Former IBF/WBC welterweight champion Andre Berto (28-2, 22 KO’s) has a real fight on his hands this Saturday night against the tough Mexican fighter Jesus Soto Karass (27-8-3, 17 KO’s) at the AT&T Center, in San Antonio, Texas. Berto, 29 is in a weakened position having lost two out of his last three fights.
Berto is coming off one of his poor performances of his 9 year pro career in losing by a fairly wide 12 round unanimous decision to Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero last November. Berto is now facing a carbon copy of Guerrero’s fighting style in 30-year-old Soto Karass and thing could go badly for Berto on Saturday unless he can find his way back to his prime years of his career back in 2010.
OSCAR DE LA HOYA, President of Golden Boy Promotions
#9 IBF, #10 WBC, Curtis Stevens (24-3, 17 KO’s) is a strong possible opponent for WBA middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin’s next fight on November 2nd in New York, according to Steve Kim. Golovkin’s promoters at K2 are interested in matching him against Britain’s Martin Murray, but that fight likely won’t happen.
British heavyweight Anthony Joshua, 23, will be making his pro debut on October 5th on the Lee Selby vs. Ryan Walsh and Kevin Mitchell vs. Gary Sykes card at the O2 Arena in London, UK. Joshua, the 2012 Olympic super heavyweight gold medalist from Britain, signed with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Sport promotional company.
Keith “One Time” Thurman (20-0, 18 KO’s) will be losing this Saturday night in his fight against #1 WBA Diego Chaves (22-0, 18 KO’s) in their battle for the interim WBA welterweight title, according to Lucas Matthysse.
Freddie Roach thinks he’s got the perfect airtight strategy for his fighter Manny Pacquiao (54-5-2, 38 KO’s) to end his two-fight losing streak and beat former WBA lightweight champion Brandon Rios (31-1-1, 23 KO’s) on November 23rd at the Cotai Arena, Venetian Resort, Macao, Macao S.A.R., China.
Tony Bellew (20-1, 12 Ko’s) failed the last time he got a title shot against WBO light heavyweight champion Nathan Cleverly in losing a 12 round majority decision to him two years ago in October 2011. Bellew, 30, is now on the cusp of getting another world title shot, this time against the winner of the Adonis Stevenson vs. Tavoris Cloud fight.
WBO World Light-Heavyweight Champion Nathan Cleverly says he’ll leave KO machine Sergey Kovalev “shaken and stirred” when they clash on Saturday 17th August at Cardiff’s Motorpoint Arena.
LUCAS “BIG DADDY” BROWNE has said his next fight could be in the UK, after he halted Travis Walker in Melbourne on Thursday (July 25).