Fight Pick & Preview – Berto vs. Soto-Karass:
On July 27, former champion Andre Berto and gutty contender Jesus Soto-Karass meet in an important 12-round welterweight bout. The winner furthers his cause in a welterweight division rife with opportunity, while the loser is sent to the back of the pack. Berto is more talented and favored, but Soto-Karass seems to have a reasonable chance.
- Date: July 27, 2013
- Site: AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas
- Division: Welterweight
Andre Berto, 28-1 (22 KOs), Winter Haven, Florida
vs.
Jesus Soto-Karass, 27-8-3 (17 KOs), Los Angeles, CA, via Los Mochis, Mexico
Soto-Karass is a hard guy to not like. He doesn’t have the most talent, but he wins on determination and resourcefulness. It seemed like he had become an opponent after losing to Alfonso Gomez, twice to Mike Jones, and then getting stopped by Gabriel Rosado. But I thought he won both Jones fights and even though he lost by stoppage to Marcos Maidana in September 2012, he was giving Maidana all he could handle up until that point.
Soto-Karass, 30, has some good results in his career. He knocked out 9-0 Saul Roman in one round in 2002. He stopped Vince Phillips, David Estrada, and beat Carson Jones along the way. His last fight saw him score a career-best win over 23-1 contender Selcuk Aydin. It’s hard to dismiss a fighter who has been through the ringer and still managed to emerge a winner. Fighters discounting Soto-Karass will be doing so at their own peril.
I wonder about Berto. This could be a case of jumping the gun, but he may not be the force of old. Once smack dab in the thick of things at 147, the division seems to have passed him by at this point. He remains a formidable physical talent, but the edge seems to be missing. Never a defensive whiz, it’s hard not to wonder aloud if he’s perhaps a bit shopworn.
Another point of concern about Berto is that he was never much of a thinking fighter. It didn’t really surface when he was overwhelming his opponents with superior talent and firepower. Against Ortiz and Guerrero, however, his inability to adapt and think quickly in the ring was startling. Berto may be an example of a fighter who looks awesome at face value, but lacks some of the finer points needed to make a sustained run at the top.
Not that Soto-Karass is a Pernell Whitaker in the ring. But he is smart, using all the tricks picked up during his 12-year career. He can obviously brawl, but has even learned how to box from long range over the years. At a spidery 5’10,” and with a long reach, it suits him well and lends some versatility to his game. He will need whatever he can find against Berto.
Berto is the more impressive-looking fighter. He’s built like an athlete, while Soto-Karass looks like a guy you might run into at a picnic at the park. Berto is capable of feats of athletic explosiveness that Soto-Karass can’t really touch. On the flip side, Soto-Karass has the head-game won, with his greater ring vision and ability to maximize his talents. With Berto, it sometimes seems he is making the least of what he has. On god-given talent alone, he should be right at the top of the division. So why isn’t he?
The only question is whether Soto-Karass is good enough to bring Berto’s deficiencies to fruition? It’s probably a case of yes and no. The same applies to the Mexican’s ability to withstand Berto’s power. For all his grit, he has been stopped twice in his last five fights and he’s always a stoppage on cuts waiting to happen.
Berto vs. Soto-Karass Prediction
I see another typical fight for Berto, where he should be more dominant than he is. He’ll come out and try to bomb out Soto-Karass, who will offer resistance and frustrate Berto. Soto-Karass will enjoy some moments of success in the middle rounds, but Berto is fighting for his career. Some desperation will set in and Berto will work hard and start pulling away late in the fight. I see a stoppage on cuts or a corner retirement late, in about the 11th round.
Prediction: Andre Berto wins by 11th-round TKO.
