This Saturday night, former WBC Welterweight Champion, Andre Berto (27-1, 20KO’s) will look to regain a version of the welterweight championship, and re-position himself back atop the elite of boxing world when he challenges current IBF Titlelist, Jan Zaveck. The show, entitled, Battle in Biloxi: is presented by DiBella Entertainment in association with SES Boxing and will be aired live on HBO’s Boxing After Dark®, beginning at 10:45 PM ET/PT.
While the fight will feature a number of firsts for Zaveck, his first time fighting in the U.S. and first time fighting on HBO, it will also feature a first for Berto. It will be the first time Berto enters the ring as a professional coming off the heels of a loss in his last bout. That loss came in what many believe to be the leading candidate for the 2011 Fight of the Year”, a close twelve round decision to Victor Ortiz this past April. While many people in Berto’s shoes might have looked to take on an easier opponent in their first fight back, Berto went in the complete opposite direction.
“Almost every great fighter has losses on their record and they came back even stronger,” said Berto. “I’m not trying to prove anything to the critics. My family and the real Berto fans out there have shown me tremendous support and love and they know what kind of fighter I am.
Berto admits that Zaveck is relatively unknown here in the states, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t a tough opponent. That being said, Berto is very confident he will leave the ring Saturday night as the new IBF Welterweight Champion.
“Like I’ve already said before, Jan Zaveck is a good fighter. He’s a world champion for a reason. From what I have seen he has a good right hand and he likes to bang but he will also try to box a little bit. Whatever he brings to the table, I will make sure that I’m ready for it Saturday night.”
A win on Saturday night not only puts Berto back in the driver seat but also moves him closer to the big fights he has been longing to secure, those being boxing’s two biggest cash cows, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao.
“I’ve had a tremendous training camp. We switched things up a bit and went to California for this camp and I have been working Victor Conte. He’s really been helping me with my nutrition and has taught me the importance of having rest days. In the past, we were very old school. It was always work as hard as you can every day. Now I feel great, better than I ever have before and I am ready to recapture a piece of the welterweight title Saturday night and show everyone that I am back.”