Andre Berto Tears Biceps in Saturday's Fight, Delays Bid To Become Top Boxer

World Boxing Council welterweight champion Andre “The Beast” Berto tore his left bicep in either the first or second round of his triumph over “El Indio” Carlos Indio Saturday night at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Fla.

Berto (27-0, 20 KOs), who knocked Quintana (27-2, 21 KOs) out in the eighth round, underwent an MRI after the bout, and his doctor diagnosed him with a tear in the muscle Tuesday.

“But my tendons are still intact as they can see,” said Berto, 26, a two-time National Golden Gloves winner, who captured 22 state titles in Florida. “So I am gonna have to ice it and rest for a few weeks, so the swelling can go down and then start rehab.”

Berto further emphasized that his injury is not overly severe.

“But the doctor said it should be fine. Not a serious tear, just needs time to heal.”

Prior to dismantling Quintana, Berto was scheduled to fight “Sugar” Shane Mosley this past Jan. 30.

Sadly, Berto decided to withdraw 10 days before the matchup was to occur, after eight members of his family were killed in the devastating magnitude 7.0 earthquake that struck Haiti on Jan. 12.

Berto was born in Miami. Nevertheless, “The Beast” is a proud Haitian-American who represented Haiti at the 2004 Sumer Olympics in Athens, Greece.

This past weekend’s boxing card in “The Sunshine State” was billed as “Fighting for Haiti,” because part of the proceeds will benefit the Haitian earthquake relief fund.

Berto’s dominating victory over Quintana (27-2, 21 KOs) was particularly impressive, because “El Indio” is a worthy adversary who defeated Paul Williams for his WBO welterweight crown in February 2008.

“Quintana is an excellent fighter,” said promoter Lou Dibella. “This fight was no walk in the park. People have wanted to see Berto with a real quality welterweight. This guy is a real quality welterweight. It was a difficult fight. Quintana is a tough fighter. Just ask Paul Williams.”

Berto now covets a bout against an elite welterweight prizefighter like WBO champion Manny Pacquiao (51-3-2, 38 KOs), WBA champion Shane Mosley (46-5-1, 39 KOs), or former champion Floyd Mayweather, Jr. (40-0, 25 KOs).

Berto is talented enough to trump any of the aforementioned pugilists on a given evening, and, considering his youthfulness, he likely will only improve at his craft.

“The Beast” has become a very popular fighter in the Boston area because Massachusetts has the third-largest Haitian population in the United States and is home to approximately 70,000 to 80,000 Haitians.

Haitians initially began moving to the “Bay State” in the 1950s primarily because of its employment opportunities and quality education system.

The largest contingent of Haitians are located in the Boston neighborhoods of Mattapan, Dorchester, Hyde Park, and Roxbury.

Although popular, boxing is just a sport.

The recent tragedy in Haiti is significantly more important than what essentially amounts to a game played between two people in a ring with gloves.

Regardless, many individuals in and around Beantown are still grieving alongside Berto. Those same people will surely be cheering for “The Beast” to heal quickly as he attempts to become the preeminent welterweight in the sport of boxing.