Roughly six hours after insinuating that WBC welterweight champion Victor Ortiz may have been taking "something" prior to their encounter this past April, former champion Andre Berto now appears to be backpedalling on statements that he posted on his official Twitter account. Earlier this morning, Berto made a series of posts suggesting that there was a reason why Ortiz entered the ring at 165 pounds, had an abundance of energy, and was able to absorb his "heavy shots" during their showdown. According to Berto, he has ties to people close to Ortiz and his camp and knows exactly what "he was taking". Although Berto never specifically mentioned what it was he thought Ortiz was taking, he remarked, "it wasn't Flintstone vitamins." So what secret performance-enhancing supplement is Berto accusing Ortiz of taking? Well, according to his latest posts, it was simply spinach.
Long after making those statements, Berto would post the following:
@AndreBerto: Wow why does everyones mind go straight to PEDs. Calm down everyone I was just talkin about Ortiz eating his spinach like popeye lol
@AndreBerto: He wanted to be strong on fight night. I know the lil dude at Whole Foods who hooks him up. Good luck in your Iron Man @viciousortiz
Evidently, six hours after making those initial posts, Berto decided to clear up any confusion that people may have had, letting everyone know that they were jumping to conclusions because he was simply talking about spinach. One has to wonder, however, why Berto would even go through all that trouble to make it sounds as if Ortiz was taking something if he was simply joking. More importantly, why wait six hours to let everyone in on the punchline? After all, those comments garnered a number of negative replies from fans and media alike, even prompting ESPN.com's Dan Rafael to reply with the following:
@danrafaelespn: Memo to @andreberto: You're baseless accusations via Twitter that @viciousortiz Victor Ortiz used PEDs sounds like sour grapes. Proof please
@danrafaelespn: Accusing an opponent of using PEDs, especially 6 wks later, with no proof is pathetic & not taking loss like a man
@danrafaelespn: @andreberto should take notes from Richard Schaefer & @oscardelahoya, who just settled a lawsuit over PED accusations against Pacquiao
Even Victor Ortiz seemed to think Berto's accusations were genuine as he quickly defended himself on his own Twitter account, posting the following:
@VICIOUSortiz: Berto needs to stop I'll have to hurt him again. Me I guess im not too bad for not havin a heart or courage ;)
@VICIOUSortiz: Bottom line I'll take any blood tests necessary and body tissue test to silence anyone
Was this truly a case of Andre Berto's comments being misinterpreted or is he simply backpedalling hours after making the comments due to the negativity he's received over this matter? Let us know your thoughts on the comments below.
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