ramos, #7 David Avanesyan, #6 Mario Barrios and #2 Abel Ramos. Yet, these competitors are far from household names and Mario Barrios was just knocked out by Tank Davis. Furthermore, Benn is already contracted to fight Adrian Granados. #5 Alberto Palmetta, #4 Gabriel Maestre, #3 Radzhab Butaev and #1 Eimantas Stanionis are likely not going to electrify the US public.
So at the moment, only time will tell what is next for Andre Berto. Still, he is not highly ranked in the WBA for nothing. Without question though, there definitely seems to be something coming down the pike. Yet, when more information is made available, 3kingsboxing will be there to spread the word.
By: Bakari Simpson
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