Ever since their 2011 Fight of the Year, the boxing public has been waiting for “Vicious” Victor Ortiz and Andre “The Beast” Berto to engage in a rematch. From the opening bell of the first round, a fight immediately broke out in their first encounter.
No one in the audience, or even the legendary Emanuel Steward for that matter, were expecting an up-and-down fight to go the distance. Ortiz emerged as the winner and the new WBC Welterweight champion of a fight he was expected to lose.
Now that five years have gone by, the rematch couldn’t have marinated any longer. The boxing public is eager to see who the winner of this fight is going to be, both men look locked and loaded and ready to go at it once again.
Ortiz and Berto both seem to posses the winning confidence that boxing needs in the ring to produce a night of great entertainment. These two men, almost identical in weight, height and strength, are what boxing is all about. They are ready to put on a show and they will not let us down.
Ortiz has shown that when he is 100 percent focused for a fight, he delivers a great performance and fights like a man possessed. When Berto comes into a fight prepared at the maximum of his ability, he seems to be an unstoppable force as well.
Both men display heart and courage when they get into the ring and they’re sure to do so once again this Saturday night. If their rematch goes anything like their first fight we only have left to wonder who the hungrier man is and which one has more to prove this time around, because the outcome of this fight will be determined just by that alone.
Read on for a complete preview and prediction for Victor Ortiz vs. Andre Berto.
Tale of the Tape
Round By Round Boxing Staff Predictions - 2020
| Name | Win | Loss | Total Fights | Win Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alex Burgos | 3 | 3 | 6 | 0.5 |
| Hans Themistode | 4 | 2 | 6 | 0.66666666666667 |
| R.L. Woodson | 4 | 1 | 5 | 0.8 |
| Robert Contreras | 6 | 0 | 6 | 1 |
Victor Ortiz and Andre Berto both have knockout power, that alone always calls for an exiting fight against each other. Although Ortiz is an inch taller than Berto, the height advantage Ortiz is assumed to posses, is not really a factor in a fight like this.
With an up-and-down career, Ortiz cant risk to lose focus against the very tough challenge he has in front of him. Berto will come into the fight just as tough and strong as he did in their first fight, if not stronger. Keeping composure and staying focused will grant Ortiz a victory once again.
The key to victory against Ortiz, is for Berto to remain calm and stick to his game plan. Berto has to perform a smart chess match against the hard hitting Ortiz. If a knockout comes then Berto would get the redemption he’s finally been looking for, but he cant go out looking for the knockout. Getting caught up in a slugfest or exchange is a bad idea for Berto because of his questionable chin.
However, in a fight he was granted a gift decision against the veteran journeyman Luis Collazo, Berto has shown in the past that he struggles against southpaws.
If Berto doesn’t make any adjustments against the left handed fighter, the fight might end up having the same outcome once again.
Main Storylines
Photo by Arnold Turner/PBC
In a rematch that was supposed to be scheduled three years ago, Andre Berto suffered a muscle injury that postponed their second fight.
The boxing public was left to wonder if the two men would ever meet up again. Berto’s team then accused Victor Ortiz for being on steroids, which Ortiz’s team took as a compliment.
Time and time again we have seen a pattern that when a fighter is accused of being on juice, the chances of a rematch are bleak.
Thereafter, the two men moved on with their careers and both remained relevant in the sport as top contenders.
Fighting similar opposition, Berto and Ortiz’s career became comparably parallel. With nowhere else left to turn for both men, the only reasonable fight that made sense was for them to face each other once again.
Strengths for Each Man
Victor Ortiz
Photo by HBO
One of Victor Ortiz’s greatest strengths is his footwork. He’s always in position to throw strong, accurate power punches. The leverage and momentum he uses in his footwork amplify his punching power, coming from different angles that in turn keep his opponents off balance.
