Lady Luck and papery skin combined to give Andre Berto another sanctioning body gewgaw last night when Jan Zaveck could no longer continue after a cut over his left eyelid ended matters between the fifth and sixth rounds at the Beau Rivage Resort and Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi. Zaveck fought well, and, until the abbreviated ending, it was a spirited battle, one not likely to be repeated despite, or, better said, because of the two-way action. One way streets, cul de sacs, and dead ends are probably all HBO and Team Berto want to see in the future, and now that he has secured another alphabet kickshaw (meaningless, according to advocates and superior bloggers), we can all look forward to him being an assassin against junior welterweights, aged or aging DBE fighters, and select Latvians. Apart from a sneaky uppercut that only occasionally split a tight guard, Berto, 146 3/4, relied on explosive body shots from either side, and a helter skelter attack some might call ?flashy.? In the end, this style, predicated on speed, is little more than a tempest in a thimble. Until Zaveck began to shred, it was an awful lot of huffing and puffing for such little effect. But these spasms certainly impressed the HBO crew, whose cheerleading for Berto lacked only pompoms. More aggressive than usual, Berto opened up early with hard shots, but Zaveck made sure to prove that he was no walkover as soon as possible, whacking Berto on the inside with rights to the side of the head. Berto, 28-1 (22), was just as aggressive in the second, but Zaveck worked well between his flurries. Unfortunately, several overhand rights, a handful of uppercuts, and a couple of one-twos Zaveck, now 31-2-0-1(18), landed were apparently swept away by the tropical storm assailing Mississippi. At least, that was the way it seemed listening to the HBO ringside crew. Berto worked well in the third with his right and was busier than Zaveck, who seemed to be trying to adjust to the speedy fighter in front of him. Zaveck worked Berto over for the first two and a half minutes of round four, but, apparently, American jingoism prevented Max Kellerman from noticing it. Round five saw both fighters exchange shots evenly, with Berto landing the heavier blows, until Zaveck suffered from instantaneous facial damage that made him look as if he forgot to buckle up and his air bag failed to engage. From time to time Berto, Winterhaven, Florida, would open up and drive Zaveck back with a violent but inelegant flurry. In the fifth round, one of these assaults, much more effective than previous sorties, produced the following laundry list of wounds on Zaveck: a swollen right eye, a jagged cut on the right eyelid, and a smaller cut on the left eyelid. Either Berto hits harder than previously thought, or Zaveck has the kind of face that needs to be soaked in brine ala Jack Dempsey and Stanley Ketchel. Zaveck, Ptuj, Slovenia, repeatedly tried to overrule his corner with cries of ?Nein! Nein!? but was unsuccessful. Distraught, he dropped to his knees and draped himself over the ropes, aware, perhaps, that Berto was already slowing down and that his best chance of winning had been filched by the vagaries of the flesh. Zaveck, 146 1/2, whose desire to make a name for himself led him to travel thousands of miles from Continental Europe, entered the ring as a heavy underdog. Chasing glory, even against the odds, is something many headliners should think about every once in a while, and Zaveck ought to be commended for doing more than just mulling over such a concept. Of course, this brings Zaveck?who has also fought in Poland and South Africa?closer to the ideal of what a prizefighter should be, especially when compared to American stars on the HBO white list. Although Zaveck was competitive from bell to bell, his biggest flaw?in addition to neglecting his jab?was an inability to work consistently in the trenches. Despite teaming with trendy super-pharmacologist Victor Conte, Berto appeared weary by the middle of the third round and found himself clutching on the inside or leaning on the ropes more often as the fight wore on. By the fourth, Zaveck began to smother Berto in close, where he worked the body effectively and forced ?The Beast? to clinch. But he simply did not work enough when Berto was in these lull periods. Only Victor Ortiz managed to take advantage of this weakness, one that any professional worth his salt ought to be able to exploit. In the end, it was an exciting bout and Zaveck joins the (very) shortlist of legitimate opponents Berto has beaten. Of course, it would be absurd to pretend that Berto has improved or that he is back on some imaginary superstar track, but?to mangle the words of Sam Spade?in boxing, absurdity is the stuff dreams are made of. Although a fake Maltese Falcon was not enough to satisfy Casper Gutman or Joel Cairo, counterfeits are nearly always sufficient for those who follow boxing. Just ask the guys at ringside last night.
