Inside Fights will be providing live round by round coverage of Saturday’s “Fighting for Haiti” card on HBO, headlined by Andre Berto’s defense of the WBC Welterweight title against former WBO Champion Carlos Quintana.
On the undercard, super bantamweight Celestino Caballero faces Daud Yordan. Caballero aims to look impressive against a man who gave Robert Guerrero more than he wanted a year ago.
Join us for live coverage beginning at 10:30 pm EST.
Inside Fights’ live coverage of HBO’s “Fighting for Haiti” card from Sunrise, Florida is under way. Thanks for joining us.
We open with featherweight action.
Celestino Caballero vs. Daud Yordan
Michael Buffer asks for a moment of silence for promoter Lorraine Chargin, wife of Don Chargin, and Referee Arthur Mercante. They get the memorial ten-count bell toll.
Telis Assimenios is the referee, and he brings quite a history of poor performances into the ring.
ROUND 1: Yordan catches a glancing left hook. Now he lands a jab, but Caballero lands one to the body. Caballero works the jab and lands a straight right to the body. Yordan tries to push the issue but ends up on his backside as Caballero pushes him back. Caballero lands a jab and two body shots. Now a right lands and one to the body for Caballero. Daud lands a straight right. Caballero is hitting a lot of gloves but throwing far more. An uppercut gets in, but Yordan gets in a right. Good jab by Caballero. Caballero lands a right to the body. Yordan lands a right to the head. Caballero stays on with the jab and lands a solid uppercut that Yordan felt. Caballero with a body shot and two more. He’s all over Yordan, who sort of throws his gloves up in a shrug. Now Yordan lands a body shot and gets in a combination to the head. Great first round of action.
10-9 Caballero
ROUND 2: Caballero threw 111 punches in the first round. He lands another body shot to start and stays on Yordan with the jab. Yordan lands two right hands, one knocking Caballero’s head back. Caballero lands a body shot and an uppercut. He keeps landing body shots until Yordan lands a left and a right. Good right hand by Caballero off the head of Yordan. Yordan lands a right and a left. He has come to fight. Yordan with a body shot and a left hook turns Caballero’s head. Caballero slams home another body shot and another as Yordan tries to duck. An uppercut lands for Caballero. Another body shot for Caballero. Another big shot to the body by Caballero and he throws about eight unanswered left hooks. Right hand by Caballero and a body shot. Yordan counters with a left hook that snaps Caballero’s head, but Caballero keeps hitting him in the body. Yordan comes in wildly and walks into an uppercut that drops him flat on his back, folded up like an accordion! Great counter by Caballero, but Yordan beats the count, which ends the round.
10-8 Caballero
ROUND 3: Left hook by Caballero starts the round. Yordan attacks Caballero on the ropes, but Caballero spreads his arms and shakes his head to show it had no effect. Yordan lands a left hook. Yordan with another left hook but takes a right to the head. Caballero jabs the body and starts pounding on Yordan’s gloves. Yordan with a body shot. Yordan lands a right but takes two hard body shots and a hard right hand to the head. Yordan gets in a right of his own, but his shots aren’t affecting Caballero the same way. Caballero buries more hard body shots in. Yordan lands a right to the head and a body shot but takes a body shot in return and an uppercut. Yordan lands a left hook but takes two to the body. Yordan eats a left hook to the mouth, and Caballero is swinging wildly now and gets caught with a left hook and a right hand.
10-9 Caballero
ROUND 4: Yordan is holding a lot more now, those body shots having taken their toll. Caballero ducks a right hand and nearly drops to a knee from his wide stance. Caballero lands an uppercut and blocks a left hook. Assimenios is having to work to break them now. Caballero with a body shot and an uppercut. Two more body shots to Yordan. How much can he take? They start letting their hands go, and Caballero wins that battle, beating Yordan all over the gloves and to the head. Yordan lands a right and a left. Caballeor snaps Yordan’s head back with two jabs and buries in three hard body shots. Yordan is landing clean upstairs but being annihilated to the body. Caballero will take that trade any day. Two more hard body shots for Caballero land on Yordan. Caballero finishes the round all over Yordan with shots.
