Andre Berto: Olympic Trials Controversy, Floyd Mayweather Fight Breakdown & Sparring Andre Ward

20:05Andre Berto:You know what I'm saying? Sometimes you like that resistance and you gonna show up. But you gotta, we got, like, again, like I'm learning, man, you gotta, you gotta get help with that stuff and you gotta tame that stuff. Cause that lock in, that rah rah, and focus, and then that competitiveness. You can't bring that into marriage every day. You can't bring that with your kid. Like, it's time I'm competing with my kid. Like, man, chill, man. Chill. Well, I'm competing with my friends and something. It's like my competition level is different than that. It's crazy. So I got to reel myself back in.

20:35But a lot of times I think that's why we see entertainers and athletes. It's tough after.

20:39Andre Berto:That's a fact. As they get older or when they retire. Because like you bringing all of that into this. These people ain't ready for that. That's good for the stage, for the ring, for the field. But on the other hand. But it can work for you too. But if you manage it right. That's what I'm saying. But on the other hand, which I tell a lot of, you know, athletes or even just entrepreneurs. Right. Like a lot of them, they come in, you know, they pay me to come speak to them. Come on in, bro. I said to teams and things of that nature because they want to know their championship mindset. They want to know.

21:08Andre Berto:They're workers. They know how to make money, but they need that dog in them at the same time. So when it comes to us athletes, you know, I say all the time, I'm like, listen, bro, like you got to take that same mentality and just put it in a, you're just competing in a different stage. That's it. You know what I mean? The same thing. And put that work in. Put that mindset. I mean the same you know what I mean like the mindset preparation the work same thing you just gotta go out there and do it you gotta change the mission you just gotta change the mission I'm still who I am to a point you know what I'm saying I'm evolving but I still got that thing in me but it's just the mission is the mission is different you know I got that drive you're in a different arena now yeah you're in a different arena now so take that there yeah you know what I'm saying but yeah that's the evolution man that we in the process of going through right now man that's a fact man take me to 2003 2004 man why I'm McPherson Why McPherson?

21:58Cleveland, Ohio. Cleveland, Ohio. He built like Tommy Hearn, but the boy was smooth, and he left-handed.

22:04Andre Berto:Yeah, yeah. And y 'all rumbling, man, and he giving you the blues, bro, because you thought, this dude won't stop moving. And then take me to Tunica, Mississippi. Oh, trust. In 2000, was it 03 or 04? I think it was like 03. What was it, Julie? 03 or 04. We got our researcher in USA Boxing representative. When was it? Tunica, Mississippi. 03 or 04? Early before. It was early before? Early before. To the Olympic trials, first time I ever seen cotton in my life. I'm from California. We don't see that. I'm going through. We driving to where the fight's at. I'm looking like, what is that? That's cotton.

22:38Huh? Yeah, tunica wasn't it. Tunica wasn't it. It wasn't it for us. But you had a, you know, that was a pivotal moment for you as your Olympic run was starting and your amateur career was ending. Yeah. What happened at Tunica that changed everything for you? Man, Tunica, Mississippi.

22:56Andre Berto:That was crazy. Was that the first night? The first fight? The first night. First night. We get to Tunica, Mississippi. You know, the Olympic trials, of course. You know, me, I'm a Womack Ferris, and we used to always exchange, you know, rank number one, rank number two for the last few years. You know, he beat me. I think he beat me twice already. I never got a chance to beat him. Like I said, the kid was 6 '1", 6 '2", softball. Good boxing. And nasty. You know what I'm saying? But for this particular, you know, training camp, I was fortunate enough, my boy Winky, he brought me into camp when he was getting ready to fight, you know, Shane Mosley.

23:35Andre Berto:So, you know, he knew I had the speed, he had the power, and I was his number one guy for the camp. So we was out there in Houston with Jay, and I was out there in training camp with him for like two months, two and a half months. So I got a chance to see, you know, one of the best southpaws. I got a chance to see that look every day. Every day for two or three months, bro. So, you know, I mean, I felt I was just more than prepared. Yeah. And, you know, it showed... Huh? Looked good. Man, it showed that fight, man. I got a chance to, and went out there to the trials. And I still remember the first night, you know, when they were doing the drawing, you know, for the brackets.

24:18Andre Berto:And, you know, everybody knew what time it was. They already knew me and Juan was going to be those ones. So I still remember them drawing. They got the 146. 152. 152. And they called my name. Andre Berto. They put me up on the board. I'm sitting there. I still remember sitting there with my dad. My pops right here. I'm like, all right, cool. All right, all right. They do the drawing. He said, wow. Juan McPherson. What? He put that up. Everybody. Everybody in the room. I was like, oh, shit, the first night. I looked at that pops. I said, I got up and walked in. I got up and walked out. It's about to go down.

25:01Andre Berto:It's go time. It's go time. You know what I mean? And I just locked myself in the room, man. And I just got my mind right. I had to get my mind right, bro. And, you know, people don't understand the, I say, the intensity that goes. It's a lot of pressure. You know, when it comes to this fight game, man. And, you know, all the weeks and months of working out, the anticipation, especially even from your family, that I look into, you know, especially my situation, you know, just, like, understanding the vibe that my people is in. And I was that guy that, you know what I mean, in my heart and in my mind, I knew I was going to change the situation, but I can't let this dude, I can't let this dude, you know what I mean, like, try to derail me from that.

25:44Because at this point, it's over. Amateur career is over with if you lose. If you lose the trials or whatever, it's over with.

25:50Andre Berto:Yeah. So the stakes are high. It's done deal. So going into that fight, it was, you know, I was getting ready to walk in, but I was so nervous. I still remember my pops being behind me. He rubbing my shoulders. Come on, come on, come on, come on, kid. You know, that's one thing with pops, man. It's like once he sees me in almost like a life or death situation, that's when I see his emotions come out. I love you, son. I love you. You know, I mean, stay focused. At home, never hit. You know what I'm saying? During training, never hear it. A lot of these other, you know what I mean, like tournaments, never hear it.

26:27Andre Berto:But when he sees me in a situation where the world is watching and it's almost like a life or death situation, that's when I see it pour out. I'm like, all right, cool. I mean, just walking into that fight, man, you know, I was ready. And yeah, like I said, I got a chance to see that look over and over and over again. And, you know, I went at it, man, and just going into the last round, I remember, you know, I mean, in between rounds, they were able to tell you the score. So I know I was up for like six, seven points. I was so happy. I said, finally, I'm about to beat this man. Finally, I'm about to get him, about to beat this man.

27:11Andre Berto:We in there, we getting in the mix. I remember him, it was like slow motion, he threw a straight left. I rocked back. I hit him with that right hand. Boom! I see his body go limp, but he grabbed me. He just grabbed on top of me. And the only thing in my mind that went was, you ain't getting away this time, bro. I can't, I can't literally... I need this. I'm gonna shake him off me. Shake him off me and I threw him. He fell to the floor and I remember his old coach. Ow. What's that? Ow. Yeah, Al. I remember this old coach, Al. I went to the... I went to neutral corner, and I'm seeing Juan trying to get up, but he looking.

27:53Andre Berto:I see him looking at Al, and Al was like, stay down, stay down, because he was losing. Stay down, stay down. Juan looked, looked again. That boy went to rolling around the canvas. Yeah, I remember. I was there. Rolling around the canvas. He just got hit by a truck, bro. And he stayed down there until they came out I had to pick them up in the stretcher. And I didn't know what was going on. I'm sitting there looking around. I don't know what's happening. And the referee brought me in the middle. And he said, I'm disqualified. Said I threw him down. Heart broken. Yeah. It's broken. Broken. So I mean, and then right after that, I have to remember Julie was trying to go to bat for me.

28:38Andre Berto:And you know, some other. The appeal process. Yeah, yeah, yeah. We're going through the appeal process of it. They re-watched the tape, and they reinstated me into the tournament. So I show up at the weigh-ins the next day. I remember that. And guess who showed up too? From leaving the hospital. Why? Showed up at the hospital. I mean, showed up at the weigh-ins. Ready to fight. I'm good now. Let's go. So, you know, went through that, man, and then... He was trying to fight? Yeah, he was trying to fight. He was trying to fight. He said he good. Okay, he got disqualified. I'm still in there. So, you know, we went through that, and they were just like, listen, this is a little too crazy, and we got to put a hope to everything.

29:20Andre Berto:Because, you know, of course, you know, Juan had a big team with him. You know, the second part of the trial, they were supposed to be in Cleveland as well. Yeah, the box-offs. Yes, and around that same time, that's when LeBron was about to get drafted too. So Cleveland was, you know, I mean, they kind of wrapped this whole thing around, the whole Cleveland situation. So, you know, they came and they stopped the tournament until we had to do it like an arbitration and figure it out. So you went through that whole process, man, and they didn't, you know, they didn't reinstate you. So where did the whole, you know, the Haitian option come in?

29:56Andre Berto:And whose idea was that? Actually, it was Shelly Finkels. You know, we got out of the arbitration. They stopped the tournament for about two or three days. Of course, everybody else in the tournament, they were highly upset because they wanted to continue to keep moving. I mean, so we had to go through arbitration. And, you know, I still remember just being in the arbitration room. Then after they made their verdict, they were just going to have both of us out. You know, I had a lot of the managers and promoters there. Of course, they were there scouting. I mean, they were there scouting. And Shelly Fink was, I mean, he was standing outside at the time.

30:29Andre Berto:He was managing. His name is Jeff Lacey. And, of course, he wanted to sign me as well. So, you know, he's seeing me, he's, hey, man, don't you got dual citizenship for Haiti? I'm like, yeah. And he's like, have you ever thought about, you know, me fighting for Haiti? I'm like, I don't think they got no team. Like, it's kind of... And they didn't. It's kind of messed up now and now. And they didn't. But the funny thing about it, man, this particular year, for the first time, they were trying to take a boxing team to the Olympics. So I made the call, my pops made the call out that way, and, you know, they were more than happy.

31:08Andre Berto:Oh, damn right. Come on. You know what I'm saying? But you were the only one on the team. No, but still, listen, I made the team. Well, they put me on the team, and we went to Mexico for the qualifiers. And they had other people from France, Canada, some other guys, some other Haitian guys that ended up making the team. The first day, everybody loses. I'm the only one that made it and continued to win, continued to win. Well, I don't know if you know the situation. You know they tried to disqualify me at the qualifiers, too. They did? I never heard that story. Yeah. You remember that? What you do this time?

31:47Andre Berto:No, because I'm... You did somebody on the head? Because I'm there, everybody on the Haitian team gets wiped the first day, but he's got this one kid, he knock out the guy from Argentina, he knock out the guy from Colombia, He's knocking out this other guy, and they like, nah, bro, he ain't, he don't fight for Haiti. We seen him fight on the US team before. You know what I'm saying? Yeah. He ain't it, you know what I'm saying? Like, we gotta see documentation that he has, that he has the Haitian, you know what I mean, passport. So we had to go through that whole situation again, man. So my pops, he called his government friends out that way.

32:24They made me a makeshift, you know, birth certificate.

32:28Andre Berto:They made me a makeshift. They made it happen. So, you know, and I ended up meeting Von the center finals. Yeah, that was wild, man. Being in Greece with the Olympic, the US team, and we used to seeing you with us. Yeah. And you the only one that got on a Haitian uniform. Like, bro, we see you. Good luck, man. Handle your business. But it was weird, though. But y 'all did Von this bad, bro. What happened? Because, I mean, you know, of course, all my boys on the US team. And I was hearing all the stories. Y 'all was talking to them crazy. Von there? Yeah, like, y 'all ain't supposed to be here.

