Promoter, Lou DiBella, has a lot going on lately.
On April 10, DiBella-promoted, WBC welterweight (147 pounds) champion, Andre Berto (26-0, 20 knockouts), of Winter Haven, Fla., overcame the toughest bout of his life when he scored an eighth-round knockout over 33-year-old, southpaw, former world champion, Carlos Quintana (27-3, 21 KOs), of Puerto Rico before Berto’s partisan fans at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Fla.
A 26-year-old Haitian-American, Berto overcame a second-round bicep tear in his left arm, and was ending an 11-month ring absence during which eight of his family members were killed in the mid-January earthquake that devastated Haiti.
On April 17, DiBella’s Argentinian-born, 35-year-old southpaw WBC junior middleweight (154 pounds) champion, Sergio Martinez (45-2-2, 24 knockouts), accomplished a milestone victory of his own by dethroning 28-year-old, WBC and WBO middleweight (160 pounds) champion, Kelly Pavlik (36-2, 32 KOs), before Pavlik’s partisan fans at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.
Martinez (pictured above) did so even as he was outweighed 178 to 167 by fight time, and was at a perceived disadvantage in power against Pavlik.
Now, both Berto and Martinez are being mentioned as possible opponents for two of the sport’s premiere fighters — seven-division champion, Manny Pacquiao (51-3-2, 38 KOs), and, six-time titlist, Floyd Mayweather (41-0, 25 KOs), respectively.
The 31-year-old Pacquiao is the WBO welterweight king, and the 33-year-old Mayweather is coming off of Saturday night’s unanimous decision over 38-year-old, WBA welterweight titlist, Shane Mosley (46-6, 39 KOs), whose crown was not on the line.
“Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather are the economic powerhouses right now,” said DiBella. “They’re the fighters who are going to have the ability to say what fights they want.”
Mayweather and Pacquiao were trying to make a megafight that was slated for March 13 at the MGM Grand, but the negotiations fell apart over the issue of drug testing.
Negotions could be re-ignited, yet again, but if the talks fail once more, then Berto and Martinez would be willing to step in, said DiBella.
“Obviously, Floyd Mayweather is the best fighter in the world,” said DiBella. “If Floyd Mayweather wanted to try himself at middleweight, and Manny Pacquiao turns down their fight, then of course we’d be interested in fighting both of them.”
Berto’s victory over Quintana came against the only man to defeat former, three-time world champion, Paul Williams (38-1, 27 KOs), who will face former titlist, Kermit Cintron (32-2-1, 28 KOs), in a junior middleweight clash on Saturday night.
“In respect to a Manny Pacquiao and Andre Berto fight, I know that Berto’s interested in anything that’s a great opportunity. Andre Berto is a very good fighter, but at this point, he’s still a young fighter at 26 years old,” said DiBella.
“But with time, he’ll be prepared. And it may be time for him to test the big-time,” said DiBella. “So if the opportunity presents itself, believe me, we’re going to jump on it.”
Pacquiao’s adviser, Michael Koncz, told FanHouse on Wednesday that 32-year-old former world titlest Antonio Margarito (37-6, 27 KOs) might be a good prospect for Pacquiao at The Dallas Cowboys’ Stadium should Margarito get beyond Roberto Garcia (28-2, 21 KOs) on Saturday night.
Pacquiao is running for congress in his native Philippines, and won’t likely return to the ring until the fall, Koncz said.
DiBella said that other possible opponents for Berto (pictured below, at right) would be Germany’s 34-year-old IBF king, Jan Zaveck (29-1, 17 KOs), or, former world champion, Miguel Cotto (34-2, 27 KOs), the latter of whom faces WBA junior middleweight titlist, Yuri Foreman (28-0, eight KOs) on June 5.
Cotto was dethroned as WBO welterweight champion in November’s 12th-round knockout loss to Pacquiao, and has been stopped by Margarito in the 11th-round when he lost the WBA welterweight crown in July of 2008.
“Berto is recovering from the bicep injury,” said DiBella. “And right now, he’s going to have to go through a rehab and we’re not rushing him.”
Nicknamed, “Maravilla,” which means “Marvelous,” Martinez would first honor the rematch clause he has with Pavlik before entertaining an offer from Mayweather, DiBella said.
Martinez also has designs on a rematch with Margarito, who knocked him out in the seventh round in February of 2000.
“Honestly, because of Pavlik’s rematch clause, we haven’t really discussed anything else. I’ve heard the conjecture about facing Floyd, but there hasn’t been really anything in terms of any serious conversations that have been initiated between Sergio and Floyd,” said DiBella.
“With respect to Sergio, yeah, he’s looking for the biggest opportunity possible,” said DiBella. “Sergio is not a young kid. But, you know, he’s committed to a rematch with Pavlik, and if Pavlik wants it, then that’s what’s going to happen.”
Martinez went 28-0-1, with 18 knockouts after losing to Margarito before falling by majority decision to Williams (38-1, 27 KOs) in December’s non-title, middleweight clash of southpaws during which both fighters were floored in the first round.
Before facing Williams, Martinez battled to a disputed draw with Cintron, who was counted out at one point during the seventh round of their February, 2009 bout by referee Franke Santore only to have it later over-ruled.
DiBella also promotes New York’s 29-year-old, Paulie Malignaggi (27-3, five KOs), who will meet WBA junior welterweight (140 pounds) king, Amir Khan (22-1, 16 KOs), of England, on May 15 at Madison Square Garden.
