Mayweather vs. Berto: A sad ending to Floyd's career

A proud boxer always want to end his prizefighting career on a high note. More often than not, a pugilist even ends up getting a finale he never planned and didn't deserve. We've all heard it far too many times before: "This and that boxer fought longer than he should have."

 

It's not often that a prizefighter's career is like Floyd Mayweather's. Blessed with a team who genuinely cares and works for him, his path was laid out to perfection, calculated, planned, and thought of every step of the way.

 

After 19 long years in the professional boxing arena, the unbeaten pound-for-pound king is set to feature in what he says will be his final ring appearance against Andre Berto on September 12 (September 13 PHL time) at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

 

Often criticized as a cherry-picker by many, Mayweather has his fair share of unpopular choice of opponents in the past, but his latest pick had drawn more criticism from the fans and media alike. For some, disappointed is an understatement for what they feel about Mayweather's decision to fight Berto.

 

Who is Andre Berto?

 

Berto is a former world welterweight champion who fought at junior middleweight (154 pounds) early in his career before stepping down to the welterweight division. It is at 147 pounds where Berto made a name for himself, showcasing his speed, patented right uppercut and combination punching matched with good power that earned him 23 knockouts in 30 victories.

 

But Berto's assets as a fighter stop there. His defense is close to non-existent and his chin has proved suspect over the years. While Berto undoubtedly has a good offense, his flawed defensive game never fails to catch up with him somewhere along a fight.

 

Berto has this tendency to box using a shoulder roll stance that Mayweather made famous in modern day boxing. But unlike Mayweather, Berto never mastered the technique, so he simply leaves himself open to get hit with punches. He also has a bad habit of keeping his hands down during and after combinations which leaves him open for the taking quite frequently.

 

While there's no denying that Berto looked like a good fighter several years ago, never did he at one point, appeared to be someone who belongs in boxing's group of elite fighters.

 

Why Berto is a bad choice

 

Other names on Mayweather's potential opponents prior to the Mayweather vs. Berto official announcement were welterweight contender Keith Thurman, former world light welterweight champion Amir Khan, and Karim Mayfield.

 

Of the names mentioned, the boxer-puncher Thurman, who holds a record of 26-0 with 22 knockouts, was deemed to present a more competitive fight than the rest. Khan tried to talk his way into a big money fight with Mayweather for months, but his in-ring exploits never showed he's ready for the brash American nor his endless chatter proved he warranted a payday. Mayfield, meanwhile, was a surprise to many for being even in the equation.

 

Berto, for his part, has lost three of his last six fights, with two of those losses coming against Victor Ortiz, who dropped him twice to snatch his old WBC world title, and Robert Guerrero, who also dropped him twice and shut both his eyes over twelve rounds. Mayweather defeated with ease Ortiz and Guerrero in 2011 and 2013, respectively.

 

While triangle theories surely don't apply in boxing, the undeniable fact is that Mayweather is levels above Ortiz and Guerrero, and their skill difference is night and day. Against Mayweather, Berto will bring absolutely nothing to the table but a Hail Mary lucky punch which everybody knows won't land.

 

Beating Manny Pacquiao in his last fight is a tough act to follow because there's not another potential opponent who brings the same amount of threat to Mayweather, plus very few can be said to be at the same level. With his upcoming fight being his 49th and final ring appearance, you'd half expect Mayweather to at least do good for his own fans and legacy, but by choosing Berto, Mayweather proved once again his little concern for that.

 

How it shapes up

 

Berto's speed and power are nothing that Mayweather hasn't seen before, and the more he uses the little assets he have, the more he leaves himself vulnerable to Mayweather who is excellent at counter-punching.

 

Oddsmakers know their sports and more so their numbers, and the odds already went as far as a 100 to 1 with Mayweather being the favorite. The general public is wise enough to see this circus as the mismatch that it is, regardless of how much Mayweather tries to hype Berto and their upcoming fight.

 

Mayweather hasn't had a knockout victory since he pulled a cheap shot at Victor Ortiz in 2011. And if Mayweather is looking to get himself a KO win before he finally calls it a day, then he definitely got himself the right opponent.

 

Berto has a better chance of getting struck by lightning than pulling an upset against Mayweather. Nothing will work no matter what he does inside that ring and the only consolation for his trouble is the pot of gold waiting after the fight.

 

Love him or hate him, the five-division world champion Mayweather undeniably had an amazing career and he's surefire going to the Hall of Fame. Sadly though, ten to fifteen years from now, people will have few to no good words to say when they talk about his last fight if he's truly bent on making this his finale.

 

Fearless forecast: Mayweather by lopsided decision (at least 118-110) if not by knockout. —JST, GMA News

 

JM Siasat is a sportswriter, a former amateur boxer, and a student of the sweet science. The resident combat sports correspondent for GMA News Online, follow @jmsiasat on Twitter or email him at jmsiasat@ymail.com.