10-9 Caballero
ROUND 5: Caballero lands a clean uppercut, then bashes Yordan all over the head. Yordan lands a right and a left, the combination that has been landing for him but not doing much damage. Caballero smacks in a right hand, a body shot, an uppercut, then a combination to the head. Now a combination to the body, but Yordan wobbles his head with a left hook. Caballero lands a right to the body and one to the head. Caballero puts the jab in Yordan’s face and rattles off another combination, but Yordan lands a right. Yordan lands a left hook but takes an uppercut and a body shot. Now Caballero lands a left hook and a body shot. A right to the head pushes Yordan back to the ropes. Yordan looks completely exhausted as he hangs onto Caballero in a clinch. Caballero is teeing off on Yordan’s gloves, and Yordan is finding it more difficult to punch back. Caballero lands a body shot but eats a right at the bell. He briefly stares Yordan down.
10-9 Caballero
ROUND 6: Yordan is swelling under his left eye and wiping at both eyes as he comes out. Caballero keeps letting his hands go, smacking in uppercuts and jabs and landing body shots. Yordan takes a body shot but lands a huge left hook that makes Caballero bounce back. But Caballero hardly seems to have noticed it and waves Yordan on for more, before punishing him with body shots. Caballero lands another body shot. Caballero lands another uppercut and a body shot. Yordan is bleeding from the nose now as he tries to push Caballero into the ropes, fighting valiantly. Yordan lands another big left hook, and now Assimenios warns Caballero about using his elbow. Caballero lands a body shot and a right upstairs. Yordan holds and gets hit to the body. That was Yordan’s best round, but he didn’t win it.
10-9 Caballero
ROUND 7: Caballero has landed nearly 120 body shots in this fight. He touches gloves with Yordan before the round. Yordan jumps in and lands a left and a right. Caballero is showing some footwork now, probably bored with hitting Yordan. He lands a body shot anyway. Yordan lands a left hook, and Caballero grins as he dances away. Caballero lands a right upstairs and one to the body. Assimenios yells at Yordan for holding, and Caballero hits him clean with a combination to the face. Yordan lands a right but takes one in return, and Caballero acts like he’s got Yordan hurt momentarily until Yordan holds. Caballero lands a right to the head, but Yordan gets him with a left hook and one to the body. Yordan lands two solid right hands that turn Caballero’s head. Caballero slams in a hard straight right and a body shot, but Yordan lands a left hook and a right. Yordan lands another combination to the head, and Caballero taunts him, talking to him and beckoning him on. Yordan scores with another combination to the head. Yordan appears to have won his first round by landing the head-turning shots, though he took a lot of punishment to get it done. He’s bleeding much worse from the nose.
10-9 Yordan
ROUND 8: Caballero smacks in some uppercuts and a right to the head. Caballero works the jab and lands a body shot. Yordan lands a clean right, but Caballero shakes his head at him. Yordan lands two clean left hooks. Caballero with a combination to the body and shakes his head at Yordan. Caballero lets his hands go, blasting into the gloves of Yordan. Yordan lands a left hook, and Caballero plays for the cameras, grinning and shaking his head smugly. Caballero pummels the body of Yordan. He stares Yordan down after the bell but really isn’t doing enough to get him out of there.
