By Jake Donovan - It's a welterweight crossroads bout with the strangest of implications.
The winner of this weekend�s HBO Boxing After Dark showcase between Andre Berto and Luis Collazo (Saturday, 9:45PM ET/PT, Biloxi, MS) gains more than just another check in the W column.
He gains by far the greatest victory of his career, and knocks on the door of Top 5 status in the deepest and most marketable division in the sport.
He becomes a viable candidate for the winner in yet another January welterweight collision, this one next weekend between Antonio Margarito and Shane Mosley.
Yet it�s a win that both fighters need, as they sorely lack one anywhere nearly as significant.
Despite his modest level of competition on the way up, Berto (23-0, 19KO) for years has carried the �can�t miss?label in terms of future star status. There�s plenty to like about the undefeated boxer-puncher from Winter Haven, FL. He�s remained perfect through four years as a pro. He�s body-beautiful and always in tip-top shape. He boasts an Olympic pedigree and is currently in possession of alphabet hardware which, like or not, still means something in this day and age.
So what�s not to like?
Those who believe his star-status is just more HBO hyperbole being forced upon us point to his slow road to the top. Through four years as a pro, the potential exists, but he�s yet to face to the level of opposition to suggest that something special is on the horizon.
It�s for that reason that many take issue with the fact that this weekend�s bout is being treated as a foregone conclusion. That Collazo is considered far and away the best Berto has faced to date isn�t necessarily a compliment, yet odds makers believe the stocky Floridian to be as much as a 6 ?1 favorite to remain unbeaten by fights end. [details]
The winner of this weekend�s HBO Boxing After Dark showcase between Andre Berto and Luis Collazo (Saturday, 9:45PM ET/PT, Biloxi, MS) gains more than just another check in the W column.
He gains by far the greatest victory of his career, and knocks on the door of Top 5 status in the deepest and most marketable division in the sport.
He becomes a viable candidate for the winner in yet another January welterweight collision, this one next weekend between Antonio Margarito and Shane Mosley.
Yet it�s a win that both fighters need, as they sorely lack one anywhere nearly as significant.
Despite his modest level of competition on the way up, Berto (23-0, 19KO) for years has carried the �can�t miss?label in terms of future star status. There�s plenty to like about the undefeated boxer-puncher from Winter Haven, FL. He�s remained perfect through four years as a pro. He�s body-beautiful and always in tip-top shape. He boasts an Olympic pedigree and is currently in possession of alphabet hardware which, like or not, still means something in this day and age.
So what�s not to like?
Those who believe his star-status is just more HBO hyperbole being forced upon us point to his slow road to the top. Through four years as a pro, the potential exists, but he�s yet to face to the level of opposition to suggest that something special is on the horizon.
It�s for that reason that many take issue with the fact that this weekend�s bout is being treated as a foregone conclusion. That Collazo is considered far and away the best Berto has faced to date isn�t necessarily a compliment, yet odds makers believe the stocky Floridian to be as much as a 6 ?1 favorite to remain unbeaten by fights end. [details]
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