Written by Scott Swerbinsky

---

There is no doubt that there is a ton of talent left in the sport of boxing. We have one of the biggest and brightest stars in our home state, Kelly Pavlik. One of the most promising young fighters in the world, Andre Berto, will be on display tonight on the undercard of the Paul Williams versus Carlos Quintana HBO card.  Berto is currently 20-0 with 17 of those victories by way of knockout, and took some time out to talk to my cousin this week. 2008 should be another great year to be a boxing fan. In the last few years mixed martial arts has added as many fans as any sport on the planet.  That growth in popularity has actually made boxing better. There are many big fights that are now being made that a few years ago might not have happened. Fight fans want to see the best of the best in against each other.

There is no doubt that there is a ton of talent left in the sport of boxing. We have one of the biggest and brightest stars in our home state, Kelly Pavlik.

One of the most promising young fighters in the world, Andre Berto, will be on display this Saturday on the undercard of the Paul Williams versus Carlos Quintana HBO card.

Berto is currently 20-0 with 17 of those victories by way of knockout.  He will step into the squared circle with Michel Trabant, who is currently 43-2-1 and should be a very stiff test. Andre was able to find a few minutes after a workout two days before his fight to talk to me.

SS: Andre, thanks for finding a few minutes to talk with me, I appreciate it.

AB: No problem.

SS: The fight's two days away, what's your thoughts on the fight with Trabant on Saturday?
AB: He's tough guy. From what I've seen he's not that huge of a puncher. I know he's never been knocked out.

SS: What will be your game plan going in?
AB: I will be intense, use my conditioning. It will be the same old me, I'll bring it to him and set things up and let it flow. I am good at adapting to a fighter's style.

SS: Two fights ago against Cosme Rivera, you suffered your first knock down as a pro, what happened?

AB: Going in I had some other things on my mind. The first five rounds were pretty easy, I got careless and paid for it. I wasn't rocked or hurt, he caught me off balance and he got the flash knock down.

SS: Tell us how you got into boxing.

AB: I was a bit of a troubled kid. My father always worked out and took me to the gym to relieve stress. I just happened to excel at it and fell in love with it.

SS: Who are some of the fighters you liked to watch growing up?

AB: I was a big Marvin Hagler fan. Ali, Sugar Shane, De La Hoya, and I loved Mike Tyson.

SS: Are there certain fighters you enjoy watching today?

AB: Oh yeah. Floyd, Cotto, Sam Peter, Klitschko, and Paul Williams.

SS: You're fighting on the Williams undercard. What are your thoughts on him?

AB: He is a different type of fighter. He's tall and has a different frame, throws a ton of punches. He's something to watch.

SS: What part of your game might need some fine tuning?

AB: Every fight I learn something, you can always get better. One fight I don't throw enough body shots, I'll loosen up my defense here and there. I just need to keep working.

SS: You're currently ranked #1 by the WBC and IBF in the welterweight division. Is there anyone you want to fight?

AB: I can't look past anybody. I'm focused on Trabant right now. I have to take one fight at a time.  2008 can be a big year for me. Hopefully I can get four to five fights in.

SS: Andre, thanks again for joining us days before your fight. Good luck on Saturday and I plan on following your career as you move on to bigger and better things.

AB: No problem at all.