33:00Andre Berto:You know what I mean? Burn over here, you know? You ain't supposed to be here. A lot of people loved you, man. Yeah, and some of the guys, man. Some of the guys was treating them bad. A lot of people loved you. He was fighting and arguing. You know, Von A, he was fighting back, man. He was trying to. But, you know, so you in this situation, bro, and you lose the first night. You think you lost? Nah, I get to do, like, three standing eight counts. You don't think you lost that? Nah. I never seen a fight. Yeah, nah, I fought the captain, France. You know the guy I fought at that duel when we met up at that duel.

33:31Andre Berto:He was cold though. He was a good fighter. Yeah, you know, he got me that night. I think he robbed me a few times. But for this time, of course, I was ready. I fought him. You know, like I said, man, I was on him. You know, I gave him away like three standing eight counts. He still won. So, yeah, I mean, after that, man. But at that time, though, you know, people don't know. Like, you mentioned Shelly Finkel. Yeah. and the managers and promoters coming to these national events. Yeah. We don't have no, it ain't no regulation where you can't talk to an amateur fighter. Like, I was at the Nationals, and I'd be talking to Cameron Duncan that night, Charlie Finkel that night.

34:08Man, I saw your win. Congratulations, we're watching you. Right? So they hovering, they there.

34:14Andre Berto:Yeah. So was Lou DiBella in Greece with you? No, he wasn't in Greece. We had a lot of conversations before Greece. I'm having conversations with a lot of guys. It was, I mean, you know, him, Shelly Finkel. Did you talk to Al at that point? No, I didn't know Al. I didn't know anything about Al. So you ended up signing with Lou DiBella? Yes. Coming out of the Olympics? Yes, because Lou called me right after the games, and he watched the fight. Bruno, we love you, man. We got to have you. I don't care about this amateur point system. You got a pro style. You got a pro style. You're our guy. Yes. Just come home.

34:49Andre Berto:You know what I mean? I ain't leaving stuff alone. I'm like, all right, bet. You know what I'm saying? So I came home and I spoke to everybody, Gary Shaw, Shelly Finkel, Cameron Duncan. You know what I'm, I mean, went to go see Lou. Did you talk to Jay? Yeah, I spoke to Jay. And still no Al Heyman? No, I didn't know Al. Where was Al at? I don't know. I didn't know nothing about Al. You didn't know nothing about Al? I didn't know nothing about Al Heyman. I never heard his, I never heard his name. That's crazy. I didn't know anything. So I ended up signing with Lou. and we did a co-promotion, you know, with him and Dame Dash.

35:21Yeah, so they were doing Broadway boxing. We did, the Broadway boxing. With Curtis Stevens, J-Day, J-Day, J-Day. J-Day, J-Day, it was crazy. And, um, that was hot for a minute. That was, like, at that time, that was it. We lived crazy.

35:33Andre Berto:Yeah, that was it. I mean, we were fighting at the Hammerstein Ballroom. You know, everybody running around these little cameras doing little interviews, but we in there, you know, Dame Dash, Jay-Z's, uh, you know, the Jairus, in this little Hammerstein ballroom. You know, Shanti, all the little celebrities. You know, me, J-Daw, and Curtis. You know, we in that thing, you know, going in there, just knocking all these guys out right afterwards. And boys putting on, you know, big fur coats. You know what I mean? We walking out of the place. You know, they opening up, you know what I mean? Like, Chip Rianney's for us.

36:08Andre Berto:Two, three o 'clock in the morning, you see Dame and Puff, everybody. Like, it was a... We was living like rock stars. The next day, you know what I mean? Chris and Irv Gotti, they putting them boys on a jet. They flying over to Vegas to park. Yeah. Yeah, private jet flying out to Vegas. Anything y 'all want. We staying at the Bellagio. Anything you want. You know what I mean? So it was a lot. I knew how they was getting down, though, because I was beefing with them. I know you was. I was beefing with them. I know. I know you. I'm way in California. You watching everything. I see it. Burns like, them boys ain't focused.

36:45They knocking out bums right now. They ain't focused. They gonna have their day.

36:48Andre Berto:So I'm beefing. Look, me and Curtis got history. I already know you are. Me and Curtis go back. We fought three, four times. Yeah, for sure. So we got that history. And I ain't never had no history with J-Dom. With J-Dom. But we was in a similar weight class. I was the gold medalist. So, you know, they looking at me like, you know, there's something weak and soft about me. I'm silver spoon. Because I remember when I got knocked down early in my career, I didn't hear nothing from them dudes before that. and at that time boxing talk was big so you get on the website and see what everybody talking about so when I got knocked down they started talking they started talking if he hurting what you think we gonna do what you think I'm gonna do but you know we watching the whole time I'm watching the whole thing Kurt Kurtz was saying something about that too Kurtz like yeah it's different it's the pros it's different than the pros you know what I mean if we go at I'm clipping him I'm clipping him I'm like alright yeah alright No, it was a crazy time, man.

37:43Andre Berto:But yeah, just like you said, I think the lifestyle, you know what I mean, definitely got them early. And you with guys, listen, man, you know, Chris and Irv, those are my guys still not as they let them go to death. But at the same time, they like the homeboys. They got some fighters. It's almost like you got some pit bulls. You know, my pit bull can beat your pit bull. You understand me? So it wasn't really too much of, I mean, of real discernment when it comes to their matchmaking. It was just like, now we're going to throw you out there. And you know, my guy going to beat your guy. That mean type situation.

38:24Andre Berto:And you ended up catching up with him. Yeah, but they living like rock stars. Yeah, it was. I ain't saying every rapper smoking drink, but they living like rappers. But they athletes, though. Yeah. You feel what I'm saying? So you know, you can't sustain that. Yeah. you can't sit that ain't that ain't sustainable yeah because soon as you you step that level up maybe even the next level you can get away with it start getting into that contender stage you got dudes that that really know how to fight and they don't mind getting whipped on for seven eight rounds just to get that one shot through and they know you inexperienced and you're gonna make a mistake now the game is different when you got to stretch them rounds out and you hitting something hitting a fighter and they hit you back you know so that's when stuff started getting getting different for them when did i'll come in the picture at what stage in your career um what When did you first hear about him?

39:08Andre Berto:My first fight, actually. Yeah, my first fight was in Little Rock, Arkansas. Jermaine Taylor on the card. Yeah, Jermaine Taylor's on the card. I think I was the co-man. I think I was the co-man. Because he had Jermaine at that time? Yeah. OK. He had Jermaine. I believe I was the co-man for that one. I went in there. You know, of course, I knocked dude out, like, second and third round. Like I said, we put on a show. Then on my way to the dressing room, I see some dude just, you know, he just rapping to me. You know what I mean? Hey, hey, hey, I need to talk to you. I need to talk to you. Hey, man, Al Heyman, Al Heyman, man.

39:41Andre Berto:You know, da-da-da-da. I'm like, what's going on? Like, who is this dude? He just, and they let him in my dressing room. He just like this. Hey, man, I need to, hey, I'm on the phone with Al Heyman. He want to talk to you. Al Heyman. I'm like, who are you talking to, bro? Who is Al Heyman? I'm like, bro. You talking about Sam. Yeah, yeah. My man Sam. Yeah, Sam Watson. I'm like, bro, I don't know Al Heyman. I'm like, man, y 'all get him up. Did you know Sam? I didn't know Sam. My first time seeing him. I'm like, I don't know what y 'all got going on, but get him up out of here. Yeah, they're hustling.

40:09They working, man. That's what they doing. Get him up out of here. They working. So, you know, he seen me again. You know what I mean? Like, I seen him again later. Hey, Sam, he's trying to get you up out of here, man. He's about to try to hear it.

40:20Andre Berto:I said, listen, dude, you're talking too fast, brother. No, you're talking too fast. Like, who are you? What's going on? I'm like, man, get him up out of here, bro. I seen him again later on that night. He said, listen, man, we came to see Jermaine. You know what I mean? But we love you. We love you. Hey, man, Al Heyman. I said, I hear what you're saying, bro, but I don't know you. I don't know what's going on. I leave. The next morning, I get a mystery call. Private. Hey, how you doing? It's Al Heyman. I'm like, well, Al Heyman, how the dude got my number? You know what I'm saying? And, you know, we just had light conversations.

40:55Andre Berto:I called Lou. I called Lou. I said, Lou, man, what's up with this dude, Al Hamer? You know, he just called me. I said, who is he? You know, and, you know, one thing about it, you know, Lou went to bat for him quick. Really? Lou was like, hey, man, you know, he's here. I mean, he's going to be a big force in the game. Really? I think you should consider it because I used to always think, listen, bro, I don't need no manager. I believe and I know I'm good enough. You know, going into the situation, I believed that I was better than Lou's whole roster. And I was like, listen. He said that? No, I'm saying that's what I believe.

41:30Andre Berto:You know what I mean? Like, going in, and I was like, listen, all I need to do is get a few fights, Orange Mains on the cards, they gonna see. And they gonna put me where I need to be. I don't need no manager. You know what I'm saying? And plus, I didn't want nobody else trying to take no money from me. Percentage. You know what I'm saying? So that's how the situation happened. And, you know, Lou kind of went to bat for him. And he just kept calling me. Like, a lot of people don't know. I spoke to Al on the phone for a year before I signed with him. You know what I'm saying? He would just call me.

41:58Andre Berto:He'll continue sending Sam to the fights. I didn't know why. You know what I'm saying? But we'll have conversations almost every day. You know what I mean? At the time, he was with Jermaine. He had Jermaine, Vernon Forrest. And he just - It was like some of his first guys, yeah. You know what I mean? And he was in the mix of getting Floyd. So everything that he would do, he would tell me. He'll let me know. Hey, man, we got this right here about to happen. Like, just watch out. I mean, it was very much just, I mean, just showing me, you know, his power. And just showing me that everything that he's saying or everything he's telling me is going to happen.

42:40Andre Berto:So he would tell me something and I'd see it on Boxing Talk, see it on the news. I'm like, man, God, man, this dude is serious for real. Like, you know what I mean? Any type of really big moves that was going on. Of course, I can't get too in-depth, but, you know. Why not? But, um. Can't talk about it? But, you know, you know what I mean? So he really showed me some things within that year. But then again, like I said, we had a lot of, you know, life conversations. Not just boxing, but just life conversations. And I was able to get really close to him and understand and just know his family and just know everything about him and, you know, just everything that he said that he was going to do for me or he was doing around the boxing game.

43:24You did.

43:24Andre Berto:You know, he did. and he was able to, you know what I mean, let me know and let me see it. That's one thing I always respected about you is that, you know, even though you were still young and business, you always had good instincts. Like, I ain't just gonna go for anything. Thanks. Like, I gotta watch you. I hear what you saying. But let me, you know what I'm saying? That's a fact. Yeah, that poor cat didn't come out like, I hear what you saying, but I'm too busy watching what you doing, man. So, you know, that's good to know and that's a good lesson for the youngsters out here, man, because it's a lot of fast talkers and sometimes they can produce for a little while.

43:55It's very rare that somebody can talk a good game and keep it going as long as Al did in your life.

44:00Andre Berto:That's a fact. You know, but y 'all got to take y 'all time, man, when these dudes coming up to you and they flashing money. Even dudes that want you to invest in stuff. Nah, man, we see it all day. Man, I got this, I got this thing. Just listen, man. Just listen to what they saying. Yeah. Just watch and take your time. And time is a revealer. And you either going to see over time, no, this is a good connection. I need to do this. Or I got to leave that dude alone. That's a fact. Or I can't get involved in that business. I see it all the time. So that's a good thing, man. Y 'all took y 'all time.