He’s a heavy-handed puncher nonetheless, but it’s his ability to stay in position that generates the knockout factor. “Sugar” Ray Robinson said, “Its about using different angles to keep your opponents off balance,” and Ortiz does that very well.
The fact that he’s also a natural right handed fighter, adopting the southpaw stance makes him a tough fighter with a stiff jab that’s bound to give anyone a run for their money.
Andre Berto
Photo by HBO
Andre Berto is a force to be reckoned with. Berto was one of the top welterweight’s when he was coming up early in his career.
It was Berto’s speed and punching power that landed him as a top champion. They don’t call Berto “The Beast” for nothing. Beating top contenders, Berto possessed the power to knock anyone out. He’s a natural, heavy-handed hitter that comes forward at all cost.
A threat to anyone that doesn’t come in mentally prepared to win a fight against him. His combinations and his agile athleticism earns Berto a victory time and time again.
Finally, his ability to fight on the inside or use his jab to keep his opponents at a distance to land his power punches, definitely makes him a complete all-around fighter.
Weaknesses for Each Man
Victor Ortiz
Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images
Victor Ortiz has all the qualities to make the perfect come-forward fighter. However, all of those qualities go out the window when he meets his match. When the going gets tough for Ortiz, his will seems to deteriorate.
Once Ortiz realizes that he has a tough competitor in front of him that wont succumb to his aggression, Ortiz seems to put it in his mind that he’s doomed to lose and his willing heart gives out.
In a fight against Marcos Maidana, Ortiz dropped Maidana three times before quitting in the sixth round due to Maidana’s unstoppable will and pressure.
If Ortiz is matched against an equally skilled and tough contestant, the fight narrows down to a fight of heart and it will be very interesting to see how he responds to the pressure this time around.
Andre Berto
Photo by Naoki Fukada
Andre Berto reminds me of Ricardo Mayorga. They both have the “X-Factor” to their styles of fighting. Like Mayorga, what makes Berto an entertaining fighter to watch, is his vulnerability and his aggression inside the ring.
Those two attributes are a recipe for disaster and makes a fight against any fighter an exciting one.
Not to mention he’s also vulnerable to uppercuts. The way he drops his hands and covers up when he gets hit leaves him exposed right down the middle.
Berto’s chin has been very questionable in the past. His ability to take a solid punch in the first six rounds of a fight is always left to speculation.
In recent fights, Berto has been stunned and dazed by his opponents. Being TKO’d by Jesus Soto Karass seems to have given hope to Berto’s future opponents, they have seen he’s able to get hurt and therefore try to expose the weakness in him.
The Winner and Why
Photo by Ed Mulholland/Golden Boy Promotions
Victor Ortiz scored two knockdowns in the first round of the first fight against Andre Berto. Although the referee only officially scored one of the two knockdowns in favor of Ortiz, it didn’t end up affecting him on the scorecards.
The facial expression on Berto after the second knockdown had concern written all over it. Berto wasn’t expecting Ortiz to come into the fight as strong as he did, considering Ortiz had moved up in weight class to fight him.
Berto then came on to score two knockdowns against Ortiz in the sixth round. And right before the ending of the sixth round, Ortiz scored yet another knockdown. The two fought the remainder of the second half of the fight in close quarters, exchanging big shots until the end.
When a fight like this takes place, most people would assume it should only end the same way again. But, the advantages both fighters have against each other this second time around is that they can both make the adjustments they need to make to finish each other off.
Whoever paid the most attention in their previous fight is bound to make the correction they need to score a possible knockout because they are both so equally matched.
Ortiz seems to already have victory in his mind because he knows he can beat the Haitian fighter. As good as confidence is though, Ortiz shouldn’t let the arrogance of his previous victory over Berto determine the outcome of their second fight and therefore forget to make the adjustments he needs to make by losing focus.
If Ortiz remains focused and takes this fight as if he was fighting Berto for the first time again, there is no reason why he should lose. Overall, by the end of the fight, the true winners will be us fans.
