Andre Berto is leaving nothing to chance as he continues to stay focused in his training camp barely a week before his showdown against unbeaten American boxing star Floyd Mayweather on Sept. 12 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Berto , who is at the receiving end of criticism for his dismal 3-3 record from his last six fights, insists he isn’t affected by the harsh commentary about his ability to put up a good fight against Mayweather this weekend. “I mean, I believe, right now, anybody in this position would get a nice bit of criticism, especially coming off of Floyd beating Pacquiao. As a fighter, you have to prepare yourself for it, so I prepare my mind and body. I prepare myself for it and you can’t go into the situation thinking about the critics,” Berto explained during a recent conference call to promote the fight. “The critics talking that way, they’re not in the gym training with us. They do something completely different than what we do. We’re fighters and we’re able to do things that these critics can’t do, so I don’t get affected by the critics,” he added. Berto is still a 40-1 underdog barely a week leading up to the fight. Critics think the fight is clearly a mismatch saying Berto was chosen to assure Mayweather of his 48th win in as many fights and to equal Rocky Marciano’s unblemished boxing record of 48-0 when he retired. But former IBF & WBA (Super) light heavyweight champion Bernard Hopkins believes Berto has a fair chance of pulling off an upset win against Mayweather, citing the case of Mike Tyson and Buster Douglas in 1990 in Tokyo, Japan. when Tyson, who was unbeaten in 37 fights, lost to Douglas by KO in round 10. Tyson was a huge favorite heading to the day of the fight. ?It ain?t what Berto is expected to do or not do, it?s what Mayweather do or don?t do. Mayweather is now in position to be his [own worst enemy] if he?s not taking Berto seriously. The burden is not on Berto, he has nothing to lose,” said Hopkins. Berto has the speed and power that could prove difficult for Mayweather to address. He can move swiftly inside and out and from side to side with ease though he lacks punching accuracy in contrast with Mayweather’s own precision punching. Berto seems to have prepared harder for the Mayweather fight knowing that a win could boost his career with more lucrative fights ahead.