44:25Andre Berto:Give me this. I'm going to shift gears for just a hot second. What's your first and welcome to the pro game moment where you say, oh, this is different? When I fought David Estrada. Yeah, I think I told that story before. Probably when I fought David Estrada. Before then... Was that before the title or after? That was before the title. Okay, that was right before. Yeah, that was like my big, One of my big HBO showcases. He just got off of fighting Shane Mosley at the time. Tough, rugged cap from Chicago. And he fought Shane. He had a tight fight with Shane and a few others. And at the time, I'm just running through everybody.

45:11Andre Berto:You know what I'm saying? I'm making it look easy. I'm just running through everybody, man. And they finally put me in there with a guy, David Estrada. I said at the time, I don't care about none of these cats. You know what I'm saying? I ain't caring about nobody. They ain't going to be able to handle my speed and my power. I don't care what you're talking about. My speed and my power. Speed and my power. They ain't going to be able to handle none of that. So, you know how the punches be thinking, bro. I'm trying to tell you, bro. That's how the punches be thinking. As soon as I hit him, he ain't going to be able to take that.

45:39Andre Berto:Yeah, so as soon as I seen a little bit of his tape. And listen, bro, when I was coming up like that, bro, I wasn't watching no tape. None? We watch a little bit. If I see somebody, if I see a little bit of tape, and I see how slow, or if I see a combination looking slow. Oh, he can't beat me. Oh, it's over. Yeah, it's over. Yeah, go ahead, turn it off. Make that fight. Yeah, make that fight. Go ahead, turn it off. Turn it off. I don't want to see it. No, we go. We're about to eat him up real fast. So, like I said, Dave was one of those guys. Wow, I want to see it. I want to see if I'm good. We had trained in the camp of Miami.

46:09Andre Berto:The funny thing about that fight was yesterday, we was trained at the same gym in Miami. You know what I mean? That's crazy. Yeah. Different times? Yeah, different times. That's crazy. We had a hell of a training camp. And, you know, of course, winning that fight with a lot of confidence. It was my showcase, like on a big show. I think it was another Jermaine Taylor on the card. But when I tell you... When I tell you... Got you. Bing, bing. What? When I tell you the way this boy came out that first round... Yeah. He came out just banging. It wasn't no jabs, nothing. He walked straight to me, bing, bing, bing, bing, bing, bing.

46:55Andre Berto:I said, oh, oh, oh, oh, I'm trying to cover, but I need to get warmed up first, relax. Hold on, bro. I'm like, relax. Like, I mean, he coming out fast the first round. I still remember walking back to the corner. I like, I was telling someone, I said, man, he trying to embarrass me from everybody. What's he doing? You said that to him? Yeah, I'm like, yeah, he ain't following the script. You know what I'm saying? What you thought he was there for? He was trying to put a shoulder there. I mean, I'm like, what's going on? I mean, all the HBO people, everybody there. Was Kerry on top? Yeah, at the time.

47:23Andre Berto:Yeah, wasn't it? Kerry Davis was there. Everybody was out there. You know what I mean? He come out banging me. You know, and I was just surprised. And second round, same thing, come straight at me. Bing, bing, bing, bing. And the crazy thing about it, it's like I'm hitting him with these power shots I said I had. And the speed I was hitting him with, he was bing, bing, coming right back. Bop, bop, bop, bop, bop. I was like, okay. Okay. So he's pushing me back to the ropes. He's banging me up and down to the head, to the body. You know what I mean? I'm trying to move. I'm trying to shake. I'm trying to jab and move.

47:59Andre Berto:He don't care about that. He's grabbing me. He's pushing me to the ropes. He's hitting me on the side of my head. Hitting me on the... You know what I mean? I hit me with uppercuts. Hitting me to the body. And I'm like, this is crazy. I'm looking around. This is how this supposed to go. It's crazy because I'm seeing... This is not how this supposed to go. I was in there looking around like, this is crazy. Like, what are you doing? You know what I mean? He just coming out banging, bro. And, you know, in just midway to that fight, you know, I really had to, you know, I had to start talking to myself.

48:30Andre Berto:You know, I used to hear guys say about it all the time, you know, once you're in these certain type fights, you have to really start talking to yourself. I was in the corner, bro, talking to myself. My eyes swelling up. Never seen a 12 before in my life. Lips swelling up. You know what I mean? Bleeding. I had to talk to myself. Like, okay, okay, okay. I need to move around the jab. I need to do this. I need to do that. Tony, please tell me something. Boy going back in that boxing bag. Like, I need to figure this out. Tell me something. You know what I mean? What I need to do? What I need to do?

48:58Andre Berto:You know what I mean? And I really just had to make a choice right then in the middle of that fight. Like, okay. It's either going to be me or him. You know what I mean? I'm in a situation where this guy is steady coming and he's banging. He don't care about who I am. He don't care that all these people are here for me. You know what I mean? He trying to take me up out of here. So I had to make a decision, man. And, you know, it was... I mean, it was either just me or him. So I had to sit down and had to bite down. Had to bite down. And after a while, man, my body went numb, actually, from all the punishment he was giving me.

49:37Andre Berto:and, you know, I caught that second win, like, the fifth or sixth round. And, you know, it all resounds. My body went numb. Yeah, yeah. And my body went numb. This the fight game. They need to know this the fight game. How your body going numb, because you kidding me. Face numb, face swole. Oh, my goodness. Yeah, body numb. That was a 10-rounder, too, wasn't it? Yeah, I think it was 10-rounder. You know what I mean? Face numb. Welcome to the pro game. I'm talking about my body hurting. You know, but like I said, at that point, you know, a lot of my shots I was hitting him with started to break him.

50:10Yeah.

50:10Andre Berto:And, you know, and now I'm starting to see him wince here and there. Mm-hmm. So now my mind is changing. It's, you know, it's getting to a point of like, yeah, okay, okay. It's gonna be me and you tonight. Banging, banging, banging. Now I want to see your face change like my face changing. Bing, bing, bing, bing, bing. Can you take it? Yeah. Yeah, like, you know what I mean? Like, can you take it? Now I went to deep waters. You was, I mean, you a veteran. You kept saying that about me, so now you in the deep boys. Let's go. And I end up, you know, just breaking him down. End up, you know, knocking him out.

50:42Andre Berto:I think in like 10th or the 11th round. And, you know, that was the first fight that just me walking out of the ring. Of course, I was happy, but as soon as I went back in the dressing room, I looked in the mirror. I didn't even know who that was. I didn't know my face could do that. You know what I'm saying? And then I take my cup off. I remember going to take a piss. It looked like red Kool-Aid. Ooh! Red Kool-Aid. That's crazy. So, you know, my old rituals of, you know, after fight time, you know, going to after parties, having fun. Tonight, bro, I was in that bed. I mean, you know, I was in that tub, that hot water.

51:28Andre Berto:That boy in the room. I told everybody to go out and do what they do. I was in that tub. That's ringer off. I was in that tub soaking. I'm soaking. Leave me alone. I was in that tub soaking, man, thinking about life. But I was happy. But that was my real introduction to the program. See, a dude like that, that's the toughest, that's one of the toughest times. Nazeem Richardson, man, one of the greatest boxing minds, philosophers that I've ever known around the Philadelphia man of late, Nazeem Richardson. He said this about all of us, our class. He said, the toughest time for them gonna be right now, on the way up.

51:58You got a David Estrada. You got a Roy Ashworth that I fought, Darnell Boone. Like, this is their Super Bowl.

52:07Andre Berto:No, I'm not a champion yet, but we got a name. That's a fact. And if he beat you, if Estrada beat you, that's another big payday. His payday probably gonna double or triple from HBO, and they for sure gonna bring her back. Who's this guy that just beat Andre Berto? But it's a tough time because you on the way up, and you trying to learn how to be a professional. You trying to learn how to carry the weight of being a pro. Plus, but you learning how to fight at this level. But you ain't got time for that, because dude is there for a purpose. Yeah. And if he can upset you, everything changes. But how did you feel, too, with that darn-nate boom fight?

52:37I felt terrible.

52:38Andre Berto:Yeah. Because that was the first time being on the showcase. You know what I mean? He hit Twitter shot. Of course, he rocked you. But I had been rocked. How did you feel? I got rocked my second fight. Mmm. So I went from a four-rounder version like me fighting four-rounder. He said, man, we fight a four-rounder. If you get a slip and they call it a knock, now you got a draw. Yeah, that's right. He said, you good enough to fight six. So I went to six. my second fight. And got hit with a... Because, you know, I'm still learning how to fight inside, so I'm not knowing how to yoke you up and grab you until the ref get there.

53:10So, you know, I'm slipping off you and stuff, you know, because you got Vaseline on the gloves and stuff. It's just a different world than the pros. You ain't got a tank top and all that, so it's just different. So he snuck one in, uppercut, and I got hurt in that fight, first time ever as a pro. But the Darnell Boone thing was different because dude, I don't... I never seen the shot, but it was in the clinch again. Stop relaxing in the clinch. Referee say break. Alright, ref. That's what we do in the amateurs. He say, look at me. And you gotta respect him. Man, a pro game is cutthroat. Bing, bing.

53:45Alright, ref. He look. I can't catch you no other time, but I got you right now. Brother, listen. I don't... Listen to me good, bro. Listen to me good. You remember just... I don't remember the round it was. Listen to me. I don't remember getting hit. All I remember is just getting my hand raised after and hearing cheers and booze. Man. That's it. I think I got dropped in the... I don't know if that was a six or eight, but I had whatever round it was, I had two rounds left. Bro, I don't know how I got through them rounds. Listen to me.

54:21Andre Berto:You already know. I'm fighting on instinct, bro. Straight instinct. God had to be with me that night. Because I don't remember the two rounds that I fought. It's 2025. I still don't remember. I still don't remember what you remember. I just remember getting my head right there. It's like, yeah. And then I'm like, boo. And I'm looking like, what? I won. Why y 'all booing? And then when I went to the back, it started kind of coming to me a little bit. I said, man, you got hit with a shot, dude. So, yeah, how did I feel? No, I ain't feel too hot. I ain't feel too hot because the way I was... How did it affect you mentally?

54:53Andre Berto:Because you already know. But in the moment, after. I'm talking about in the moment and after. Because just knowing, of course the media situation isn't as big. I mean, of course it's a lot bigger than what it was back then. But still, you know, all of us within our class, we've seen it. So, you know, them phone calls when they're coming. Yeah. And I know you felt that. Yeah. Yeah. I know you felt that. In the moment, I just did what was in me came out. That dog. So in the moment, it wasn't no whole bunch of things. Like I said, I only remember. I just became who I was. Like, I got back down. But afterwards...

55:25That was the first time that I ever got... I started feeling what the media stuff was about, because everybody loved me up until that point. Even when I got buzzed the second time, it was like, oh, what happened right there? But nobody really, like, said nothing crazy. This was the first time when I went on the Internet, man, and I'm looking at these websites, and I'm seeing these people talk crazy. He's not who he thought he was. Could he be a bust? Question mark. Like, it got lit quick. I'm talking about days after. So that right there, man, that messed me up. Because you know it was weird too about that fight, bro, because I had a bad feeling.

55:58I had a bad feeling about that fight. I'm saying he was doing that to everybody, though. That's crazy about it. Listen to me. Darnell Boone, he was just. When we, but no, the world didn't know that, though. But I knew it, though, because HBO, they sent tapes. They sent you two, three guys. Look at these guys, pick one. I don't think they gave me a choice for that one. And I seen how he fought, and I seen that his style was going to give me some trouble, because I'm still young, I'm still trying to... My defense a little leaky. I'm trying to figure it out. But in Portland, though, that whole week, I just had a bad feeling something was going to happen.

56:29I locked myself in my room the whole week. I just felt like something was going to happen. And it did. I never had that feeling since. But I felt like, even in the locker room right before, like, you got nerves because you're going to fight, but I had, like, different type of nerve. Like, I was getting ready to experience something. I knew something was going to happen. But, and it took me, bro, I had to... That he ain't got a chin stuff, I had to wear that. The Darnell Boom fight was probably 0-4, 0-5 or something like that. I had to wear that till like 2008, 2009.

