"I think Berto could pose a problem to him. I don't know if he will. I think Berto has natural speed, I think Berto has natural power...I think the timing is a little off as far as that fight for him, but Berto poses a problem to anybody if he's in the game... I would jump all over that fight if Berto was with me. I would take that fight in a heart beat just because that's a big pay day. It's a winnable fight, but you have to be 100% on your game," stated world-class trainer Tony Morgan, who shared his thoughts on his former pupil, Andre Berto, potentially getting the next shot at pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather. Check it out!
PC: I'm sure you are aware that Andre Berto is in the running to get Floyd Mayweather's 49th and final fight. What do you think of that fight if it were to take place on September 12th?
TM: Of course it's a great fight for Andre because financially it makes sense. I would like to see Berto take another fight before he takes that one, but this is a once in a lifetime opportunity when it comes to Floyd and the few fights he has left, so you want to jump on the opportunity. I think Berto could pose a problem to him. I don't know if he will. I think Berto has natural speed, I think Berto has natural power, I just don't think Berto's...I don't know if his head or his heart has been in it as much as it was. He is still an extremely talented kid, but this is the big leagues and it doesn't get any bigger than this. Of course I would love to see him go in there and do his thing and be the first one to ever bump off Floyd, and that's possible. That's always possible. I think the timing is a little off as far as that fight for him, but Berto poses a problem to anybody if he's in the game.
PC: When you watch Berto fight now, what are some of the things that you see him still do well?
TM: He's always going to be explosive; very fast and explosive. Of course he is strong. He wouldn't listen to me when he was with me towards the end. I don't know if his mindset got off a little. Sometimes you wonder if people do things because they love to do them or if people do things because they have to do them. I think once you lose that love, it's very, very hard to regain that fire, even though it's still in you. It's just like being married to someone for 15-20 years. It's hard to rekindle the flame even though there is something inside you that brought you to where you were at one point. I just hope he rekindles it. I really do because he is a good kid. We didn't see eye to eye there for a lil' bit, but no love lost. It's a tough game, man. It's a chew you up and spit you out type of game and anytime anybody is making money and being able to provide for their family, I'm happy.
PC: I know you mentioned wishing he could get a fight before facing a Floyd Mayweather. Would you like to see him face someone with a style similar to Floyd or simply a matter of seeing what he has left one more time before going against the best?
TM: Maybe another test on the big stage. He's been on the big stage, but not with a big name. Even when you look at Victor Ortiz and Robert Guerrero, even those guys aren't at the top of the food chain. He's never had a top of the food chain type of fight. He needs like a Broner or Thurman, a real test, and Floyd is a real test. I don't blame him. I would jump all over that fight if Berto was with me. I would take that fight in a heart beat just because that's a big pay day. It's a winnable fight, but you have to be 100% on your game.
PC: You were actually with Berto when he was scheduled to fight Shane Mosley and was forced to pull out because of the earthquake in Haiti. I'm sure you wish that fight would have went forward because that would have told you a lot.
TM: Exactly! That was a life changing moment for us in the sport of boxing. I would have loved to had seen that fight because that would have been a real test against an African American fighter who is talented in all areas and aspects as you are, and Shane was a real player. But things change; me and Berto changed and we kind of grew apart. No love lost to the guy, but he was the first kid that I ever worked with, so you want to see the kid that you grew up with from 9-10 years old, took him all the way through the amateurs, so you always want to see him do good. Even though you're pissed off that you aren't making the money that you should be making, even though you did all of the work, but at the same time, such is life.
PC: At this point in his career, do you feel like Floyd Mayweather has earned the right to go out fighting someone who is looked at as a "easy victory" type of fight?
TM: I think he's fought his whole life very smart and very calculated. A lot of people don't give Floyd his credit because they say he handpicked his opponents, but people don't really know Floyd or seen him come up when he fought the Corrales' and Castillo's and guys like that. I don't care what anybody says, he's fought top of the food chain fighters; maybe not all in their primes as a welterweight, but you have to look at where he came from. The guy comes from a 130-pound small man to a larger man at 147 and even 154 and dominated. He didn't just win, he dominated. So you always gotta give him credit and I think a lot of people don't because they don't like his flashy style and he gets a little over confident with his mouth, but hey, that's what sells for him. When it comes to being a fighter and an entertainer, that's what works for him. I think he's earned the right to do whatever and I love the fact that he's getting paid like that. It's great for the sport.
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]