10-9 Caballero
ROUND 9: Caballero lands an uppercut, but Yordan is doing a good job of keeping his hands up to avoid taking too many in a row. Yordan lands a body shot but takes another uppercut and a body shot. Caballero lands a beauty of a straight right. Another right and an uppercut land for Caballero. Yordan lands a left hook. Caballero is grinning and shrugging like he can’t believe it’s still going on. Caballero lands an uppercut and a body shot. He lets his hands go, landing mostly to the body of Yordan. Yordan is not throwing back and is getting hit more. Caballero lands a right to the head. Yordan lands a right around the glove, a body shot and a left hook. Caballero with a right hand and a body shot. The commentators want the fight stopped, and Jim Lampley bashes Florida, saying it would shock him to see its commission do something intelligent.
10-9 Caballero
ROUND 10: Yordan lands a left hook to the head. Caballero sticks in a couple of uppercuts, and Yordan holds on. Yordan scores a right hand. Caballero looks to Assimenios briefly, then goes back to sticking the jab in Yordan’s face. Caballero walks into a right to the face but gives no response. Yordan lands a left and a right, then bangs away at Caballero’s body. Caballero lands a right hand and moves Yordan back with a body shot. Yordan holds on for a long time. Caballero clips him with a short right. Yordan gets in a left hook and moves Caballero’s head back with a right hand. Caballero answers with combinations to the body. Yordan pushes Caballero off with a glove to the face, and Caballero shakes his head around mockingly. Yordan offers to touch gloves. Yordan had a much better round there but didn’t win it. Still, if he makes it to the final bell, that would be a minor victory, though it won’t help his career any.
10-9 Caballero
ROUND 11: Caballero pumps the jab and gets in an uppercut. He has stayed on his game, though his foot is off the gas. Yordan lands a body shot but takes several more in return. Caballero clocks him with a right hand and a body shot. Caballero lands a straight right and grins. Yordan lands a clean left hook, followed by another and a right hand. Caballero sinks along the ropes, feigning injury. He gets back to jabbing Yordan’s face but takes a right and a left. Yordan lands a body shot and turns Caballero’s head with a right. Caballero lands a body shot, a straight right and an uppercut. Caballero is grinning and looking into the crowd. There’s two uppercuts by Caballero, but he eats a clean left hook. Yordan lands a clean right. He is landing the noticeable blows in this round. Yordan lands a left hook but takes a right. Yordan may have taken the round, but Caballero was busier. Yordan is bleeding under the left eye.
10-9 Caballero
ROUND 12: Caballero lands a body shot. Caballero lands a few uppercuts, and Yordan holds on. Caballero is grinning and looking into the crowd again. There’s three body shots by Caballero. Caballero shows the footwork again and beats Yordan around the head. Suddenly, Yordan lands a huge left hook when Caballero is off balance, and Caballero stumbles all over the place! Yordan goes on the attack as Caballero falls into the ropes, but Caballero recovers quickly and goes after Yordan’s body. He was stunned more than hurt, but credit Yordan for seeing the opening. Caballero is back to the footwork but takes a body shot from Yordan. Caballero lands a pair of uppercuts. Yordan takes a straight right and lands a left hook. Caballero goes on the attack to end the fight, landing a body shot. They hug, and it’s over. Yordan gets the twelfth because Caballero gave the impression he was hurt. Whether he was in serious trouble is another matter.
10-9 Yordan
Inside Fights scores it 118-109 for Caballero.
1,248 punches were thrown by Caballero, which is the third most ever tracked by CompuBox in a featherweight fight. He also landed more than three times as many punches than Yordan.
The judges have it 120-107, 119-108 and 118-108 for Caballero.
Caballero wins by unanimous decision
Tonight, Andre Berto returns to the ring for the first time since his bout against junior welterweight Juan Urango last May. Berto was scheduled to face Shane Mosley in January but had to drop out of the fight when the earthquake in Haiti killed several of his family members.
His camp noticed a change in his behavior and encouraged him to call off the fight with Mosley. Berto actually went to Haiti to offer his support and volunteer to help in any way possible.
WBC Welterweight Championship Bout
Andre Berto (Champion) vs. Carlos Quintana
Quintana has played spoiler before, taking the “0” of Joel Julio and Paul Williams. He was also knocked out in a single round by Williams in the rematch and stopped by Miguel Cotto in five rounds.