57:00Andre Berto:Yeah. Yeah, but it made me though, you know? It made me. So I didn't like it, man, but in them moments, whoever you are gonna come out. That's a fact. Especially in the moments. Yeah, so... Especially afterwards too, bro. The one thing with a fight game is we love it, but when I tell you this fight game is going to give you some of your highest highs in life, and it's going to give you your lowest lows really, really quick. Really, really quick. You see what I'm saying? So it's a funny type of relationship that we have with it because we love, of course, when we're on top, but when it goes the other way, that thing there just puts you in shambles quick.

57:42No, it's a different world, and I think that's what fans don't understand. They definitely don't. We've been actually dealing with this type of pressure since we've been youngins. Like, you know, we got local hate in our gyms, people chirping, oh, he good, oh, he not good. We got, you know, if we lose a national or something, you got, even if you win, you got people chirping back home. You got support, but you got hate. We've been dealing with that since we've been kids. You know, when you turn pro, you got family pressure. Plus, you dealing with media stuff. So, like, we become who we become, and it's like people think that like they can say anything and like move you off your mark i thought you lost or you're terrible or how'd you even it's like brother like we've been dealing with this yeah for years yeah you know what i'm saying yeah but i think the microscope is bigger of course as a pro of course no no i'm saying even as a pro yeah but i'm saying we get to the highest level and and and the stuff start coming the negativity start coming people think that that's the first time you've had to experience that that's not we've been dealing with this in some form my whole life.

58:42Andre Berto:Yeah. And the higher you get, the bigger the target. Yeah, that's a fact. But we've been dealing with this stuff our whole life, man, and that's what makes athletes and fighters different. Definitely. You know, because you learn to deal with that. Like, it's like a person that's going to a 9-5. I just think when somebody all day was telling you, you suck, you're terrible. Why'd they hire you? You can't even do your job right. And you had to actually tune that out and do your job. Every day, somebody would just, Yeah. Ah, that's terrible. You trip coming off the elevator. I'll look at you. You're clumsy.

59:12Think if somebody was talking crazy to you all day at your job, but you actually had to still do your job, or else you was on a regular basis.

59:18Andre Berto:And they're not seeing all the work we gotta put in. They're not understanding all the sacrifices that we gotta make on a regular basis. But then again, we have to perform in front of the world. Have to perform in front of the world, which plenty of people, they wouldn't even dare to step in no ring like that. They're not gonna take that walk. Ever. Most people won't take that walk. Never. Yeah. So, bro, you got fast-tracked. You know, I believe you got fast-tracked. Probably about three and some change a year to a world title. That's a fact. About 2008. And at this time, Al is locked in. Y 'all locked in.

59:50Andre Berto:Yeah. So, Al locked in. But Al wasn't always a ghost, man. I see some of them old fights. I see Al Heyman in the crowd. Yeah. I think when... Did he have Tar already? I think for that fight, I seen him in the crowd. I seen him at some fights. Yeah, no, I mean, you know, he used to do that. He used to do that. Like I said, the people, the Al Heyman that everybody know now, you know, of course I got a different experience with him. But what happened, though? Why he stopped being present to, like, them calling him the ghost? Because I think, you know, with him, you know, I guess his name was ringing a little too much.

1:00:28He got too big. You know what I'm saying? He got uncomfortable like that. You know what I mean? They're looking for me.

1:00:32Andre Berto:You know what I mean? That's Al, man. It's like, yeah, I still remember days when he was just pulling me out of my house. in LA where you sit down and just talk for hours. You know what I mean? And of course, same thing with what you just said. He used to be at the fights. He used to be in the season. You watched the fight with me and Victor Ortiz and me and all these other fights, you'll see him right there front row. You know what I'm saying? But it got to a point I believe that his name started to ring a little too much, man. And just one thing with him, he don't like all that attention at all.

1:01:06Andre Berto:At all. At all. You know what I mean? I remember I used to go to fights, and, you know, he's been signed on a lot of these fighters, and, you know, some of these fighters, never seen him. Never seen him. Like, literally be in a press conference, you know, after a fight, and he'll walk up to me and talk to me, you know, be in the back of the room. He's like, all right, I got to make my moves real quick. Bing, bing, bing. He move around, talk to whoever he need to talk to, and he out that side door. I'm sitting there watching him. You know, but like everybody, oh, I want to thank y 'all. Hey, man, thank y 'all.

1:01:39Andre Berto:They ain't never seen him. He was a mystery. You know what I mean? And he'll just sneak out. Or if I'm in the front of a hotel at MGM after a fight, and I see him sneak out and, you know, like somebody, you know what I mean? They'll pull up a Honda Accord. You know what I mean? He'll hop in the back. He taking off. He going to see his mom. You know what I mean? Like, that was just him. That was just him, man. He always wanted to stay discreet. and, you know, he's always telling me too, man, you know, you get in trouble once you... Yeah. You get in trouble once too much attention get on you. You know what I mean?

1:02:12Andre Berto:So he just like playing the back. Man, you had your first defense against Stevie Forbes. I was dead. I was a big night, you know, former world champion. You followed that up with a war with Louie Collazo. Oh, yeah. That was good. And then you came back and beat Juan Urengo. Yeah. Who wasn't no joke. Yeah. And, you know, you had a lot of buzz, man, around that fight. You had the champ sponsorship. This had put you in a position, man, for a mega fight. Yep. Against a future Hall of Famer, Shane Mosley, in 2010. Yeah. But January 12th, man, eight days before the fight, you know, it's a catastrophic earthquake in your homeland, your family's homeland of Haiti.

1:02:48You canceled the fight eight days before to go help with the rescue relief and the disaster relief. Who made that decision? How did that decision get made to cancel that fight?

1:03:00Andre Berto:You know, it was a tough decision, too, because at the same time, I'm about to make the ultra leap to superstardom. Crazy money. You know, crazy money. You know, fighting a guy, you know, that I idolized even at the time. You know, Shane Moses is one of my favorite fighters. And, you know, just being able to be in the same breath as him and just us just standing there face to face, you know, Just even me going back home looking at those pictures, I was like, that's crazy. I'm about to fight Shane. But we're in training camp. And of course, everybody's been following my career for a while. I've always gave back back home in Haiti.

1:03:43Andre Berto:I had the time, three orphanages that I would take care of. And I opened up, I don't know, about 50 water wells and things of that nature. So, you know, just preparing for that fight. I had a tremendous training camp. And of course, every story happens. And it was just something that I just couldn't ignore. You know what I mean? I mean, of course, millions of people died. But of course, at the same time, I'm getting calls from a lot of the kids that I take care of in these orphanages. Gone. You know what I mean? These kids are dead. The orphanages, they smashed. A lot of the schools that we took care of bought computers and things like that.

1:04:31Andre Berto:Kids dead. You know what I mean? And it was hard coming to train every day and seeing this on the news every day. Every day. And my parents, you know what I mean? They were walking up and they were coming up at the same time at my house. Just letting me know like certain family members are gone. Certain family members are missing. You know what I mean? So it was a situation that just me, just with the integrity that I have, you know what I mean, for the culture, you know, over in Haiti, and just the pride that I have within myself at the same time, I mean, it was bigger than boxing at the time.

1:05:10Andre Berto:I mean, it was bigger than boxing, so it was. Did your parents want you to cancel, or did they want you to fight and then go over there after the fight? I mean, like I said, it was tough, man. They would come and sit on my couch, man, and I'd just see tears in their eyes. You know what I mean? so it was like they didn't have to tell me nothing. You know what I mean? Just being who I am, you know, I knew what I had to do. You understand what I'm saying? I mean, I believe, you know, that just holds weight just for, like, the love and integrity that I have for my family and for our nation at the same time.

1:05:42So, you know, I mean, we made the call.

1:05:45Andre Berto:I called out. He understood. Like I said, it was hard to ignore. It was hard for me to go to train each and every day. just seeing this, like I say, on the news or just hearing, I mean, every other day the different family members are missing, different family members, they found dead. So, you know, I just didn't feel it was right. You know what I mean? For me to do so, yeah, I probably could have did it and, you know, just probably just shined a little bit more light on the situation. But I don't know, man. I just didn't, you know, I didn't want to do anything just for my personal gain at the same time.

1:06:20You understand what I'm saying? The country was hurting.

1:06:21Andre Berto:Yeah, so, you know, like, so we made the call. We canceled the fight, and he and I had a great friend, you know, one of his name, Dr. Barth Green, down in Miami. You know, he was taking, you know, private jets, you know, back and forth to Haiti, bringing supplies. I mean, I gave him a call, and he was like, come on. So me and my brother, we strapped up. We packed our bags up and, you know, was on that first plane smoking. What was your feeling when you first touched down in Haiti? What did that feel like? I mean, it was, uh...

1:06:55Andre Berto:I mean, it was like a scene out of a movie. You know what I mean? Getting to the area and just smog and smoke everywhere from just all the buildings that crashed. He was one of the first ones down that way. he had these big makeshift tents of just patients that he was bringing in. The team were going out in the streets. They dragging people out there. You know what I'm saying? They bringing them in to treat them. And everything was so raw and uncut. So you seen dead bodies? I'm seeing everything. I'm seeing dead bodies. I'm seeing people with arms off. And these doctors, they have to try to work on these people just like that.

1:07:40Andre Berto:They didn't have any anesthesia at the time because it was fresh. and, you know, I'm seeing babies getting buried. I'm seeing, I'm just seeing all this just up close and personal. And, you know, like me and my brother had to have a little conversation, like, listen, man, whatever we see when we're walking to this tent, we gotta, you know, we gotta be strong for them. So, you know, like I said, man, and Dr. Barth Green, like I said, it was so intense that he was giving the doctors that came out to fly there three days at the minimum, Then they had to leave because it was too heavy, you know, just mentally for them to see that, man.

1:08:19Andre Berto:And, you know, we got a chance to help a lot of people, but I seen a lot of death. A lot of death. And the most, you know what I mean, like, the eerie thing about that trip that continues to still stick with me when I think about it is, like, the nights where I would leave the camp. and just walk the streets just to get some, I mean, I just had some alone time, you know, just walking those streets and seeing all those buildings smashed. But you can hear everybody, you know, crying and screaming to try to get somebody to help them get out. They were still under the rubble. Still in the building.

1:09:02Andre Berto:Still under the rubble. I would hear it walking through the streets. It was like, it was such a crazy, eerie feeling to walk, you know what I mean, in this path of just seeing just like a bomb hit it, but just hearing everybody screaming for help, that you couldn't get to them. You know what I'm saying? So that really stuck with me, man. It was, you know, it was tough, man, but we got a chance to pull a lot of people out that we could. I seen kids, you know, get pulled out and watch their parents die, you know what I mean, in the house, and they would just sit there, and just be in a daze. Two, three days later they'll end up, I don't know, just dying from shock.

1:09:43Andre Berto:Yeah, so that was a tough situation. How long were y 'all over there? We was over there for probably like five days, probably six days, and we had to get up out of there, man. It was, it was, you know, it was intense. It was intense to see y 'all that. When you got back, was it any talk about y 'all trying to reschedule that fight? Cause y 'all never ended up fighting. Yeah, we had some talks, but, But, you know, like I said, Al was just like, man, you know, that was, you know, we want to make sure you're all right, you know what I mean? And I think Floyd ended up sneaking in that situation, you know what I mean?

