FightHype.com recently caught up with the hottest up-and-coming fighter in boxing, welterweight contender Andre Berto. Berto talks about his graduation from prospect to contender, the current state of the welterweight division, his upcoming clash with veteran Cosme Rivera on July 27th and much more.

PC: How are you doing Andre?

AB: Man, everything's going good, you know? I'm just gearing down in training camp so we out here trying to get it.

PC: How is camp going for the Cosme Rivera fight on July 27th?

AB: Camp is going pretty good. We got a few sparring partners down and they're here giving me some real good work. I'm looking forward to it. I already feel like I'm in pretty good shape now, so when fight time comes, I'll be ready to go.

PC: How does it feel to be headlining an ESPN 2 Friday Night Fights card?

AB: It's definitely a blessing my man. I've been watching Friday Night Fights since I was a little kid and now I get the opportunity to headline. Hard work is definitely paying off for me. I'm looking forward to it.

PC: I know you were disappointed when Norberto Bravo had to replace Ben Tackie because you wanted to fight a veteran. Do you feel like Rivera will give you what you wanted to get from Tackie?

AB: Yeah definitely. Cosme has been in there with a gang of tough guys. He's a tough veteran. I was looking forward to the Ben Tackie fight and it didn't happen, but those situations come in professional boxing and you just have to roll with the punches and move forward. I'm looking forward to this Rivera fight. I think this will be my toughest fight yet. We've been putting in a lot of hard work and making sure we are well prepared.

PC: You've been knocking out a majority of your opponents. Can we expect the same fate for Cosme Rivera on July 27th?

AB: If the opportunity presents itself, I will definitely take it. It's nothing better than going home early. I'm going to go out there and for the first few rounds, just see what I can get and, you know, if the opportunity presents itself or I feel I could take him out of there, I'm not going to hesitate to do it. We don't get paid overtime in there so I would definitely like to finish it.

PC: You fought 7 times in 2006. The Rivera fight will only be your 3rd fight of 2007. Is that the graduation from prospect to contender?

AB: Yeah definitely. 2006 was basically like my rookie year in. I just wanted to stay busy, stay consistent and stay in the ring. Now we're getting closer and closer to being a contender and aiming for a title, so the fights start slowing down a bit, but getting better caliber fighters.

PC: What are some of the things you've been working on and what can we expect to see from you in a couple of weeks?

AB: Mainly my speed. My speed is going to be a big factor in this fight. I've been working on a lot of counterpunching, reaction time, a lot of defensive movement, aggression and basically everything across the board. We're just trying to make sure we cover all bases for this fight so we can handle anything he throws at me.

PC: A lot of fighters seem to have a tough time dealing with your aggression, but you're never overanxious and you set your shots up well. Is your patience in the ring coming from your amateur pedigree?

AB: Yeah definitely. I have a lot of experience through the amateur ranks, but I grew up sparring a lot of pros here in Florida, so that was mainly my style. I just had to adjust that style to fighting in the amateur games. I just try to stay patient and wait for my shots and if they come, just set them up. I like to stay on my opponents and test their hearts out and see if I could get them out of there.

PC: A lot of prospects/contenders usually have records full of first round knockouts, but you have some 5, 6, 7 round knockouts on your resume. Is that a testament that you stay strong throughout the fight?

AB: Exactly, exactly. You get a lot of prospects that, after they get out of the 3rd or 4th round, they're completely different fighters. With me, it really doesn't matter. We try and stay consistent. We train in the gym pretty hard. We train to go 15 or 16 rounds, so if I don't get them early, I'll get them later on throughout the fight. I stay strong throughout the fight.

PC: What do you think of the welterweight division right now?

AB: The welterweight division is really at its peek right now. I think that's the weight class with all of the top fighters in it right now. That's the division everyone wants to see. All of the competition is in the welterweight division right now. It's exciting to be in this weight class and let's just say I think I will add a little more fire to the pot. It's going to be fun.

PC: Who do you like in the welterweight fights coming up between Margarito/ Williams and Gatti/Gomez?

AB: I think Gatti/Gomez is going to be a toe-to-toe brawl. Hopefully Gatti can come out with it, but he hasn't really had good performances his last few times out. Hopefully he will get a chance to come out on top for his last fights. Margarito/ Williams, I think Williams should get him. He has the reach, stamina and he just keeps throwing man. Margarito is going to come to fight so it's going to be a good fight. Both of them can take shots and both of them are open for a lot of shots, so I think it's going to be a Mike Tyson Punch Out kind of fight.

PC: I know you're not overlooking Cosme, but I also know you plan on being successful. What would you like to do after this fight?

AB: It's just like you said, I'm focusing on Cosme Rivera right now and if everything goes well on the 27th, I would like to get at least one more fight in probably soon after. I just want to be right there in title contention. You get a lot of people that say this and say that, but at the same time, I have to agree with a lot of the critics and fans saying that I'm pretty much ready for anybody in the welterweight division. I'm just going to get these fights out of the way and hopefully we're right there in the mix.

PC: Your brother Edson got his second win under the Pro Elite banner. How did you two go in opposite directions?

AB: You know, I was never into the whole martial arts thing. My father was real big in it. Basically the whole family went that way but me. My sisters and my brothers got into the whole martial arts thing, but I never even wanted to try it at all. It just didn't appeal to me at the time. I thought it was a little soft; that's why I just got into the boxing and I just love boxing. We used to have all of the huge fight parties at my house. I never really wanted to deal with the kicking and all of that, so I stuck to the boxing and it's starting to pay off for me. The Berto family is trying to cover all bases, from mixed martial arts to boxing. We want to have the fight game on lock.

PC: Do you and Edson ever spar each other?

AB: Yeah. I actually tried to give him some work with his boxing, but his main thing is the kicks and the ground game, but we trying to get his hands right. He's been in the gym working with us so we can get his hands right so he'll have the standup part down too.

PC: I appreciate the interview Dre. I look forward to speaking with you again in the future. Is there anything you want to say in closing?

AB: Everybody continue to support me. I enjoy the love that I'm getting. I'm working hard to put on a great performance for the crowd and to just continue to show me that love and support. I'll definitely give you your monies worth.