Soulja Boy raps Berto to the ring, but Berto looks focused, refraining from doing much dancing.
Tommy Kimmons, the face of Florida officiating, is the referee. Unlike Assimenios, nothing unusually bad sticks out on his resume.
ROUND 1: Quintana with a straight left to the body to start. Quintana lands a straight left to the head but catches a straight right to the head. Berto leans in and throws, catching a shot behind the head and going down on his hands and knees. The crowd gets excited, but Kimmons calls it a slip. Berto complains about a rabbit punch. Berto shoots some blazing shots in, grazing Quintana wiht a straight right. Berto lands a jab and throws wildly at Quintana in the corner. Berto again complains about a rabbit punch. Berto is just slapping with quick shots, not really landing anything powerful. Quintana bulls him into the ropes, and Berto has not stopped complaining. Berto lands a straight right to Quintana’s nose. Berto lands a jab. Berto grabs onto Quintana and again complains about a rabbit punch. The crowd boos as Kimmons warns Quintana for it. That was a strange start for Berto.
10-9 Berto
ROUND 2: Quintana actually landed a left left hand to the side of the head that sent Berto down after freezing him up. His complaining probably bailed him out of losing a point for the knockdown. Berto grins and sticks his tongue out but walks into a big straight left to the head from Quintana. Berto holds on, and Quintana roughs him up with shots to the head. Berto complains rather than fights. Berto tries to hold and gets hit with a left. Berto bangs in a right but takes a left. Berto grins and looks taken aback. Quintana takes a straight right, and Berto pushes him into the ropes, nearly going past Quintana and through them. Quintana with a straight left to the body. Berto lands a body shot. Berto lands a jab but misses a right and holds. Berto is sneering at Quintana and takes a jab. Quntana lands a body shot. Berto lands a body shot. Quintana lands a jab, but Berto gets him back with one.
10-9 Quintana
ROUND 3: Andre Dirrell is in the crowd rooting Berto on. Quintana lands a shot low, then a body shot. Kimmons tells Quintana to break on his command. Quintana gets in a jab, but Berto nails him with a straight right against the ropes. Quintana lands a left to the body, and Berto grabs on. Berto lands a right but takes a right hook. Quintana lands some clean jabs and a left hand as Berto holds. Berto gets in a clean left hook and holds Quintana against the ropes. Quintana lands a left behind the head, and Kimmons warns him again. Berto lands a jab. Berto scores with a left hook and holds. Berto destroys Quintana against the ropes, hammering him to the body and blasting him with a left hook. Quintana grabs Berto around the waist, moves around behind him and hits him behind the head. Kimmons justifiably takes a point.
10-8 Berto
ROUND 4: Bow Wow and Chris Brown have turned up to the fight as well – as spectators. No Chris Brown right hands tonight. Berto lands a clean straight right to Quintana’s chin. Quintana gets in a short left, and Berto looks to Kimmons. Quintana lands two lefts to the body. Berto holds on and takes several uppercuts from Quintana. Berto lands a left hook and one to the body. Quintana swings wildly and lands a jab. Berto lands an uppercut. Berto continues to hold on after landing punches. Berto with a jab, but Quintana grabs him around the waist, moves behind and again hits him blatantly behind the head. Kimmons doesn’t take a point for some reason this time. Berto lands a body shot but takes a right hook. Berto leans on Quintana against the ropes and eats a right hook. Berto starts holding Quintana by the head and hitting him with uppercuts. The crowd is heavily behind Berto. Berto jabs Quintana. Quintana lets his hands go as Berto holds. Berto’s style becomes harder to watch every fight.
