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 | | Subject: Berto vs. Ortiz II postponed due to Berto injury Tue Jan 31, 2012 4:23 pm | |
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- Andre Berto suffered a left biceps injury during a Monday sparring session, and Tuesday his rematch with fellow former welterweight titleholder Victor Ortiz was postponed.
They were due to meet Feb. 11 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas in a bout that was to kick off the 2012 schedule of Showtime's "Showtime Championship Boxing" series.
"It's a real shame. The fight was right around the corner, it was a great way to start the year of big fights and everybody was jacked up for it," Lou DiBella, Berto's promoter, said. "I feel bad for Andre. He was in spectacular condition and really ready for this fight, but it is one of those sad things that happens. It's unfortunate and just another obstacle he has to face."
The extent of Berto's injury is unknown. He had an MRI exam Monday.
"Due to the left biceps injury sustained by Andre Berto, he is going to be unable to compete in the scheduled bout against Victor Ortiz, so all parties involved are actively seeking a possible postponement date for the fight," Golden Boy's Richard Schaefer, Ortiz's promoter, said.
Schaefer said Berto adviser Al Haymon told him that Berto was seeking a second opinion from the Los Angeles Lakers team doctor, "but if what I was told (Monday) night is confirmed, Berto will require surgery and will be out at least four to six weeks. But the timetable is not confirmed. It might be more time or it might be less time. We really won't know until we hear what the doctors say."
Schaefer said the entire card has been postponed. Showtime's telecast was slated to be a tripleheader and also include junior middleweight contender Erislandy Lara against Ronald Hearns and featherweight Gary Russell Jr., the 2011 ESPN.com prospect of the year, against Dat Nguyen.
Showtime also had planned for the first time to televise additional undercard bouts on the Showtime Extreme platform, including fights involving middleweight prospect Fernando Guerrero and junior lightweight contender Argenis Mendez.
"It didn't make sense to have the rest of the card," Schaefer said.
Schaefer said that if it turns out Berto will be out for an extended period, he would try to put together an interim bout for Ortiz.
"Victor is only 25 and I would not want him to sit around and wait," Schaefer said, adding that ticket refunds could be obtained at the point of purchase, or those with tickets could hold them and they would be good for the rescheduled date.
Ortiz-Berto II was the first fight deal made by Stephen Espinoza, who late last year took the job to run Showtime Sports. He said it was on his list of fights he wanted to buy as soon as he got the job.
"Our most sincere wishes for a speedy recovery go out to Andre Berto," Espinoza said. "These things happen in boxing, especially when you have two hardworking fighters like Andre and Victor preparing for a career-defining fight.
"We are disappointed, of course, but we are working diligently to identify the soonest date possible to reschedule Ortiz vs. Berto II."
Espinoza also said that Showtime's "Fight Camp 360" series, which follows the build-up to the network's major fights and was scheduled to debut Wednesday night, has been postponed.
Berto was at the Ten Goose Gym in Van Nuys, Calif., with trainer Tony Morgan, when he suffered the injury.
It is a similar injury to the one he suffered in April 2010, early in his eventual eighth-round knockout of Carlos Quintana in a title defense in Sunrise, Fla.
In that fight, Berto tore his left biceps.
DiBella said the injury Berto suffered Monday was not related, even though it is to the same muscle on the same arm.
"It's a different part of the biceps. This is an upper biceps injury and the last time it was a lower biceps injury, so they really don't have anything to do with each other," DiBella said. "Just bad luck."
The first Ortiz-Berto fight, which took place April 16 at Foxwoods in Mashantucket, Conn., was a thrilling slugfest and strong contender for fight of the year honors. Ortiz and Berto were knocked down twice apiece -- including both of them hitting the deck in the memorable sixth round -- with Ortiz ultimately winning a unanimous decision to claim the welterweight title. He lost the title in his first defense to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in September.
Berto (28-1, 22 KOs) rebounded from the defeat in September to win another version of the 147-pound title. However, Berto relinquished his belt in order to pursue the high-profile rematch with Ortiz (29-3-2, 22 KOs), rather than fight a less-lucrative mandatory defense against Randall Bailey. http://espn.go.com/boxing/story/_/id/7524430/andre-berto-biceps-injury-rematch-victor-ortiz-postponedBummer |
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| | Subject: Re: Berto vs. Ortiz II postponed due to Berto injury Wed Feb 01, 2012 3:29 pm | |
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