1:10:16Andre Berto:Him and Shane ended up working something out. Of course, Shane was, you know, he understood the situation, but at the same time, he still wanted to fight, you know what I'm saying? He'd been in camp for the last three, four months. So they ended up, you know, working out a situation with him and Floyd. So, you know what I mean? That's the worst feeling in the world for a fighter who you done spent money in training camp. You've been punishing your body, doing what you do, and you waiting on that check. I need that. And then you don't get it. It's terrible. Terrible. It's a terrible feeling. It was crazy.

1:10:47But this gets you, you know, you don't fight Shane next. You fight, in 2011, man, you fight Victor Ortiz. This is the first time you really, really face some rough waters in a pro game. Like, Estrada, you had some moments. This is the real, real time. You go down in round one. He go down and round two. Y 'all both go down and round six. Crazy. Walk me through that fight. Crazy.

1:11:07Andre Berto:Yeah, a lot to happen in that fight, man. Did you, hold on, let me ask you this. Did you prepare right, though? Nah, bro. You know, I was a young cat man that was... that had a lot of pride and ego. Julia will tell you what she has. I had a lot of pride and ego at the time, too, man. And, yeah, I didn't want to fight Victor Ortiz. I didn't know who he was. You didn't want to fight him? Nah, I mean, I was supposed to be lined up to fight Floyd. Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, I was lined up to fight Floyd next. I'm like, you know what I mean, that's the fight I won. And they been hearing me, you know what I mean, knocking on the door for the last couple months.

1:11:41Andre Berto:And at that time, you know, I'm wilding a little bit. I'm living out in Atlanta. You know what I'm saying? I'm getting in there and, you know... Probably wilding a lot a bit, but go ahead. Yeah, that's what I'm saying. Go ahead, bro. But, you know, they called me for the fight. I'm like, listen, what's up with this Floyd situation? Like, I mean, I don't know Victor Ortiz. What are we doing? And, you know, of course he talked to me and said, listen, you get over this Vic Ortiz situation, this Floyd situation's next. But I'm already hot, I'm already mad, I'm over in Atlanta, I'm having a good time, partying.

1:12:14Andre Berto:I don't know who Vic Ortiz is. The last thing I've seen about Vic Ortiz, he fought, you know, Marcos Maidana. And I seen Maidana almost kill him. I'm like, ah, I ain't got to train for this. You know what I mean? I ain't got a train for this. So, you know, I'm out in the A, man. I get to camp probably six weeks out. Six weeks out, you know what I mean? You know, but that's one thing with me, though. You know, every time, you know what I mean, camp time comes, we get to work. It's the only thing we know. So we get into it. But the thing that killed me for that fight, which, of course, not too many people even know, but we are sitting watching Nonito.

1:13:00Andre Berto:You know, Nonito Dornare, he's getting ready to fight. Big Dutton? The Vic? Yeah, I think so. Big Dutton. And we see him work with Vic Duconti. So we see in the preparation, and we see him using the machine, like this hypoxia machine, as opposed to simulating, you know what I mean, high altitude, making endurance more of this and that. We're already always in great shape, but, But like I said, we always trying to look for that edge. And we seen him, we said, oh man, that looks dope. Let's get one. Me and my brother at the camp, I was like, yeah, let's get one. So we find out the company, I mean, they had it.

1:13:37Andre Berto:Wasn't it, we rented one in. Didn't know what we were doing. You overdid it, didn't you? We didn't know what we were doing. Didn't know how to work it. We just seen them with a mask on they face and you can. Work for him. You can put the high altitude situation. and all right, cool, that makes sense. We don't need nobody, we good. I eat breakfast in the morning. After I get put on my face, sit down there. I go training. If I'm not sparring, I'm punching the bags, put it on the face. We got the machine, my brother got the machine, just following me around the gym. And I'm, you know what I mean?

1:14:13Andre Berto:Just, I mean, I said I'm wearing it for, all right, 20, 30 minutes straight. And, you know, but as we continue to get closer to the fight, you know what I mean, I'm just feeling just tired all the time. And I still remember, you know, probably like two weeks, you know, leading up to the fight, you know, I got it on my face again before breakfast. And I just remember my brother, you know what I mean, waking me up. Hey, man, what's going on? You good? I'm like, what you talking about? You're like, man, you almost, you know what I mean? Like, you almost, you know what I mean? I went to sleep and just passed up.

1:14:50Andre Berto:I'm like, really? He's like, man, I don't think we should use this no more. I think, I mean, it's almost fight time, you know what I mean? Like, you know, probably we should stop using it now. I'm like, all right, cool. I take it off. I take it off, but the damage has already been done. You know what I mean? Like, two weeks leading up to the fight, every day I'm trained, I feel so tired. I'm sparring. I can barely go three rounds sparring. We don't know what's going on, but Tony's like, listen, man, maybe it's the weight cut, but we know that every time those lights come on, you perform, so don't worry about it.

1:15:27Andre Berto:You know what I'm saying? But I'm feeling crazy. I'm telling them, and I'm sparring. I'm just feeling weak. I'm like, ah, yeah, you might be right. So like I said, go fight time. I'm fueling up, but I just know something's up. It just didn't feel right. I was feeling so extremely nervous. I ain't feeling that you felt what Darnell Boom. That was me. I was feeling crazy. I still remember sitting down in the hotel praying like, I don't know what's happening, I don't know what's going on, but just get me past the night. And, you know, we get ready, man. And I'm praying. I'm praying, I'm trying to find a way.

1:16:06Andre Berto:Please, God, please, God, get me through this one. We get out there, man, and, you know, and somewhere in Connecticut, somewhere in the woods, I don't think nothing about it. I'm getting ready to walk out. I look to the right. I'm already nervous, because I don't know how my body going to react. I walk out. I look to my right. I see Floyd. I see 50 Cent. I see this person, that person. I'm like, what the hell they doing? I'm like, ah, they out here scouting. I said, ah, man. I walk in that ring, man. I see, yeah, I look across, man. I see Victor Ortiz. I see this boy bouncing. I see him bouncing across the ring, looking like a rabbit dog, bruh.

1:16:52Andre Berto:Huge, big, sweating, just looking like he just, looking like he had just killer in his eyes. I mean, I'm like, ah, damn. He coming for you. So, you know, I mean, I mean, we got to buckle down. I'm looking to this side. I'm seeing Floyd looking like, yeah, we're going to see what you're about. You know, your name getting floated with mine. I'm seeing Vic Nortiz over there looking like he more than ready. I'm like, God, oh, man. So, I mean, everything that people seen during that fight, even though now, you know, people say it's classic Blasey Blasey, but I hated it for forever. But everything that people seen that night of that fight, that was your straight instinct.

1:17:39Andre Berto:Straight instinct. I was tired after the second round. They never seen me just lay on the ropes. As much as I did that fight, my legs, everything was gone. I didn't know what was going on with my body. Everything was gone. It was straight instinct, man. Straight instinct. What you thinking when you go down in that first round? You know, I really just went down just to slow down the pace. You know what I mean? Because, like I say, I was nervous coming in. I didn't know what was going on. He came straight at me. Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. I'm like, yeah, I wasn't really hurt. I just went down.

1:18:09Andre Berto:All right, man, slow this thing down. Like, I need to get myself together. And, you know, um... What you thinking when you clip him? Second round. Right. When I clip the second round, I said, all right, here we go. Let's go. Let's go. The fight just now started. Let's go. Yes, sir. I said, all right, bet. You know, but still, like I say, in between all of that, you can see that I was still, you know, very tired. I'm still just laying against the ropes, my legs and everything. But, you know, when I clip him, you know, I feel like, all right, the fight just started. But the second knockdown, I still don't know.

1:18:43Andre Berto:I still don't know, you know what I mean, how he got up from that, bruh. Because the way I turned on that right hand and I clipped him and I seen his eyes rolling back in his head and damn slobber coming out of his mouth, There's no way he was supposed to get up from that punch, bro. He wasn't supposed to get up. I cracked him. He fell down. I said, it's over. Everybody went crazy. I said, thank you, God. When I seen him get up and wipe his face like nothing ain't happened and came back, I said, God. He was still strong. He was still strong. He came straight back at me, bro. He came straight at me.

1:19:25But I was, you know, I was like, okay, cool. and he's up, I can't let him off the hook.

1:19:31Andre Berto:I said, I gotta finish it now because my body ain't right. You ain't got nothing left. I have to try to finish it. I came straight at him, man. I'm banging, I'm banging, I'm banging. I'm trying to clip him, trying to clip him. You know what I mean? I'm touching him, but I'm trying to catch him with that good one. By the time, you know, he goes around the ring a few times with me punching him, I'm done. My body is spent. So he hit me with that left hook. Then he hit me with that second one. My body just collapsed. It didn't hurt. My body just was done. I was done. My body was around. It was over.

1:20:03Andre Berto:It was over. It was over. My body was just so spent, man, because I came in with way less than a half tank, and just me spencing that, I was done. Yeah. Y 'all both went down in the sixth round. Yeah. Yeah. You know, you ended up losing that fight, man. Yeah. After that fight, did you go to the hospital? No. You didn't go to the hospital? No, I didn't go to the hospital. I didn't think... You know, it was a tough fight, man, but I still don't feel like I took too much punishment, to be honest. You know what I'm saying? I got hit with a few shots, but a lot of stuff was blocked as well. I was just so hurt by it, man.

1:20:41Andre Berto:I was just so hurt by it. And, you know, during the time of that lead up, and even just my pride fights beforehand, you know, I will always try to gain the attention, you know, from the masses. You know what I mean? You will see me all the time. I'm on Twitter at the time. I'm on, you know, I'm in like the hip hop magazines. I'm at every party. I'm at every event. I'm passing out DVDs. They got my team passing out DVDs. I had a big, I had a big band that was wrapped with my whole situation on there. It was promotion, promotion. I need everybody to know who I am. Everybody know that I'm coming.

1:21:20Andre Berto:Everybody know I'm the next superstar. But in that moment... You ain't want to be known like that. In that moment, when that happened? I remember walking to the airport, you know, walking through the airport with my family, man, and, and, and, and, and, you know, having the hoodie over my head. I felt like everybody in the world seen me get beat that night. You know what I'm saying? Every celebrity that I got in contact with, every person that I loved that wanted, you know what I mean, like for me to, you know, show that attention, I felt like everybody seen it, bro, and I just wanted to, I just wanted to hide from the world.

1:21:59Andre Berto:You know what I mean? I went back home, you know, it was on ESPN, it was on the newspaper, you know what I mean? Family calling. I wanted to disappear from everything. I just wanted just the pain to stop. Like, that was my first time, you know, that I was in a situation mentally that I didn't care if I hopped in the car and drove the car off the bridge. Just the silence and all. You know what I mean? and, you know, that was a tough time for me, especially for me to want so much of that neediness from the world, but now, you know, getting so much of the criticism and hate from the world, and like I said, I just wanted to disappear, man.

1:22:53Andre Berto:You know what I'm saying? So, you know, in that time, you know, I wanted to think about a place that nobody would know me. and I got my brother and my two, three cousins and we flew to Bali and I stayed there for like three weeks. As far as I can go. I don't want nobody to know my name, nobody to know my face. I just need some time. Man, so you don't waste no time. Two fights later, you fought Robert Guerrero. You fight another tough fight, man. Guerrero's from kind of where I'm from. I'm from the north, he's from central. Another southpaw. Did you know him going into this fight? No, I didn't know too much about him.

1:23:32Andre Berto:But still, even in that time, bro, I was still trying to... I was still working with things within myself. Where was your confidence at? It wasn't really... I mean, like I said, it definitely got shaken because even a little bit after that, I got that call from Victor Conti. And it's funny because, like I said, I didn't know him at the time, but I guess he knew that I got in the machine. And I told him what I did. What'd he say? He was like, oh, my God. First thing, oh, my God. Oh, my God. You need to go get a blood test right now. Oh, my God. We got a blood test done, man. I damaged my kidneys really bad, damaged my liver pretty bad.

