Berto's Trainer on Victor Ortiz, Pacquiao-Mosley, More
By Chris Robinson
When it comes to the career of WBC welterweight champion Andre Berto, there seem to be two things that instantly come to mind. The first is that of the undeniable talent that that Haitian-American possesses, given his solid blend of power, speed, and athleticism, but the second would be the fact that the boxing world is still waiting to see what the 27-year old is made of when in against boxing's elite.
Berto and his people are currently in discussions for a possible April 16th showcase against junior welterweight contender Victor Ortiz and after that the time seems right to see him go after one of the big names in the sport. Ironically, as reported by my colleague Ronnie Nathanielsz, Manny Pacquiao, through his advisor Michael Koncz, has issued a letter to WBC president Jose Suliaman stating his desires to once again capture a WBC belt at 147 pounds or below, making people curious about the thought of the two champions getting together.
Pacquiao won the WBC junior middleweight bauble with a thorough trouncing of Antonio Margarito last November but chose to relinquish the crown, noting the danger that he faces fighting in a division where he would be outweighed so severely. Pacquiao is scheduled to face off with living legend 'Sugar' Shane Mosley on May 7th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada and after that assignment, if successful, a matchup with Berto would definitely be intriguing.
Wanting to get a better take on the situation, I reached out to Berto's trainer Tony Morgan, who has been guiding his charge since the amateurs. Morgan and discussed just how ready he feels Andre is for a fight like that at this point, his curiosity towards Pacquiao's incredible rise from the lower weight classes, his take on such fighters as Ortiz, Amir Khan, and Timothy Bradley plus much more.
This is what the Winter Haven, Florida trainer had to say...
Putting the best foot forward against Victor Ortiz...
"I think Victor is a very, very talented fighter. I think he has shown some flaws in the past but I think Victor is very talented and if that's who it ends up being, and it seems as though it's leaning that way, it is what it is and we're going to have to put our best foot forward and go back to work."
Ortiz's demoralizing loss to Marcos Maidana...
"I think anytime somebody has an event like that it affects you. I think that was his first time with a bad cut. He was very distraught, very worried. His mentality kind of took over and he noticed that Maidana was not slowing down. He took maybe the easy way out. I hate to say that, because I'm a fan of Victor's. I think Victor is a very talented fighter. I think everybody kind of thought that he was kind of the up and coming guy until that fight."
Keeping tabs with Andre...
"We talk quite a bit. We were friends first. He's been out in California. He told me that he's been working out. Running a little bit and doing a little calisthenics and not getting too fat. I think he learned his lesson. He doesn't blow up as much as he used to. I think he realized he's getting a little older and once you get older it's harder to shed those pounds. Your body's metabolism starts to shut down. I think it's a little tougher to cut the weight. We'll probably start our training camp, they are talking about us fighting in April, so we will probably start the latter part of February."
Musing on a Pacquiao-Berto scrap...
"I like that fight. Everyone worries, and there are always critics in boxing, they are going to say 'Oh, Berto hasn't fought anybody'. It isn't that we won't fight anybody. We are just following our team. If our team tells us this and they think it's the best scenario, that's what we do. Of course we want to fight bigger fights and we want the big names and the big money and all of that. But I'm not going to rush it and I'm not going to let Berto rush it. We'll take it for what it is. If they tell us we're fighting Pacquiao next, then that's who we will prepare for."
Sizing up Pacquiao...
"Most of the fighters Pacquiao fights are guys who have been through relentless wars. I think Pacquiao is outstanding. I think he's great but I think Berto's youth, speed, and power is going to give him problems. If you look at it, Pacquiao has fought a lot of Spanish and Latin fighters that pretty much are right there and are going to bring it right to you. As long as you give a little movement, whether it be side to side or in and out, they are going to have problems with ya. But I think somebody like Berto could give Pacquiao a lot of problems. If you watch, when Cotto threw punches he was hitting him and when Cotto moved his head Pacquiao wasn't hitting him. People say he would beat Floyd but I think Floyd would potshot Manny all day long. I do think Floyd's defense and his speed would give Manny too many problems."
Questioning Pacquiao's incredible rise in weight and competition...
"I still question some things. I really like Manny and I don't want to say anybody is doing anything wrong but just the way he's going through these guys at these heavier weights, that's very rarely, if ever, seen. When he fought these guys when he was younger it was kind of back and forth. When the fought the top of the food chain, the Barreras, the Morales' and stuff, but he wasn't just absolutely destroying them like he is now. Coming from such a small guy, that's hard for anybody to swallow. I'm not saying that he's on anything, hopefully he's not, hopefully he's just working his ass off and putting in the time, and he's just a monster. And I hope that's what it is. Boxing couldn't take a blow like that right now, if one of our seasoned, primed childs, one of our top guys [got caught], it would be a bad blow to boxing."
Pacquiao vs. Shane Mosley on May 7th...
"Truthfully, I love Shane and I think Shane was one of the greats. I don't think Shane can pull the trigger anymore. I think that Freddie Roach is smart in deciding who they should fight and picking the opponents at that stage. I felt the same way with Margarito. I think Shane is a very tough, durable fighter, but [that he] can't pull the trigger. I still think it would be somewhat of a competitive fight but I see Manny getting to him and probably stopping him in the latter rounds."
Fighters getting rushed into a bad situation...
"That's what happens in a lot of places, is that these kids get big heads and their balls outweigh their brains and the next thing you know they are in a bad position. Like Devon Alexander, I think Devon is a great fighter but I think that fight with Tim was too soon. I don't think Devon was mature enough and he jumped into something too soon. I told a lot of people that but a lot of people told me that he was going to beat Tim up because he was the better fighter. And I told them, I do believe he is a better fighter. I think Devon's a better boxer than Tim, but I think that Tim, if you watch Devon's fights and Tim's fights, Tim learns how to adapt to a situation. Devon doesn't, as you saw with Kotelnik. Kotelnik got into his ass. He kind of showed himself. He didn't know what to do. It's not that Tim's a better fighter, I think it was just his time."
Favoring Tim Bradley over Amir Khan...
"I think Amir is a good fighter. I think what makes him very competitive is his punch output. I think he throws a lot of punches but I still think Bradley has the tools to beat him. What makes Bradley special is, he seems to find a way to win. I've known Tim a long time. We fought him a couple of times in the amateurs. Tim is a tough little fighter. His will to win reminds me a lot of Andre Ward. He's very determined. I think that's what makes him special, his drive. I like Amir but I still think Tim will find a way to beat him."
