Berto vs Pacquiao Most Sensible Match

MANILA, Philippines – It seems like another boxing champion is setting his sights on challenging pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao, just like Floyd Mayweather, Jr., Shane Mosley, Antonio Margarito and Erik Morales.

World Boxing Council (WBC) welterweight champion Andre Berto, who successfully defended his title on Saturday (Sunday in Manila) against Puerto Rican Carlos Quintana, said Pacquiao has not faced a boxer like him.

“It would be a great showdown because he (Pacquiao) has never had to deal with my type of speed and power combined,” Berto said in an Examiner.com article by Vivek Wallace.

“Some of his opponents had one or the other, but you could make an argument that I'd be the first with that kind of mix,” the Haitian American added.

Berto's promoter, Lou DiBella, also confirmed that his ward is keen on fighting the Filipino boxing superstar. He said that Pacquiao is “absolutely on the radar if he decides to take the fight.”

Berto retained his WBC title after scoring an 8th round technical knockout victory at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Florida.

Most sensible match-up

The 26-year-old Berto (26-0, with 20 KOs) is the second undefeated fighter to challenge Pacquiao (51-3-2, with 38 knockouts) after Mayweather (40-0, with 25 KOs).

He represented Haiti in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece.

According to a sports journalist, Berto’s victory over Quintana paved the way for him to challenge the 7-division world champion.

Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated explained, “On paper it makes a lot of sense. It would unify two titles -- Pacquiao is the WBO title-holder -- and pitting Pacquiao against another power puncher would remove the stench attached to him and his promoter, Bob Arum, after last month's overpriced sparring session with Joshua Clottey.”

The Haitian-American was supposed to face Mosley of the US last January but he pulled out after the devastating Haiti earthquake, which affected his family.

Mosley went on to forge a May 1 fight with fellow American Mayweather, whom Pacquiao was supposed to fight last March 13. Their mega fight did not push through because they disagreed on the drug testing protocol. Pacquiao, meantime, retained his World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title after defeating Clottey of Ghana via unanimous decision last March.

Mannix noted that Pacquiao’s camp would have to wait for the outcome of the Mayweather vs Mosley match.

“But if Mosley wins -- which would trigger a rematch clause with Mayweather -- or if negotiations with Mayweather crumble, Berto has earned a spot at the top of the list,” he noted. – With reports from Examiner.com and Sports Illustrated