BILOXI, MISSISSIPPI — Andre Berto (28-1, 22 KOs) has his name back in win column after a spirited, back and forth battle with Jan Zaveck (31-2, 18 KOs) ended with an anti-climatic fifth round TKO.
Berto, in his first fight back since losing his welterweight title to Victor Ortiz in April, immediately pounced on Zaveck in round one with a reckless barrage of power punches. Zaveck responded in kind with counter overhand rights. When Berto clinched, Zaveck exploited his foe’s leaky defense with uppercuts. Angered by Zaveck’s offense, Berto became more reckless with his hooks upstairs. However, Berto reasserted himself with left and right hooks to the body.
The action remained high in rounds two and three. Zaveck retained a “peek a boo” defense and calmly placed eye-catching counter right hooks as Berto continued trying to overwhelm him with speed and power. Berto’s shoeshine combinations inside were countered with flush left uppercuts and right hooks. Seeing that Zaveck held the advantage up close, Berto took the fight outside where he scored well with hooks to the body around Zaveck’s tight guard.
Zaveck responded with one of his best rounds in the fourth. Berto showed signs of fatigue which he covered by waving in Zaveck to attack him. The IBF titlist obliged with a right hook upstairs. Berto again fell into clinches and mauling which Zaveck made him pay for with neck-snapping right uppercuts.
Zaveck, with a strong presence of fans from his native Slovenia, continued his momentum at the start of the fifth behind several big overhand rights off the ropes. Berto remained undeterred and his aggression paid off when several consecutive power shots opened a long cut above Zaveck’s right eye. The damage was compounded by immediate swelling under the eye. The highly visible injury invigorated Berto, who finished the round strong on his now-handicapped foe with a left hook on the bleeding eye.
How Jan Zaveck would handle this adversity was something his corner would not allow fans nor Zaveck himself to find out. After viewing the blood that covered the right side of Zaveck’s face, the corner was firm in stopping the contest despite pleas from a dejected Zaveck that he could continue.
Berto rated his performance as “so-so,” stating that although that fight was crowd-pleasing, he felt he rushed his offense due to nerves and could have shown better defensive awareness. The newly crowned IBF champion made it clear he wants his next bout to be a rematch with Victor Ortiz, who defends the WBC title he lifted from Berto on September 17 against Floyd Mayweather.
In the opening bout, Gary Russell (18-0, 10 KOs) remained undefeated with a wide decision over fellow southpaw Leonilo Miranda (32-4, 30 KOs). Russell dominated the eight-rounder with sharp jabs and counter right hooks. Russell hurt Miranda in the fourth with a right hook to the body followed by fast uppercuts and hooks inside. The fifth and sixth featured Russell blistering Miranda with shoeshine combinations, but not taking chances for a finish. Russell closed the fight by holding Miranda to single digits in punches landed in round eight. Closing scores read 79-72 and 80-72 twice.
Beats, Boxing and Mayhem 
Andre berto’s fightgame is trash.