In a fight that will be hard to beat for fight of the year, Berto narrowly edged Collazo in a heated 12-round title fight. The scores were 116-111, and 114-113.
Let me begin by saying that this was a great fight from beginning to end. Collazo started strong and staggered Berto across the ring. He would have fallen if not for his frantic reach for the ropes. Some thought that it could have been and should have been looked at as a knockdown, but it wasn't. Berto was clearly hurt early on, and he was grabbing and holding a lot in the early rounds. He was even stripped of a point in the fourth round.
For the next few rounds it seemed as if Collazo got tired and the result of that was that he stopped throwing solid punches. Collazo looked the part of the better boxer up to the 7th round. That's around the time the digging body shots from Berto started to take its toll. Then for some strange reason Collazo began to channel his inner De La Hoya and avoid fighting Berto in the 7th and 8th rounds. Personally, I feel as though this is where he lost the fight. If he had decided to fight at least one round, he and his camp would not be complaining (I will hit on this part a little later). In the 9th and tenth round Collazo seemed to get on track and box his game, and Berto stepped up as well. The eleventh round went to Collazo, who hit Berto with a little bit of everything he had but it didn't seem to really hurt him. Before the 12th round began, Berto's corner told him that he needed the round to win and that's all Berto needed to hear. Berto began the round with some kind of renewed energy and rocked Collazo early and often. Collazo bravely fought back and landed some shots of his own as the two fighters went toe-to-toe until the final bell sounded.
On a side note, the judge who scored the fight 116-111 needs to never judge again. I mean there is no way Berto could be ahead that far after getting a point taken away from him.
Collazo's camp may feel like they won the fight, but it all depends on the way one looked at the fight. If you looked at it from an action standpoint, then Collazo may have been ahead on the cards. He did press the action and throw a lot of punches. However, most of those punches did not do any real damage. When he was on the ropes, he was mostly hitting Berto's elbows with his flurries. When the two fighters were in the middle of the ring trading Collazo did throw more punches that landed, but the more power punches went to Berto. If Collazo didn't get gassed in the late rounds, he more than likely would have won the fight easily. In the end, Collazo didn't seem surprised by the decision because he knew full well that not getting the decision was a definite probability if it went to the judges as it ultimately did.
Congrats to Berto for a good, tough win. This was a great way to start off 2009 for the boxing fans all over the world.
What a fight. Honestly I though Berto should have gotten credit for a Knockdown in the 12th cause he hit Collazo with a vicious body blow that had a delayed reaction and then Collazo fell, but it was definitely from the body blow.
It was too close to call. Some rounds HBO gave to Collazo easy I thought Berto was winning. He was throwing some vicious power shots.
I think Berto is a good fighter, but I think he will get destroyed by all the elite welterweights he is just too small and doesn't have good defense
If Berto would have played to his strenghts more i.e using his speed, he would have won easily.
Berto needed a big 12th round and got it. His father needs to shut the hell up though in the stands
Highlights?
berto is no doubt a young and strong an pretty good boxer however I only think berto at this point is only half of what he may develop into and that is probably on of the reasons for hand picked fighters the deep water has pual williama migel cotto and margarito swimming around smelling blood in the water and one couldn't help but to wonder how long can he avoid those callibur of fighters