boxing. Currently the WBC welterweight champion, the 25-year-old Berto
seems to be one fight away from laying claim to being one of the top
pound-for-pound boxers in the world. Berto recently sat down with
rolling out sports to talk about the rigorous training that he endures
to remain a boxing champion, the death of Vernon Forrest, and his
conversation with Mike Tyson. –a.r.
How do you prepare to be a champion?
It takes a lot of discipline to be a great fighter. Boxing is a very
strenuous sport. You can’t just depend on talent to become a champion.
I make sure that I’m conditioned and mentally prepared for a 12-round
fight. I’m training right now and it looks like I will be fighting in
December on HBO.
What are your thoughts on the murder of Vernon Forrest?
It was very unfortunate and it was basically a case of being at the
wrong place at the wrong time. He was a good guy and did tremendous
charity work. You really have to be careful about where you go. It’s a
recession and some people will do whatever they can to come up. The
fact that Vernon was a good person makes it even worse.
How are you building your brand outside the ring?
With Andre Berto Inc., we’re focusing on entertainment and giving back
to the community. We’ve done a lot of charity work and we’re going
through the process of bringing awareness to Parkinson’s disease.
Mike Tyson recently experienced tragedy with the death of his daughter. Have you spoken to him recently?
I got a chance to speak with Mike Tyson one month ago and he was doing
pretty good. He’s like a big brother to me. He’s handing the situation
the best way that he can. It was unfortunate how it happened. We sat
down and talked and he’s just getting himself back on track.
