Andre Berto: Manny Pacquiao's Next Punching Bag or the Pacman's Ghost?

Freddy Hernandez fell into a third level dream state after the right hook that came from the animal that is Andre Berto. After his win, he expressed his willingness to face down the biggest and loudest dog on the block, Manny Pacquiao. As a result of such a boisterous challenge, some were probably thinking, “is the man crazy?” 

These were bold statements coming from a fighter who is still very young in the sport. Does his inexperience against fighting seasoned warriors like Manny automatically disqualify him from being able to make this fight without having a few more appetizers? The answer is most emphatically, no.  

It’s an ambitious challenge to say the least, but his lack of experience doesn’t necessarily make his challenge sound any less conceivable. Andre is a fast and furious fighter with a mind blowing uppercut. His youth shows up very obviously, however, due to his apparent recklessness in the ring when things get intense. These “flaws” are forgivable due to the fact that they will help make such a matchup a raw and action packed war.

Furthermore, even though he is in the bidding to be Pacman’s next opponent, Mosley shouldn’t even be an option for Pacquiao since Money Mayweather has clearly dispensed of him thoroughly and cleanly. Pacquiao doesn’t need someone’s leftover meal...what Manny needs is some fresh meat.

Andre needs a shot; he has been fighting hard for one, and he claims to be ready for the big boys; so why not give it to him? Isn’t this what the sport is about? We have a challenger saying with confidence and poise that he will be a good matchup for the champion. There is no guaranteeing that he will win, but it is guaranteed to be a climactic battle between two finely tuned fighting machines with an apparent hunger to be the best fighter possible.

So let’s get past the waiting games, the unnecessary concept of tune ups with Mosley masked as a real attraction, and hope that Pacquiao will give underdog Andre Berto a fighting chance. At least he’s willing to sacrifice his undefeated record against a wrecking machine; that is a boldness that can be seen as naive at worst and noble at best.