1:24:11Andre Berto:You know, I totally, you know, stripped, you know, my body from, you know, like any type of, like, like the iron that was in my body at the time. And I had to go to the hospital. I had to go to the hospital and get all that stuff checked, man. and so was you right before the girl fight no no i wasn't all right still wasn't right no because it was it was it was a building process to try to heal all of that you know i mean heal the kidneys heal the liver um just try to rebuild my blood you know i mean like the iron in my blood at the same time um so at this time you know as a fighter with all this confidence now you get that confidence shook so now i'm trying to find solutions to fix this i need to fix this i need during the Guerrero fight, you know, I go vegan.

1:24:58Andre Berto:You know what I'm saying? My first time in my life. Okay, I need to try to fix this, I need to try to fix that. You know, okay, cool, I'm just gonna eat this. I need to put all the iron back, I need to heal my body. And it's like, you know, you can't be in a space where you're trying to test things out, especially when you're in the line of fire like that, man. So I go vegan, I'm trying to fix the problems. Yeah. You know, and I find myself, okay, I got a lot of energy, but the bite isn't there. That bite down there. You know what I'm saying? Bite ain't there. I'm looking real lean, looking like my muscles, I mean, it deteriorated.

1:25:33Andre Berto:So, you know, I'm in a position, man. I'm trying to build that confidence. I'm trying to really remember who I am. Who I am. You know who I am. You know what I'm saying? And, you know, that was a tough time for me, really trying to figure it out. But going through the process in front of the world, with them not knowing what's happening. They just seeing me getting clipped now. Like this guy... He ain't who we thought he was. Man, this kid was a... I don't know, this and that. Just a superstar, man, what happened? I'm trying to go through the process of healing my body. I'm trying to go through the process of still trying to, you know, just walk back into that lion's den where I got embarrassed to try to, you know, regain that confidence back.

1:26:21Andre Berto:So, you know, I mean, you know, I understand it, bro. It's like when I see, you know, people like Deontay Wilders. Yeah, you know what they're going through. When I see, like, the Ronda Rouseys, I see all of these people, you know, once they go through, you know, that first loss, you know, especially the real confident ones. Once they go through that first loss, it's a battle within yourself. Really trying to find out who you are. Nothing changed. You still got the skills. You still got all that shit, but... Yeah, you got to find it, though. But you got to find it. So, you know, at this point, man, you come over to our camp, you train with Virg, and you have been through some stuff now.

1:26:57You got the scars to prove. You've been through the emergency rooms. You done took the lawsuits. You done seen how the dark... I call it the dark side of the game.

1:27:04Andre Berto:Thanks. Where everybody really don't love me. The suits, the, you know, the people at HBO, whoever you fighting for, they start moving a little bit different. Because this is about business. This is about ratings. This is about numbers for them and talent. So if you start slipping, we ain't got... We'll be here a little bit, but we ain't got time to really hold your hand like that. That's a fact. Were you thinking about your health at this point in time? Because you done been through like back-to-back-to-back moments. Yeah. What you thinking about, man, I got to be careful. Did retirement ever come into question?

1:27:31Did your parents bring something up? Yeah, of course, man.

1:27:33Andre Berto:I mean, I definitely thought about it. You know, I think, like I said, man, it was really me just trying to find myself again. So you didn't know whether you wanted to retire, keep going, or what? Yeah, I mean, like I said, I mean, I believe I still had the fire in me. but like I said, I had to find myself in that confidence and with me, I'm hard-headed. Some people will just run away from it, but I'm like, all right, well, you know, I need to hop back in that fire again. I need to know within myself, which I always did know, you know who I am. And sometimes you gotta hop back in that fire. You might get hit by that truck again, but it's the only way you're gonna get through it.

1:28:17Andre Berto:on the other side of that. You gotta show up. You gotta show up. You can't keep running away from me. That's half the battle, just showing up. You know what I mean? You can't keep running away from me. I mean, your whole life. You understand? So that's just how I was, man. I was hard-headed with it. You know, I know I can put it into work, but I had to, but I had to find, you know what I mean, that Andre Berto again, man. So that's why, like I said, you know, me and Tony parted because I felt that, you know, I've always been, you know, very talented, but some skills I had to try to put in place and, you know, I didn't really trust too many people.

1:28:51Andre Berto:And of course, I know, I mean, you're on verge for ever since we've been kids. So, yeah, I went ahead and made that switch up. And, you know, the crazy thing about that is, man, which I think a lot of people need to know and hear, right? You know, I believe, you know what I mean, coaches have their seasons too. You see what Freddie wrote, he had his rides. Everybody running to Freddie. Everybody running to Freddie, get that. You know what I mean? I mean, it worked. You see Virg, you know what I mean, had his stint, and a lot of fighters went out that way. You see Earl Spence coached the same thing.

1:29:25But I think one thing that a lot of people

1:29:30Andre Berto:don't consider, especially with Virg at the time, you know, I showed up, you know, Apner showed up, Amir Khan showed up, a few other guys, because to be honest, I mean, I can be honest and be candid now. You know, we showed up as, I mean, like broken fighters. You know what I mean? And we had to get that confidence again, you know. But we're not supposed to lose who we are. And I think when you get into a position when you're looking for a different coach, like how we went with Virg, you know, Virg had a completely, you know what I mean, like a different style than what we were used to. and when you're trying to fix something, we try to take all of it in at one time.

1:30:20Yeah.

1:30:21Andre Berto:And we try to implement everything at one time. So once it's fight time, you are really not who you are. You don't fight like this. I'm going to try to because, yeah, I see Andre Ward fighting like this. I see this and this person fighting like this. They said this is the right way to do it. And you lose yourself. Same thing happened to Abner. Same thing happened to Amir. Same thing happened to me. You know what I mean? That's in my first fight back. Because you're trying to implement all these new things because you want to... You want to get fixed. You want to fix it. You want to fix it. And, you know, and that's one thing that, you know what I mean, that Virg used to say.

1:30:57Andre Berto:And Virg used to tell me, he's just like, man, bro, listen. Like, remember, you know how to fight. Remember who you are already. You know what I mean? You need to go back and watch your amateur fights. You need to go back and watch your first, you know, 20, 25 pro fights. You know what I mean? It's still there. You understand what I'm saying? So, of course, we can implement this, this, this, this, but be who you are. You understand what I'm saying? But I think, you know what I mean, that happens a lot when you see a lot of, you know, fighters that go through some type of trauma. It's trauma, yeah.

1:31:29Andre Berto:And they go to try to get fixed. They want to fix it now. And it's going to throw them off to a sense. So, you know what I mean? that's one thing that I had to um I had to learn I had to see especially my first fight come with Virg um and of course you're not gonna fix everything in one camp you understand what I'm saying so so you know um I say man this fight game this yeah I mean this fight game is wild but you need to you don't need to to go away so far from what brought you there you understand what I what I learned from him you know I've never been beat as a as a pro but I've had a lot of rough moments yeah sometimes people don't know the rough moments because i poker face it or we don't let it out but you know you ain't gonna get you you boxing is a bunch of landmines it's not if you're gonna step on one is when and how many yeah you know so we've had i've done a lot he used to work on my my my psyche and my mind even as a kid but even seeing y 'all rebuilding i learned that from him you know that it it's not about giving them 10 10 new things like you said like like we gotta First, we got to be real about what happened.

1:32:36Andre Berto:Facts. Yeah. That's the first thing. You know Verge is like that. Hold on. Nah, this is what happened. Then we got to figure out, okay, did you do something wrong? Was you ready in camp? Can we point to something like that? We got to be real about what happened. How did you prepare? And then I got to take one or two things to bring you up here, but then most of my time is reminding you of who you are. That's a fact. Brother, listen, you didn't get here by not knowing how to fight. Yeah. Hold on. Just because you got hit with that shot and you went down don't mean you can't take a punt. You got to be able to get this, and if you got a fighter that got a good mind and they got an engine, they'll take most of that stuff and they'll be able to rise up out of that heat and do what they need to do, man.

1:33:14I want to jump to Floyd real quick. You know, you and Floyd have been rumored for years, right? But y 'all had crossed paths. L.A., Miami, different places, bro. You know, you got a lot of Floyd Mayweather stories of y 'all just being in the vicinity of each other, having mutual people. being at the same parties.

1:33:33Andre Berto:Yeah, a lot of run-ins, for sure. And what was his vibe around you? What was your vibe around him? Was he looking at you like, oh, the little homie? I think Floyd, you know, funny thing about me and Floyd, I know Floyd since I was 16. When I won the, uh, when I won the Golden Glove Qualifiers in Vegas. And I won a Golden Boy. That's why I fought Tim Bradley. I beat Tim Bradley in the finals. Floyd was, I guess, I don't know if he was scouting. I guess that's what it was. But everybody that won, you know, he wanted to take out. You want to take out for dinner? Oh, yeah, I'll come with me. Come on.

1:34:03Yeah, so, you know, Floyd, hey, hey, man. You know, come on, man. You know, I'm going to dinner with you, man.

1:34:09Andre Berto:So, you know, it's Floyd. So we, you know, we're young kids. We want to go and we want to go try to enjoy. Floyd come out in the valet. Hey, man, get the Bentley. Get the Rolls Royce. Get in there. Hey, man, you. What's, I want you to ride with me. So I'm in the back of Floyd, you know what I mean? We go to the steakhouse. And, you know, Floyd being Floyd, man. You know, he ain't around the back room, all the kids, you know, all the other fighters, they ain't, you know, I'm sitting right over him, man. You know him, he can't sit down. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, man, that, that, that, that, that, that, that.

1:34:43Andre Berto:You know what I mean? He got all the other guys. Yeah, champ. Yeah, champ. Yeah, champ. Yeah, you know, I done won this about four or five times. What's my record? How many champions I beat? How many champions I beat? How many champions I beat? Oh, yeah, I won this about three, four times. Floyd, we got you. We got you down, Floyd. We've been watching you for a long time, Floyd. We can imitate you. You know what I'm saying? Flo ain't gonna give it to you. Oh yeah, you know I just bought the new Rolls Royce out there. Yeah, you know, da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da. Oh yeah, that's mine.

1:35:06Andre Berto:That's mine. This cost a like 50. This cost a like 50. Like 50. This cost a like 50. Like 50. Like 50. So, you know, so I'm in that mix. So, you know, I mean, of course I enjoyed the night. But, uh, uh, uh, you know, after I turned pro, you know what I mean? You know, for some reason, man, I mean, I was the type that, I guess I just, I mean, you know, just end up being in certain situations where a lot of celebrities... Yeah, you kind of a celebrity magnet. You know what I mean? They was rocking with me. Not kind of. You a celebrity magnet. They was rocking with me heavy, man. You know what I'm saying?

1:35:40Andre Berto:So I was in the mix of a lot of, you know, just known celebrities, man. I mean, they definitely were drawn to me. And, you know, I think I was doing a lot of big things very soon that he didn't expect. You know what I'm saying? So I was in a lot of parties. I'm next to a lot of, you know, big people. I'm with LeBron, I'm with Jay, I'm with Dame, I'm with da-da-da-da, you know what I mean? Early in my career, everywhere in these parts. He'll see, like, burn it up. What's going on? So y 'all will be in the same room? All the time, all the time. You know what I mean? We used to be at certain parties, and, you know, he'll send somebody, he'll send somebody come and, you know, come holler at me.

1:36:18Andre Berto:Hey, man, you know, champ, I want you to come up to his table and see him. And, you know, tell champ, man, I'm good, man. I got my own situation going on over here. I'm good, man, you know what I mean? Tell him I appreciate it, though. You know what I'm saying? He'll see it, he'll be like, really? Okay. All the honey bottles, ah, ah. Be looking like this, make sure I see him. I like, I see your chest, man, do your thing. You know what I mean? But I'm good, I'm doing my thing over here. So, you know, we used to always just run into each other in a lot of, golly, man, a lot of crazy situations, man.

