Andre Berto was not born in Haiti, but his heart belongs to this country, from which his whole family emigrated in 1980.
A native of Winter Haven, Florida, started boxing at the age of 10, thanks to his father, a former professional mixed martial artist (older brother and sister Andre participate in MMA fights).
Outstanding amateur
Andre Berto quickly enough showed his outstanding qualities in the ring.
He became the champion of the Golden Gloves boxing tournament in 2001 and 2003, a three-time winner of the US Amateur Championship. During this time, in the general account, he climbed 22 times on the podium at the championships in his native state.
In 2004, Berto passed the selection and was able to take part in the Olympic Games, but was disqualified for pushing the opponent Juan MacPherson to the edge of the ring.
Andre's protest was approved, but the US Boxing Association overturned this decision, and the athlete was expelled from the tournament. Berto later had the chance to represent Haiti at the Olympics, but he lost in the first round.
Sunrise to the Top of Glory
Andre Berto's first professional fight took place in Arkansas in December 2004.
He defeated 13 of his 15 opponents, and in December 2006, after a technical knockout of Miguel Figueroa, he was named one of the popular online publications “Discovery of the Year”.
Andre Berto continued on his way to the top of the welterweight division by defeating boxers such as Norberto Bravo, Cosme Rivera and David Estrada.
Berto presented his first serious chance of victory in June 2008 at the World Championships in Memphis, where he had to fight for the title against Miguel Angel Rodriguez.
A technical knockout in the seventh round allowed Berto to receive the long-awaited belt.
Haiti Defense
Then Andre continued to hold the title, defeating Steve Forbes, Luis Collazo and Juan Urganto.
In January 2010, he was supposed to continue the battle for the title against Shane Mosley, but the fight had to be canceled due to an earthquake in Haiti.
Together with his uncle and family members of those killed in this terrible disaster, Andre Berto joined the group, which, having enlisted the help of doctors and stocking up with the necessary medical equipment from the States, went to Haiti to help eliminate the effects of the earthquake and provide all possible assistance to the victims.
Berto later recalls everything as a nightmare. He tells how he was struck by houses that formed like a house of cards, as if the country to which his heart forever belongs has become a place of hostilities.
Title battle
In April 2010, Andre Berto returned to the ring, once again defending his title in a fight against Carlos Quintan, in the city of Sunrise, Florida, and then in November 2010 against Freddie Hernandez in Las Vegas.
In April 2011, Berto failed to win, and the title passed to Victor Ortiz , who sent the opponent to the knockdown in the first round.
But this loss did not mark the black line in Andre's life, and already in September 2011 in the fight against Jan Zavek he managed to win the welterweight title again.
Battle with failures
Wanting to take revenge on Ortiz, Andre Berto refused the belt, so as not to engage in battle with another challenger Randall Bailey.
The revenge was scheduled for June 2012, but was canceled a month before the fight.
Upon returning to the ring, Berto lost a 12-round fight to Robert Guerrero in November 2012.
Then, in July 2013, there was a technical knockout in the fight against Jesus Soto Karass. At the beginning of the battle against Carass, Berto injured his right shoulder and in August 2013 was forced to seek the help of a surgeon to repair a damaged tendon.
He left the fight until September 2014, where he won the battle against Steve Chambers.
To the battle with renewed vigor
Berto continued his triumphal march in the fight against Josecito Lopez on March 13, 2015, fighting at the first Premier Boxing Championship on Spike TV.
Berto started slowly, letting the enemy win the early rounds, but already in the fourth he picked up the pace, starting to deliver accurate blows to the opponent’s body. A knockdown in the sixth round helped Andre Berto win the interim welterweight title.
In September 2015, the fight against Floyd Mayweather for the world welterweight titles followed, but Mayweather managed to retain the title.
What will happen later? Will Andre Berto decide to step aside or continue his fierce battle for the title?