Jan Zaveck vs. Andre Berto

Jan Zaveck vs. Andre Berto was a professional boxing match contested on 3 September 2011, for the International Boxing Federation (IBF) welterweight title.^[1] The fight took place at the Beau Rivage Resort & Casino, in Biloxi, Mississippi, United States on 3 September 2011 and was televised via HBO's Boxing After Dark.^[2]

DateSeptember 3, 2011

VenueBeau Rivage Resort & Casino, Biloxi, Mississippi, U.S.

Title(s) on the lineIBF welterweight title

Boxer

Jan Zaveck

Quick facts Date, Venue ...

Battle In Biloxi

Date

September 3, 2011

Venue

Beau Rivage Resort & Casino, Biloxi, Mississippi, U.S.

Title(s) on the line

IBF welterweight title

Tale of the tape

Boxer	Jan Zaveck	Andre Berto
Nickname	"Mr. Sympathikus"	"The Beast"
Hometown	Ptuj, Styria, Slovenia	Miami, Florida, U.S.
Pre-fight record	31–1 (18 KO)	27–1 (21 KO)
Age	35 years, 5 months	27 years, 11 months
Height	5 ft 7+1⁄2 in (171 cm)	5 ft 8+1⁄2 in (174 cm)
Weight	146+1⁄2 lb (66 kg)	146+3⁄4 lb (67 kg)
Style	Orthodox	Orthodox
Recognition	IBF Welterweight Champion The Ring No. 4 ranked welterweight	IBF No. 9 ranked welterweight The Ring No. 3 ranked welterweight Former WBC welterweight champion

Result

Berto defeats Zaveck via 5th round RTD.

Close

Background

After discussions to fight Paulie Malignaggi on the Canelo Álvarez vs. Ryan Rhodes undercard fell through,^[3] Zaveck traveled to Biloxi, Mississippi to face Andre Berto who had just lost the WBC welterweight title to Victor Ortiz.

Zaveck expressed the hope that a victory in his US debut would boost his career saying that "A win over someone like Berto will elevate me to a whole new level. Just like everyone else, I want to fight Mayweather and [Manny] Pacquiao, and I see this fight as my golden opportunity to make that happen."^[4]

The fight

Despite being a 4-to-1 underdog coming into the fight, Zaveck proved competitive; trading clean punches with Berto and earning praise from HBO's Roy Jones Jr. In the fifth round, a number of cuts opened on Zavec's face, which resulted in Zaveck's corner waiving the fight off before the sixth round.^[5]

Aftermath

Berto thanked the Slovenian fans for traveling over to America to cheer their countryman on. He would call his performance "so-so", despite becoming a two-time welterweight champion.^[6]

Just over two months later he would vacate his IBF title rather than face mandatory challenger Randall Bailey in order to facilitate a rematch with Ortiz.^[7] However, after Berto tested positive for a banned substance, the rematch against Ortiz planned for June 23, 2012, was cancelled.^[8]