MASHANTUCKET, Connecticut (AFP) – Andre Berto will make the sixth defense of his World Boxing Council welterweight crown Saturday, hoping a victory over Victor Ortiz can give him the status his unbeaten record hasn’t delivered.
Berto, 27-0 with 21 knockouts, won the crown in 2008 with a seventh-round stoppage of Mexico’s Miguel Angel Rodriguez.
Since then, the 27-year-old American of Haitian heritage has won unanimous decisions over US fighters Steve Forbes and Luis Collazo and Colombian Luis Urango, and knocked out Puerto Rico’s Carlos Quintana and Mexico’s Freddy Hernandez.
Despite his victories, however, Berto hasn’t captured the imagination of fight fans and is rarely considered among such marquee welterweights as Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather and Shane Mosley.
Berto believes a convincing victory over fellow American Ortiz, who boasts skill as well as considerable punching power, would raise his profile.
“I think this fight is going to be a fight that people want to see,” Berto said. “This kid is young, strong and athletic, and they know what I bring to the table.
“They want to see me tested. They think this kid is going to test me and I hope he does,” Berto added. “Because I feel another sharp fighter is only going to make me
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