Jan Zaveck vs. Andre Berto

Jan Zaveck vs. Andre Berto was a professional boxing match contested on September 3, 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 September 3, 2011 and was televised via HBO's Boxing After Dark.^[2]

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.

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]

Undercard

Confirmed bouts:^[9]

Televised

• WBC welterweight title bout: Dejan Zaveck vs. Andre Berto

Berto defeats Zaveck via Technical Knockout (Retirement) at 3:00 of round five.

• Featherweight bout: Gary Russell Jr. vs. Leonilo Miranda

Russell Jr. defeats Miranda via Unanimous Decision. (80-72, 80-72, 79-72)

Preliminary card

• Super middleweight bout: Thomas Oosthuizen vs. Aaron Pryor Jr.

Oosthuizen defeats Pryor Jr. via Unanimous Decision. (117-111, 117-111, 117-111)

• Welterweight bout: Randall Bailey vs. Yoryi Estrella

Bailey defeats Estrella via Unanimous Decision. (100-89, 100-89, 98-91)

• Featherweight bout: Luis Del Valle vs. Anthony Napunyi

Del Valle defeats Napunyi via Technical Knockout at 1:21 of round three.

• Light welterweight bout: Ivan Redkach vs. Vernon Alston

Redkach defeats Alston via Technical Knockout at 1:57 of round three.

• Light middleweight bout: Gerald Jordan vs. Sergio Vartanov

Jordan defeats Vartanov via Split Decision. (59-54, 58-55, 56-58)

Broadcasting

Country	Broadcaster
Hungary	Sport 2
Slovenia	TV Slovenia
Sweden	Viasat
United States	HBO