It looks like Andre Berto and Victor Ortiz will meet at a still to be determined catchweight as the April 16 undercard for Amir Khan-Paul McCloskey bout. For the knowledgable boxing fan, the former can easily be its own main event. Berto is undefeated, and has wins over several name opponents in Juan Urango, Carlos Quintana and Luis Collazo. Ortiz has a Fight of Year battle against Marcos Maidana and a few names, although faded, under his belt as well (Nate Campbell, Vivian Harris). This represents a crossroads fight between two young contenders trying to break that ceiling to the next level. But which one has what it takes?
Despite spending most of his career at 140, Victor Ortiz has a bigger frame that Berto. Ortiz has struggled badly to make 140 for his past few fights. That nullifies any supposed size advantage the small welterweight Berto would have. They each have good power and quick hands. At their bests, they know how to freeze opponents with flurries mixed with hard shots. They display patience and look for openings to exploit.
The difference comes when you look at their mental makeups. Berto survived his war with Luis Collazo to take a close decision. The experience made him a better fighter, and he hasn’t lost his killer instinct. On the other hand, Ortiz folded under the storm from Marcos Maidana, even going as far to question whether he wanted to keep fighting after the loss. Ortiz looked good against weaker competition, but his last bout against Lamont Peterson was telling. Despite having his man badly hurt, Ortiz hesitated and took his foot off the gas. The miscalculation resulted in Peterson coming back to earn a draw. This shows that Victor Ortiz can be put into a shell if his opponent can take his best and continue bringing the fight.
Andre Berto has not shown to be fragile mentally or physically. When the exchanges get harder and the fight tougher, I see him handling it much better than Ortiz. After some very close, tactical rounds, Berto will turn up the heat by forcing exchanges. I see Ortiz surviving, but losing a clear unanimous decision.
Your take?
Beats, Boxing and Mayhem 