1:36:48If it was, you know, if it was females,

1:36:51Andre Berto:if it was, you know, people that he was beefing with, that I was cool with, the T.I.s, the Nellys, you know what I mean? All these guys were my guys, and you know, yeah, they don't have situations, and we'll be all in the same city at times. Yeah, we got some crazy stories when it comes a lot of those, but you know, was you around him at all? Around when them rumors started getting real thick? Which one, about me and him? Just about y 'all fighting. You know, I... Yeah. Like when you lived in L.A. and you was older, and you was like, man, you know. Yeah, you know, um, you know, I mean, but he never really, you know, every time I seen him, you know what I mean, it wasn't never no static, to be honest, you know what I'm saying?

1:37:34Andre Berto:And, you know, I mean, like I said, we knew so many of the same people as well. So, you know, that's why I kind of knew it. Like, I know Floyd. I know Floyd. Yeah, you say that a lot. So, you know what I mean? Even in the build-up of y 'all fight. You know what I mean? I know him. So it's like, it's just like I never was in a situation with Floyd, nervous, because I know you. Like, you see the type of people I'm around. You see how a lot of my guys, they get down as well. You see a lot of people that you respect that respect me, even on the street level, even on, you know what I mean, in different other situations.

1:38:05Andre Berto:You understand what I'm saying? So, you know, like, if I'm in L.A., I'm throwing a big party. Yeah, I mean, I think it was, you know, All-Star Weekend. You know, it was so big. It was so crazy. Every celebrity that he could think about was up in there, and then he popped up in there. You know what I'm saying? Who doing this? Nah, this me, bro. Oh, this Birdo. Yeah, man, so... This is crazy. I mean, Carmelo over here, Fab over here. Man, you know, maybe we need to do something like this in Vegas. You know what I mean? He just seen a young cat with all this motion. You understand what I'm saying?

1:38:40Andre Berto:So it's one thing that either he... That he respected or he was threatened by a little bit. You think so? I think so, because like I said, he used to always try to get close to me. but I always was, you know, I always had a mindset, was like, nah, I want what you got. You know what I'm saying? You cool, you know what I'm saying? You cool, but I want that, you know what I'm saying? I wasn't never in one of these kids that just want to get up. Never played the little homie. Yeah, nah, I didn't do that, you know what I'm saying? I never did. And I think that's one thing that used to frustrate them a little bit, like, bro, like, I'm trying to bring you in, but I wasn't, I wasn't on that.

1:39:15Andre Berto:Like, we was cool every time I see you, every time we kick it or da-da-da, we was cool. You know what I'm saying? Like, I rock with you, but that's where it's going to stand. Like, I'm going to try to build my own situation. Man, y 'all finally did fight. And, you know, was the negotiations hard? Because, you know, Floyd in a strong position, so he could take everything and give you a little bit. Yeah. Was it like that? Nah. It was a... Al was in a tough situation, though. Huh? Al was in a tough situation, though. Nah, not really. You don't think so? A lot of people think you Al baby. Like, you one of the first ones, and he going to always take care of Bert.

1:39:49Yeah. But then Floyd was as massive as he was. So how you split, how you do that?

1:39:53Andre Berto:No, I mean, one thing with Al, Al's always gonna, you know, he got loyalty to, you know, I mean, he got big loyalty to Floyd as well. Yeah, because they made so much money together. But, you know, I mean, the funny, I mean, it's funny how, he can say whatever he want to say. You know what I'm saying? It's funny how that, you know, how the fight got, I mean, it kind of, it kind of came about. But they had the, they had a Pacquiao and Floyd fight. We all go up there. You know what I mean? We check the fight out. you know, good situation. And then just me and my lady, we walking through the casino.

1:40:27Andre Berto:Wasn't it Rodney Jerkins? You know what I mean? Rodney Jerkins, big music producer. Y 'all can talk to him in action. Rodney Jerkins, he runs up on me. Hey, Birdo. I mean, not even three hours after the fight, bro. Not even two to three hours after the fight. Rodney Jerkins, he run up on me. I said, hey, Burt, man. Hey, man, you better get ready. I said, get ready for what? Man, Floyd's ain't gonna fight you next. I said, Floyd's ain't gonna fight me next. I said, what are you talking about? I said, what are you talking about? I just left the champ house. He said he fightin' you next, Burt. Burt, he fightin' you next.

1:41:06Andre Berto:I said, this man just got finished makin' a hundred million, in his hand, guaranteed. Fighting the big fight of his life. He said he gonna fight me next? at the house right now after that big fight? Yeah, yeah, yeah. The only thing you get what I'm saying, I'm fighting Bird on Knicks, I'm fighting Bird on Knicks. Me walking around, I'm fighting Bird on Knicks. Months go by, I'm in camp getting ready for, I'm getting ready for, what's the name of Demond Alexander? Training, I'm in camp probably five weeks in, six weeks in, I get a call from out. Yo, Bird, I just got the craziest phone call. I'm like, why?

1:41:46Andre Berto:What's up? He said, you training? I said, yeah, of course. I'm in camp now. What's going on? And old Floyd called me. Floyd said he want to fight you next. I look at the phone. I start smiling. I'm looking at the phone. I'm like... You say what? Yeah, man. Floyd said he want to fight you. I don't know what's happening. I don't know what's going on. He just insists he's fighting you next. So call me back. Let me know if you're down with it. I mean, I don't know what's happening. I don't know what's happening, but if you don't want it, let him know. We'll just keep moving. I said, what? I called my pops up.

1:42:29Andre Berto:Yeah, yeah, let's go. You got to take that. Boom. I'm on the phone. So that means you had to stop camp? Like you can't fight this fight next? Yeah, we had to stop camp. We had to stop camp. So I called him back. I said, man, let's roll. He said, you sure? What's that? You sure? You ready? I said, yeah, man. Let's get it. So the only thing I kept doing was just smiling, like, this is crazy. That's the one you been wanting. That's the one I been wanting, but the fact that, but the way it came across, I know why it happened. You know what I'm saying? Out of nowhere. I'm like, all right. I said, let's go.

1:43:00Andre Berto:I said, let's go make it happen. Take me to the fight, bro. You walking to the ring. Yeah. Keep it real with me. You scared? No. Are you nervous? Let me ask you this. Let me ask you this way. Does the moment feel as big as it was? I think it's a different situation, you know what I mean? Because like I said, I've known Floyd for so long, and I've watched him fight for so much. Me going through that camp really was just me preparing myself mentally for the circus that came. You know what I'm saying? With all the circus that came with him. You know, of course, you know, he didn't make he didn't make training camp, you know, easy.

1:43:36Andre Berto:You know, of course, they dictated all the terms. You mean, you're here, you got to promote. You got to go fly here. And do all that stuff. You know, I mean, like the drug testing came whenever. Three o 'clock in the morning, six o 'clock in the morning. You know what I'm saying? I mean, sometimes they'll come back to back three days in a row. Like, he really, I can tell he really kind of, you know, put it on me just to make it uncomfortable. But like I said, you know what I mean? With them, when they continue to say, listen, you got an opportunity to make history. So you got to deal with all the terms that come with it.

1:44:08Andre Berto:So that's what it was, man. And it wasn't really getting so mentally prepared to see him because I've seen him so many times. You know what I mean? I've watched so many of his fights. I knew his punch patterns. I knew everything. It was really me just getting ready for the circus that came. Did the circus, did everything that you had to go, did it work? Like, did you feel drained at all mentally, physically? No, no, I wasn't. You didn't feel like... No, I wasn't. I felt like I was in great shape. and just me just seeing him across the ring, I think that's what a lot of people, you know, they fall victim to, right?

1:44:46Andre Berto:You see Pacquiao, you see all these different people with very high, you know what I mean, work rates. They go in there and get to it, but with Floyd, it continues to be a pattern. They just stay in front of him. They looking, like, they just looking like, oh, my God, I can't believe I'm fighting Floyd. I mean, they're in there stuck. I mean, that's why I came out, I'm just in his face. I'm trying to just... I'm just trying to just... I mean, just try to stay on him, try to get in his face. You know what I mean? But like I say, he's slick, man. He's slick, he's sharp. You know, for him being as old as he is, you know, the sharpness...

1:45:25Andre Berto:Was that the biggest takeaway? Was it the defense or the offense? I think a little bit of both. But I think the biggest takeaway was just the awareness that he had. You know what I mean? And I was very surprised how aware that he was with everything, bro. He knows what's coming before he comes. Bro, he knows. I mean, and just the comfortability that he had in the ring. You know, you can just tell just everywhere he moved. Like, he knew every placement of the ring. You know, he'll grab me, tie me up, look at the clock. He gonna push you back. He gonna take these deep... I mean, you can hear it when he pulls you in.

1:46:02Andre Berto:He gonna pull it in. He gonna turn you around towards the referee. He gonna do just enough to win these rounds. Da, da, da, bam, grab you up. He ain't gonna do nothing crazy. He ain't gonna do nothing extreme. Jabs, you know what I mean? He gonna jab you down low. He gonna try to check hook you. I mean, he gonna try to stall you, stall you, stall you. You gonna see your overhand right come. Jab, down low, check hook, stall, stall, stall. Get too close, grab you. Turn you around talk to you. Are you in there? All these different little things a little tactics man like even in between rounds he's sitting on the stool Looking at you looking at you see me breathing.

1:46:48Andre Berto:I'm hopping straight up like Hey time, let's go. You know says all that stuff can drain you though cuz you know I can't I can't go to sleep in during the round yeah in between round cuz he sharp He on yeah, he put in his ten thousand hours. Yeah, yeah But definitely sharp, man. And definitely very defensive-minded to a point that I just try to go, go, go, go, go, throw as many punches as possible. And it's like you can easily find yourself just hanging out there. Boom, boom, boom, he just... Then it got to a point that you throwing like this, and you see him looking at you. Yeah. Like, God, I can't do that no more.

1:47:24Andre Berto:He gonna hurt me next time. He might get me next time with that. That's the thing, his punches ain't hard, but... They sharp, though. But they sharp. And you know if you out there hanging too long, you know, one of them shots getting, you know, they can buzz you. You know what I'm saying? Man, so you get through that fight, man. I ain't gonna ask you how much you made, man, but you know. I did aight. You did aight. I did aight. You know, after that fight, man, you know, how did things change for you if they did at all? I mean, of course, a lot of... Career-wise, personally? I mean, of course, you know, a lot of, you know what I mean, like a different type of notoriety.

1:47:58Andre Berto:Did people respect how you performed that night, even though you didn't come on the game up here? Yes. I mean, you know, I think, and the crazy thing about it, man, a lot of people, like, especially people in Haiti, like, it stopped the whole country just to watch the show. You know what I'm saying? And for them, of course, they don't understand the boxing logistics to a point. They're like, man, I don't know how you lost. You kept coming. You kept coming throwing on a bunch of punches. You know what I'm saying? He didn't hardly throw no punches. So, you know, so... Berto, you won. Yeah, you know, I was getting at a lot.

1:48:25But, you know what I'm saying?

1:48:27Andre Berto:You won that fight. You know what I mean? What's he doing? He just ran all night. I was like, man, you know, that's what it is. You won. I think you won. You won now. You know, I mean, you know, by the end of the day, man, it was just a lot more notoriety when it comes to people that probably just didn't know me. That's pretty much it, man, because I don't think I tried to get sucked too much into it because I got a chance to go through the things that I went through in the game. Yeah. You know, and he just opened up other doors, man. You know, I went ahead and got, you know, Victor Ortiz again after that.

