Undefeated welterweight champion Andre Berto climbs back into the ring this weekend to defend his title in the main event of an HBO doubleheader. Berto will be challenged by two-time light welterweight champion Juan Urango. Hard-hitting light middleweight Alfredo Angulo battles Kermit Cintron on the undercard from the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida.
Andre Berto vs. Juan Urango (WBC Welterweight Title)
Money Line: Berto -365; Urango +285
Andre Berto had positioned himself for a big fight after an exciting win over Luis Collazo earlier this year. Or at least a rematch with Collazo after squeaking by with that decision. Instead of a bout against a top welterweight or a rematch with Collazo, Berto winds up in the ring with Juan Urango, a junior welterweight. And not exactly a top junior welterweight at that. Berto is a skilled young boxer that has shown flashes of power, speed, and technique. There seems to be few holes in his game but Urango won’t be the sort of fighter for Berto to really test himself against.
Juan Urango twice won a world title in the 140-pound light welterweight division. Urango is a southpaw but so is Luis Collazo so nothing from Urango should surprise Berto. Urango has only one loss, a unanimous decision to Ricky Hatton in 2007, but that was a very lopsided decision in Hatton’s favor. This will also be Urango’s first fight as a welterweight as he steps up the scales to fight at 147. Urango’s last fight was a decision victory over Herman Ngoudjo earlier this year. Urango knocked Ngoudjo down twice in that fight, even breaking his jaw early on in the fight.
Fight Predictions
Corey: By taking a fight like this, Berto appears to be just biding his time. Urango’s a great opponent for a junior welterweight (he’s a champion in that weight class), but not for a welterweight titlist like Berto, who has held the WBC belt for a year now. Urango’s been outboxed pretty badly twice in his career, once in a loss to Ricky Hatton and once in a fight he should have lost against Naoufel Ben Rabah. Berto’s abilities fall in the middle of those two guys – he packs a lot more power than Ben Rabah and he’s much more controlled than Hatton. With size and speed in his favor, Berto should take this one. Urango has a great chin and may test Berto’s at times, but Berto wins a wide points decision, 118-110, and hopefully moves on to bigger fights against the likes of Paul Williams, Shane Mosley, Miguel Cotto or Joshua Clottey.
Trent: I agree with Corey here. Urango will just be too small for Berto. Of course, I said that same thing about Manny Pacquiao against Oscar De La Hoya. Juan Urango is no Manny Pacquiao, however. It shouldn’t take long for Berto to settle into a groove against Urango and continue to bank rounds until the end. I see a unanimous decision going the way of Andre Berto. And I second the notion that hopefully Berto can move on to bigger fights. There are just too many options out there at welterweight for Berto to be fighting light welterweights.
Fight odds from Bodog.com.
