Comments Thread For: Jan Zaveck-Andre Berto: The Pre-Fight Report Card

[BIGPOPPAPUMP]

By Cliff Rold - For a guy who gets a lot of grief, former Olympian and now former WBC Welterweight titlist Andre Berto sure has made some decent scraps. His to-the-brink moments with veteran Cosme Rivera and Luis Collazo showed the world two things.

Berto is flawed.

And Berto has sack.

It was shown again this past April in what remains one of the frontrunners for Fight of the Year against Victor Ortiz. On a night where he appeared ready to go multiple times, Berto willed himself to stay up and in the fray. Each man scored two knockdowns and Berto made sure that the man who gave him his first “L” had to work for it.

What of the man who can give him number two? Is that man going to be in the ring with him this weekend? [Click Here To Read More]

[UglyPug]

i don't agree with the pic, but you buttressed it very well with your reasoning. except for the analogy to the alexander/kotelnik fight; alexander lacks the explosiveness and power berto possesses. it's not even close in terms of raw power, and to be honest, i think alexander's speed is overrated too. also, alexander lacks the huevos and heart of berto.

i got berto either in an early stoppage, or a decision along the lines of 116-112. but i wouldn't be surprised at all if the fight plays out as you predict, and berto loses.

[Hindsight 20/10]

I disagree with the pick. Zaveck hasn't fought anyone like Berto, not his type of combination of speed & power. Some would say speed is power, and Berto has plenty of that. I just hope Bertos conditioning has improved. But seeing how Donaire doesn't gases out hopefully Berto got some good cardio training from Kochemny. Berto by KO w/in the first 6 rnds.

[Leohappy]

at least 1 article which doesn't 100% prefer berto. you rate zavec's defense B+ however it's a high guard making him exposed to body shots. also zavec's best shot, the right hook will leave him vulnerable to berto's uppercut. and we know berto is a big puncher. those uppercuts hurt ortiz.
i would say the core of the matter is zavec's chin. he has never been knocked down to my knowledge, but then again he hasn't been in the ring with a guy like berto before. or maybe that's because of good defense.
personally i think if zavec survives the berto's initial assault he would be perfectly capable of winning the quiet rounds, making this a close decision. and since we know decisions will not be fair, i expect berto to win on the cards. it's a possibility that zavec will be pursuing that KO, as zavec's trainer dzemski hinted, but it will also leave zavec more open to counters.

ps: and it's isaac hlatswayo

[v.cassiusali@ya]

i just hope berto will not end up like meldrick taylor and john mugabe who failed miserably in their succeeding fights after losing to julio cesar chavez sr and marvin hagler...

[GRUSTLER]

I don't think Berto is going to allow himself to lose again.

[truushot]

Zaveck is available to overhand rights. His high guard is only so so. The same punch that Berto KO'd Hernandez with. Berto, if moving backwards, will make Zaveck lunge for his shots leaving himself wide open. Also WHO the hell has Zaveck faced that is even remotely close to a top fighter? Isaac Hlatshwayo? Dude was old and faded. Zaveck looks good on video, but it is against guys that are slow and that stand right in front of him. How do they compare to the way Berto fights? Zaveck may look okay for a few rounds but Berto will take over and win on volume and style if he doesn't expose Zaveck's chin which has never been tested by a puncher.

[gatagata]

I havent read what the pick is but if its anything but Zavec by brutal KO in the first round than its dead wrong!

[Leohappy]

WHO the hell has Zaveck faced that is even remotely close to a top fighter? Isaac Hlatshwayo? Dude was old and faded. Zaveck looks good on video, but it is against guys that are slow and that stand right in front of him. How do they compare to the way Berto fights?

hlatswayo wasn't old and faded, wtf u talking about. he was the champ at the time, and chose zavec for his VOLUNTARY defense. zavec blasted him into obscurity. zavec also fought jackiewicz, one of the top euro welters. considering the fact that the dude's chin is made of iron, he put quite a beatdown on him. delgado was a bum but that fight happened because he was the only one willing to come to zavec's backyard.
also it had to be said it was zavec who pursued a fight with berto, not the other way around.
zavec could easily have defended his strap in slovenia in a football stadium against randall bailey and demolished him, but chose not to.
and ur saying zavec fought slow guys who stand there but how is berto any better? berto's footwork is horrible. not saying zavec is gonna pull an ortiz out of his ass but i'd say they are at least equal in the footwork.

[Sparked_1985]

Finally, some top-flight boxing!

Never seen Zaveck so I certainly can't pick him to win.