10-9 Berto
ROUND 5: Quintana lands two clean left hands to the head and a hard uppercut. Quintana with a body shot, and Berto continues to try to hold. Quintana scores with a clean straight left. Another one lands. Berto lands a jab to knock Quintana’s head back. Berto smacks in a right to the head, and Quintana complains about some kind of punch. Quintana lands an uppercut but takes a left hook. Berto rips him with a big right hand against the ropes. Berto lands a jab. Berto is complaining about Quintana holding, and Kimmons actually warns him for it. Got the wrong guy. Berto lands a body shot against the ropes, and they trade rights. And Quintana is hurt! He wobbles back into the ropes, and Berto jumps on him. Berto lands a hard straight right, and Quintana sinks into the ropes. Quintana is firing back still and gets Berto with an uppercut. Quintana lands a straight left to the head. Quintana pops him with a jab and survives.
10-9 Berto
ROUND 6: Berto tries to touch gloves, and Quintana throws a body shot. Quintana gets in some uppercuts and a straight left. Berto walks into a straight left, but they aren’t affecting him as much as before. Quintana with a body shot. Berto lands a jab and takes a pair of body shots. Berto holds Quintana against the ropes. Quintana with an uppercut. Berto clocks him with a right hand, but Quintana takes it and lands a straight left to the head. Quintana tries to push Berto off and takes two jabs to the face. Quintana lands a straight left but gets knocked into the ropes by a straight right. Quintana gets in two body shots and a right hook but takes a clean jab. Berto drills Quintana with a straight right and slams his head sideways with a left hook against the ropes. Quintana has shown a good beard to this point, but now he’s bleeding from his right eye.
10-9 Berto
ROUND 7: Berto is complaining about cramps in his left biceps, but his corner tells him he can win with his heart. Berto lands a jab. Berto holds, and Quintana just pounds on his body until Berto lets go. Berto lands a right to the head and snaps his head back with a jab. Berto snaps Quintana’s head back with a jab. Berto lands a right to the head to knock Quintana back. Quintana lands a jab. Berto lets his hands go and blasts Quintana with a big right hand. Quintana pops Berto with a jab and gets his head turned by a straight right. For some reason, only Lampley is seeing the punches land. The other commentators are denying clean shots landed. Berto blasts Quintana with a three-punch combination against the ropes, bouncing his head around. Berto scores with a body shot as Quintana keeps his distance. Quintana lands one clean left hand, and Berto waves him on after the bell. If Quintana thinks he can just box outside and win this, he’s going to be in for a surprise when the scorecards come out.
10-9 Berto
ROUND 8: Berto bats in two right hands and knocks Quintana across the ring with the next one. Quintana claims rabbit punch. Quintana sneaks in a straight left, but Berto grins and shakes it off. A right hand to the head knocks Quintana across the ring, and again, Quintana acts like it was a rabbit punch. Berto lands a left hook and a big right hand to the head. Berto unloads on Quintana, absolutely annihilating him in the corner! Somehow, Quintana escapes and staggers across the ring. Berto continues to pour it on, burying power shots into Quintana’s face. Quintana looks beaten and battered as he gets his head knocked straight back into the corner by a vicious straight right hand. Kimmons has seen enough and steps in, stopping the fight.
Berto wins by TKO in the 8th round
That final round was the most impressive round of Berto’s career to this point. His trainer tackled him following the stoppage. The last straight right snapped Quintana’s head straight back and had his eyes rolling around in his head.
Berto tells Larry Merchant he missed fighting but felt rusty tonight. Berto confirms that he hurt his left biceps and thinks he tore it in the second or third round. He says it bothered him every time he threw it. Berto says Quintana knocked him down by hitting him back in the head, though replays showed it was legit. Berto says by the fifth round, he felt like he was in his groove. He wanted to finish the fight as soon as he could and in impressive fashion, which he did. Berto says he’s willing to wait for the top welterweights, Mosley, Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. He says he’s 26 years old and has time.
This concludes Inside Fights’ live coverage of “Fighting for Haiti.” Thanks for joining us.
