Berto Meets Urango in NYC (Full Report)

photos: Jim McLernon

Jerry Glick reporting: A press conference was held at the NYY Yankee Steakhouse inside the new home of the New York Yankees, to announce to the boxing media that IBF 140 lbs. Juan Urango, will be moving up in weight to challenge WBC 147 lbs. strap holder, Andre Berto, for his title on May 30 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Hollywood, FL.

Also on the show, but not at the press conference, Kermit Cintron, 30-2-1 (27), will face Alfredo Angulo 15-0 (12) in a co-featured twelve round encounter.

LOU DIBELLA ON BERTO-URANGO AND OTHERS
Lou DiBella predicts that it will be a sensational battle between two men who come to fight. Size will not be a factor, said the popular promoter.
“There’s not a big size discrepancy because Berto’s not a big welterweight, Berto 24-0 (19) is a small welterweight. This kid’s a big junior-welterweight,” said DiBella. “So size wise it’s a good match-up. We would have loved to fight Mosley or Cotto; but those fights weren’t there.”
With other true welterweights eager to wrap Berto’s belt around their waist why bring Urango 21-1-1 (16) up from the junior welterweights?
“We couldn’t get a welterweight accepted by HBO that we wanted to fight,” said DiBella. “We would have done the Collazo rematch but the budget wasn’t there right now.” Lou went on to explain that they were willing to make the same deal with both Berto and Collazo but the challenger said no, He wanted more money, and the only place that that could come from was Berto’s take, and that wasn’t going to happen; thus no Collazo rematch.
”So with the budget we had,” explained DiBella. “The most significant fight that we could make was that matchup with Urango.”
DiBella said that the two styles will produce a good fight.
“Urango has never been in a bad fight,” explained Lou. “He didn’t have his best performance against Hatton, but if you saw him against Ngoudjo you’d see that he’s a very active fighter. He throws a lot of punches.”
JUAN URANGO
Urango speaks less English than this reporter speaks Spanish so, undeterred an interpreter stepped in and I found out that Urango has things on his mind.
“He’s a good fighter; we’ve watched him,” said the challenger. “We’ve studied him, and we’ll see what we do on May 30th when we get in there with him.”
Berto is still maturing as a fighter in spite of having won a title. Urango is young too but he said that there are things that he will take advantage of.
“He drops his hands a lot,” Urango claims. “And that’s something we’re going to focus on.”
Urango knows that Berto has very fast hands but he sees no difficulty in dealing with it. “The speed is important, but we have a way to counteract his speed.”
Moving up in weight at this time happened because the opportunity was presented to Urango and he just could not say no. “I feel stronger at 47. If I win at 47 I’ll stay there.”
As far as the competition at welterweight, he sees no one who he would consider to be a super star.
I asked about Miguel Cotto, but Urango is close friends with Cotto and he indicated that a fight between him and Cotto will not be a possibility.
BERTO
He may be young but 25 year old Andre Berto is ready for his fight against Juan Urango.
What does Urango do that Berto could use against him?
“Everything,” was his reply.
“I am a little disappointed that I not fighting Collazo. I heard that he bid himself out of it. It is what it is and I have to keep racking up those wins.”
Berto realizes that his weight class is sizzling hot right not with Cotto, Clottey, Mosley, Margarito, and others as well.
“Right now I’m in a perfect position,” said Berto. “I’m the one who hasn’t had a shot at these animals. With every fight I’m getting closer and closer. There a lot of bigger fights and a lot of talent.”
PUNCHLINES

THE RUSSIAN HAS ARRIVED
Also on hand an undefeated Russian heavyweight, Magomed Abdusalamov. He is starting to raise a few eyebrows having scored four knockouts all in the first round in his 4-0 career.

TOR HAMER
Another heavyweight whom people are talking about is Tor Hamer. Hamer was on hand too and we talked about his parents who are professional people. With my tongue rammed firmly into my cheek I asked Tor about how his folks are accepting his career in boxing and how often he gets yelled at.
“Often,” he said. “First time I got out of the ring; ‘Tor you’re getting hit too much, you’ve got to keep your brain, what about life after boxing? Keep things right after boxing, what are you going to do after you become world champion?” Again, I placed my tongue in my ample cheek (I don’t think his was anywhere near his) and admonished him for yell at me as I reminded him that I am not his father. “Obvious you see that I’m just regurgitating the emotion I get from this question. It’s terrible, my poor mother.”
He said that his mom does not attend his fights but his father, Dr. Irving Hamer, has finally become a fan and often hid dad jumps into the ring after the fight.
Hamer looks rather small to be a heavyweight but at 225 pounds he is no cruiserweight either. Still there are guys out there who are for bigger and heavier that Tor.
“It allows me to have strong legs and to keep moving,” said Hamer. “The problem is its boxing and you going to get hit and you are going to get cut. How will I deal with it.” He is working hard to improve his skills by working classy fighter such as “Fast” Eddie Chambers and the big Russian Abdusalamov “I have been tested in the gym. He trains at famous Gleason’s Gym in Brooklyn, NY where the talent is available to teach a young fighter everything.
Tor has been the subject of numerous articles in non-boxing magazines and newspapers including the Village Voice in NYC.

DIBELLA ON TAYLOR-FROCH
Lou DiBella had more to talk about than Berto-Urango. I asked him about his former world middleweight champion, Jermain Taylor who is challenging Carl Froch for his WBC super-middleweight belt this April 25th in Foxswoods Resort Casino in Connecticut. “Froch could fight,” said DiBella. He’s aggressive, and very fit.”
He still sees Taylor having all the advantages, “I don’t think he has the class that Jermain has and he doesn’t have the experience that Jermain has against top flight opposition. If Jermain can keep Froch backing up I think we’ll have a new champion.”
Team Taylor is ready, but has Jermain looked at Frock fights? According to Lou, “One good thing about Froch, there’s not that much to study.”
“If you let him back you up he’s very aggressive and has a good chin. He’s a tough guy and you have to keep a jab in his face. Jermain has to keep popping that jab and moving him backwards and he will be champion.