Andre Berto

Early life

His father Dieuseul, a retired professional kickboxer who competed at UFC 10, introduced him to boxing after Berto was repeatedly bullied at school. Berto trained at his father's school, Tiger's World, and found boxing a way to avoid trouble in his rough community. His sister Revelina and brother James are also professional mixed martial artists.

Amateur career

Berto won a bronze medal at the 2003 World Championships and was a two-time U.S. National Golden Gloves champion. He also won two National PAL championships, three U.S. amateur championship medals, and 22 Florida state titles. Before the 2003 Worlds, he defeated Andre Dirrell and twice beat Timothy Bradley.

At the 2004 Olympic Trials, Berto was disqualified for throwing Juan McPherson to the canvas, but a protest initially ruled him the winner. A follow-up meeting reversed that decision, eliminating him. Because his parents emigrated from Haiti, he obtained Haitian citizenship and represented Haiti at the 2004 Olympics, losing in the first round to Xavier Noel of France.

Professional career

Berto won his first 15 professional fights, 13 by knockout, and was named ESPN.com's 2006 Prospect of the Year. In December 2006 he defeated Miguel Figueroa by sixth-round stoppage. He stopped Norberto Bravo in the first round in February 2007, and beat Martinus Clay by seventh-round TKO in May 2007. In July 2007 he won a unanimous decision over Cosme Rivera after being knocked down for the first time.

He captured the NABF welterweight title in September 2007 by stopping David Estrada in the eleventh round. In February 2008 he defended that title when Michael Trabant quit after six rounds. Berto later won the WBC welterweight title in 2008 and made five defenses before losing to Victor Ortiz in 2011. He lost three more times from 2012 to 2015 but defeated Ortiz in a 2016 rematch.

Personal life

Berto wrote a March 2010 column for The New York Times about his work with Project Medishare in Haiti after the earthquake. He is frequently mistaken for American football star Reggie Bush. Berto married Porsha Nicole Berto in 2020; they have three children: daughter Legaci (born February 2019) and sons Levi Michael (born late 2020) and Lenox (born November 2024). He appeared with his Dutch Shepherd Nino on the reality series Canine Intervention.

Did You Know?

• Berto's first career loss to Victor Ortiz in 2011 won Fight of the Year honors by The Ring magazine.
• Berto represented Haiti at the 2004 Olympics after being disqualified from the US Olympic Trials.