SUNRISE, Florida, CMC – Unbeaten Andre Berto put the brakes on Carlos Quintana in the eighth round to recapture the World Boxing Council welterweight title on Saturday at the Bank Atlantic Center here.
The 26-year-old Berto, whose parents hail from earthquake-ravaged Haiti, was too fast and too strong for his Puerto Rican rival, and referee Tommy Kimmons put Quintana out of his misery at 2:16.
“I was looking forward to getting back in there and getting this fight out of the way,” said Berto. “I know I was rusty. But I was ready to get in there.”
“I went through a lot. The people of Haiti did too. They are strong, and I was glad to do what I could. I’m holding up this [Haitian] flag and giving any type of support I could.”
Berto had withdrawn from a scheduled title defence against ‘Sugar’ Shane Mosley on January 30 because of the earthquake in Haiti, in which he lost several family members.
The card was billed as ‘Fighting for Haiti’ with a portion of the proceeds from tickets sold going to benefit those affected by the recent earthquake in Berto’s native Haiti.
Berto showed the cobwebs in the first two rounds, but he started to punish Quintana in the third round, and continued to pummel him in the fifth.
The punishment continued for Quintana, and reached its apex in the eighth round, when Berto connected with a succession of big rights, one of which landed flush on the nose of his opponent, and prompted Kimmons to step in.
Berto said felt an injury in his left biceps worsening, and wanted to hasten the finish to prevent further damage.
“I didn’t want to let him off the hook,” said Berto, who disclosed he was injured in the second or third round. “I wanted to finish the fight as fast as I could.”
“I think I tore it or pulled it. I really wanted to throw the left hooks to the body, and I could feel it. I think he knew my biceps was hurt, and he tried to take advantage of it.”
Berto improved to 26-0, with 20 inside the distance, and is now looking toward possible high-profile opponents such as Filipino hero Manny Pacquiao, Mosley, or Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather.
“My knockout was pretty vicious,” said Berto, who once fought for Haiti in the Olympics. “It may open up their eyes a little bit.
“But then again they have to look at I’ve been off for a long time, so it’s only going get better from here.”
Quintana, a former holder of the lightly-regarded World Boxing Organization title, fell to 27-3.
Eight members of Berto’s family were killed in the massive earthquake that claimed more than 200,000. His sister and niece were missing for days before being located.
