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Steve Mabbotts: WBC interim welterweight champion Robert Guerrero (30-1-1, 18 KO’s) has been talking for a long time about wanting to fight the likes of Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao. Now all Guerrero has to do to make himself an appealing option for those fighters is to beat Andre Berto (28-1, 22 KO’s) tomorrow night at the Citizens Business Bank Arena, in Ontario, California, USA.
That’s easier said than done, because Berto is a 2-1 favorite to win this fight, and Guerrero didn’t show the kind of power or speed in his last fight against Selcuk Aydin that would enable him to beat Berto.
Berto is beatable, and saw how he’s vulnerable against an opponent that puts a lot of pressure on him and throws a ton punches in Berto’s loss to Victor Ortiz last year. However, Guerrero will have to stand directly in front of Berto to accomplish that task he’s going to have to take a lot of hard shots in the process. Ortiz was able to get his way because he had power and speed pretty equal to Berto’s.
Guerrero doesn’t have that kind of speed and power going for him. Guerrero is more like a pumped up lightweight that left his power hind him at 135. Even at that weight, Guerrero wasn’t a big puncher, and he mainly got his victories by throwing a lot of shots. He’s going to have to do that with Berto on Saturday, and hope that the judges are more impressed with his higher punch volume compared to the harder, faster and more flashier shots that Berto is answering him back with.
A lot was expected of Berto when he picked up the World Boxing Council 147 lb title in 2008. However, he struggled in a win over Luis Collazo in 2009 and then had two easy defenses against Carlos Quintana and Freddy Hernandez before losing to Ortiz. Berto never really got to the level where a lot of boxing fans thought he would reach, and he didn’t look good in his last fight against Jan Zaveck last year in September.
It’s been over a year since Berto last fought, and Guerrero could take advantage of that by pushing the attack and attempting to where Berto down the same way that Ortiz did. Again, Guerrero is going to take a lot of shots in this fight and he’s going to have to show a good chin to win.