1:49:04Andre Berto:I was at that fight. You got your revenge. Yeah, man. Got that off your back. And just a lot of different, you know, just like business opportunities. That's where I work. You understand what I'm saying? Like, all this other stuff is cool, but, you know, I'm a businessman at the end of the day. You know that, you know what I mean? You know what I mean? When it comes to your name being attached with Floyd in the fight, you know, believe it or not, You know, a lot of these guys, a lot of these suits, they want to bring you in. Like, you know, he from Floyd, you know what I mean? All that type stuff.

1:49:33Andre Berto:So I just tried to, you know, continue to just capitalize on it. I'm still capitalizing on it to this day with a lot of different, you know what I mean, like business pictures that I'm in. Now tell me about your wife, man, and what she's meant to you. I was around when you started turning the corner. I ain't gonna go into detail, but I was around, and you started turning the corner, And you start saying, man, I think I want to settle down. Man, I said, oh, yeah? I think it's time. You was right in there. Yeah, man, man, I'm tired of this. I'm trying to get my life together. You was right in there.

1:50:02I said, OK, yeah. Hey, and you did that. And you ain't look back. Yeah, I did that. So tell me about Portia, man, and just what she brought to your life. Oh, she gonna like this. Yeah, go ahead and see. Oh, she gonna love this. Go ahead and see.

1:50:16Andre Berto:Yeah, it's her time right now. She gonna love this. Nah, man, you know, Portia, man, Portia, you know, she, she a soldier for sure. You know what I'm saying? She been with me and been rocking with me when, you know, I definitely probably just didn't deserve it. You know what I'm saying? I mean, like, I'm, you know, I'm living this high life. You know, plenty of, you know, women at my disposal. I mean, like I said, you're living a fast life. I think just everything just came into play, man. Not just, you know, of course her, but just me, you know, just changing that. I mean, just as a man, just trying to evolve.

1:50:47Andre Berto:I mean, definitely get my relationship with God, you know, I mean, a lot more, you know, together and, you know, stout just as a man. You understand what I'm saying? And I just know, you know, with time, you know, like I say, people need to understand, with time, you know, things change. And until you accept that, you know, you're gonna find yourself in a real, you know, tough situation. I got tired of going out of clubs. I got tired of chasing all these women around that, you know after they leave my house next morning it's nothing there and Sam I'm saying it's hard just running around with all these guys yeah I mean all the homies and and just all the conversations are always the same and Sam I'm saying I really you know got into a space of of a different side of maturity and staying on and you know like I said that she definitely aided in that and she was one of the ones that I know I just had to turn back and get right because at the time of course you was there um you know i was acting up and we broke up for some time we broke up for some time you know um you work hard to get it back you put your work in to get it back seen it bro i was i was yeah you see me and uh i'm in a really you know rare rare position to me trying to go get somebody i said man that boy really love her Because he chasing.

1:52:13Andre Berto:I was in there like, listen, I got to, you know, I'm making this turn. And the one thing too, man, my pastor at the time, he was my partner now, man. You know what I mean? Pastor Torre. You know, he started seeing this evolution that I was going through, you know, coming to church. And, you know, me and him used to have a lot of different, I mean, we'd sit down for lunch and dinner. I just had these conversations. You know, just walking into, you know, my maturity as a man, just walking into, like, he used to always say, man, You just got this presence about you. You got this, like, this annoying about you.

1:52:44Andre Berto:You know, and we used to have real conversations. So he used to be like, yeah, you know, you're doing everything dope, man, but you need to stop that. Yeah. I'm like, what you mean? You need to stop that. Yeah. And they already know, like, you know what I mean? Sometimes as a man, especially me, you know what I mean? I couldn't, you know, I couldn't, you know what I mean, You know what I mean? I just, just, you know what I mean? Just bringing people in, just bringing people in, just for that comfort, I guess. You understand what I'm saying? So that's one thing that he tells. It's false, though.

1:53:20Andre Berto:Yeah. It's false comfort. Yeah, it's false comfort. So, you know, you still feel empty after they leave. So he was just like, you just gotta stop that. You know what I'm saying? And he know what I mean. He said, what you mean? You know what I mean? He's like, you know what I mean? Because he see what time of it, you know what I mean? He was saying what was going on. And you know, I mean, and after that, man, you know, I really knew in my heart that she was the one for me. Y 'all liked it down. Yeah. I had to do some chasing, man. I see. You was Romeo for a minute, boy. You was pulling off some stuff.

1:53:50I was like, oh, that's smart. That boy leaving love notes and roses on cars. Like, I know the play now.

1:53:56Andre Berto:I know how to make it happen, man. I said, bro, she don't accept this, brother. You ain't got no shot. That was good. Bro, I was getting frustrated. Why is it taking this long? You know what I mean? I was a little spoiled. Because you was acting up? Yeah, why is it taking this long? Look what I'm doing. Like, you need to tighten up. Come on back home. You know what I mean? But it took some time, man. It took some time. But y 'all locked it in, though. So we locked it in, man. She was nervous. She was scared because I put her through a lot through the last few years. So, of course, I had to understand that.

1:54:27Andre Berto:And once we locked it in, man, you know, she seen, you know, just within myself, too. I'm like, yeah, I know I can't hurt her like that again. You know what I mean? I know I can't because I know if I do, then I'm gonna damage somebody, really damage somebody that I really care for. That's right. You know what I'm saying? So, you know, hung them up, man. I like you on this side, man. You seem calmer. You know what I'm saying? You get agitated sometimes, but you still seem calm real quick. You know what I'm saying? And you just seem more thoughtful. You seem like you're making more deliberate moves.

1:54:57You just seem better.

1:54:58Andre Berto:Thank God working on me, man. I mean, it's still, you know. You quote scriptures now. You know what I'm saying? You like, hey, man, I've been in that word, man. I've been, you got a family now. You used to tease me about all the kids I had. But it came so fast, bro. That's crazy. Me? Yeah, that's what I'm saying. You used to tease me, like, you got all these kids. I ain't got no kids. Brother, you about to catch me. That's crazy, man. And you got a newborn. Yeah, my little man. And you got a newborn. Yeah, life will change on you quick, kids. You know what I mean? But it's changing for the better for you.

1:55:27Andre Berto:Make sure to be prepared. Make sure you're ready, though. Yeah. Make sure you're ready. I tell all my boys all the time, Man, it look good, man. It look good on you. Man, man, I can't wait to... Make sure you ready. Make sure you ready, because... Man, it ain't for the faint of the heart. It's amazing, but... It's not always easy. Marriage ain't easy, but it's worth it, man. If you choose the right one, and the right one choose you. That's a fact. Definitely got to choose the right one. Man, I got two more for you, bro. What's up? You know, your father, man, you know, the patriarch of the family.

1:55:56You know, he got diagnosed with cancer, and then he eventually died. Yeah. Um, what did you learn about him during his fight with Kansen? What did you learn about yourself? Um,

1:56:10Andre Berto:you know, that was a big blow for us just as a family. Because, like you said, he was such a big, you know, patriarch. Not just for our family, but for a lot of other surrounding family. Cousins. A guy like that, you don't think he gonna die. Exactly. Ever, really? Because he's just always strong. I'm saying his presence and his aura was so big. you know, all the time, and he was so strong. And of course, like I said, through the years, I've lost a lot of, you know, homeboys, this, and I didn't really think nothing about it, but for me to lose him and to see it in real time, you know, every day in that hospital bed, seeing everything just deteriorate,

1:56:55and it wasn't, it was nothing we can do about it.

1:56:58Andre Berto:You know, it hurt me to a sense, too. And then, that's how I remember being there, and the doctor was pretty much letting me know, like, listen, this is what it's going to be. You know, we're giving him two months, three months, and he's looking at the doctor like... He heard it? Yeah, he heard it, but I guess he always thinks there's a solution. Like, okay, so what can we do about it? You know what I'm saying? And it hurt me to see, you know, To be able to see his face, you know, somebody so strong that looks so helpless now. There's nothing he can do about it. And, you know, um... You know, so it was damaging, man, because, you know, I had to...

1:57:40Andre Berto:You know, I've always been kind of like, you know, his second hand. I was kind of always like the second go-to in the family. You know, but me just... I mean, just having to step up as a new patriarch of the family. and, you know, it was just hard to process, you know, to see somebody like that that's been so strong for so long. Now, you know, life has been taken out of him, bro. And, you know, it had me, you know, I got a chance to really just, like I say, man, I mean, it just went back to Scripture for me. It just really just confirmed a lot of things for me to see that, you know, there's so much in this, you know what I mean, in this life.

1:58:28Andre Berto:You know what I mean? So much in this life is fleeting. You know what I mean? Right. So, you know, you just got to hold tight. You know what I mean? To everything that you have, just understand that. You gonna hit them storms, man. You gonna hit them sometimes. Sometimes, you know, you not gonna see them coming. Yeah, you don't see them coming, but you know. But he just, um, he just really just tightened up my whole situation. you know, for my family. I mean, you know, just really, you know what I mean, just taking time and just love them. And just, like I said, man, just, you know, just lets me know that everything else, you know what I mean, it's kind of just, you know, like I said, it's fleeting, bro.

1:59:16Andre Berto:It's fleeting. And just everything, and just everything here, you know what I mean, that you idolize, you know, besides. You know what I mean? Like, besides, God is always going to betray you. You know, it doesn't matter if it's your health. It doesn't matter if it's the fancy cause that you like. It don't matter if it's this or that. Like I said, you have to stick grounded. You know what I mean? It's something more solid. You know what I mean? Something more solid. You know what I mean? And that's Christ and that's God. And, you know, that was just confirmation, like I said, for me. Like, it doesn't matter how strong you are.

1:59:55Andre Berto:I mean, like I said, it's go time for everybody. So you got to prepare for that. You know what I mean? Of course, you want to enjoy yourself here, but understand, it's going to be a time when they close the door on you. So, you know, it just put a lot of different things in perspective, bro. Look at this guy. Golly. Yes, we did it. We got him back. Golly. Yes, sir. This guy here. Yes, sir. So, you know, I mean, let me come back. Let me shake back. That's crazy. I hate that. That's crazy. No, you got to let that flow, because that's real. And that's real. And if you don't never cry, I got concerns.

2:00:36If a person don't never cry, I got some concerns. That's crazy. That's my first time crying probably

2:00:40Andre Berto:since he passed. That's crazy. Really? Yeah. Really? Because it's always been. I just been trying to argue. The first time? Yeah, just holding it together for everybody else. Man, it's crazy. Man. Man. Yeah, I ain't no crying to this. I gotta commend you, bro. You know, I lost my father at a young age, as you know. And it's what you do after that. Yeah. Your father would be proud, dog. Like, you didn't... The thing that he... Yeah, he wanted you to be a champion and all that stuff. But the family name, that thing that he was talking about since you've been a kid, you held strong to that. And I've only seen you grow.

2:01:17I've seen you elevate. And from the way you treat your wife, you take care of your mama.

2:01:24Andre Berto:Yeah. You moved back home to Florida. You got a family, dog, and you were walking in his footsteps. It looked different than what he did. Yeah. But you got that same spirit on you, man, and you're representing your father in the family name well, big dog. Yeah, man. I just want to commend you, bro. No, I appreciate that. I commend you, my brother. Appreciate that. We got to end on that note with the tears, man. We got to end on the tears, bro. How the hell, God? I can't ask you no more questions after that. God, Liam. Hey, that's a wrap. He thought he was gonna come in here with the chain on and, you know, just do his Birdo thing.

2:01:56But we got to ask the right questions. That's crazy. So you can get the right answer. I appreciate y 'all tuning in. That's another episode of The Art of War.

2:02:03Andre Berto:This is crazy. Yes, sir.