Berto-Soto Karass round-by-round updates
RingTV.com will be posting live, round-by-round updates on this page during Saturday night’s Showtime-televised welterweight bout between Andre Berto (28-3, 22 knockouts) and Jesus Soto Karass (28-8-3, 18KOs).
The fight will be preceded by a lightweight bout between Omar Figueroa and Nihito Arakawa, welterweights Keith Thurman and Diego Chaves, and super middleweight Anthony Dirrell taking on Anthony Hanshaw. The broadcast begins at 9 p.m. ET.
Berto vs. Soto Karass live blog
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Referee: Jon Schorle
Judges: .Dr. Cathy Leonard, Hubert Minn, Michael Mitchell
Soto Karass enters the arena and the ring first, wearing a pink robe with a ribbon to honor breast cancer victims. Robe is trimmed in black, with a matching baseball cap.
Berto’s wearing a blue robe trimmed with white sequins.
Jimmy Leonnon introduces Soto Karass first, a sweat-glistening Berto, second.
SCORES AT THE TIME OF THE STOPPAGE: Leonard 105-103, Mitchell 105-103, for Berto; Minn 104-104.
RingTV.com had it for Soto Karass, 105-103.
SOTO KARASS STOPS BERTO WITH A 12TH-ROUND TKO AT O:48
Round 1:.Fighters trading jabs, early. Soto Karass hammers to the body twice. Berto’s sticking to the jab and moving forward. Nice right to the head by Berto, while Soto Karass hammers at the body again. Solid left uppercut by Berto. Good right by Soto Karass that backs up Berto. Another decent right by Soto Karass. Good jab and right by Berto. RIGHT HAND HURTS BERTO, WHO WOBBLES TO THE ROPES. Soto Karass is clipped by another right on the ropes. Another right WOBBLES BERTO ON THE ROPES. Berto survives. Soto Karass, 10-9
Round 2: Berto’s retreating early, but lands a decent counter-right uppercut. Berto’s boxing behind the jab. Soto Karass digs a wicked to the body. Berto’s moving foward again, but takes another right over his jab. Soto Karass sticks a jab and fires a right to the head and a left to the body. Two decent jabs by Soto Karass. Solid right uppercut by Berto hurts Soto Karass. Solid jab and right hand to the jaw by Berto. Fighters trade right hands. Right uppercut by Berto. Jab by Berto and a right. Berto closes well behind his jab. Berto, 10-9; Even, 19-19.
Round 3:Trainer Virgil Hunter tells Berto to keep jabbing and not to pull back with his head up when retreating. Berto stays behind the jab early, but his hands are low. Two solid rights sandwiched around a left by Berto. Right uppercut by Berto. Right to the head and left to the body by Soto Karass, with a right to the body by Berto. Soto Karass drives a left and right to the body, but Berto comes back with a right to the head and a left by Soto Karass. Head-swiveling left uppercut by Soto Karass. Soto Karass lands three uppercuts to the head. Berto continues to plod ahead. Soto Karass, 10-9; Soto Karass, 29-28.
Round 4: Soto Karass’ corner wants him to keep drilling home uppercuts. Berto’s taking shots up the middle, although he lands a nice uppercut. Nice uppercut by Soto Karass, then, a double-jab by Berto. Soto Karass drives a left and a right to the body. Left hook by Berto, counter-jab by Soto Karass. Soto Karass having success up the middle to the head and body. Berto gets drilled with a head-swiveling left uppercut. More uppercuts from Soto Karass. A left hook and a straight right hurt Berto, who seeks cover along the ropes. Berto is hurt and wobbly on the ropes, taking an assortment of punches. Berto escapes, but is trapped on another side of the ring on the ropes and getting hammered. The last punch that lands on Berto is a right hand. Soto Karass, 10-9; Soto Karass, 39-37.
Round 5: Soto Karass jumps on Berto with a right and a left before going downstairs. Soto Karass is just continually hammering and beating Berto to the punch. Appears Berto’s right shoulder might be hurt. Berto takes a left and then goes down, but its from a missed punch and it is ruled a slip. Berto rises and continues to get DRILLED. Hard right hand wobbles Berto, as does a follow up right and two blows to the body. Berto looks tired and beaten and ready to go. Three jabs and a right by Soto Karass. Soto Karass on the ropes in a corner, but turns it around, and continues to pound Berto from behind the jab. Berto’s got heart, lands a left hook, but takes two hard, overhand rights. Berto appears to be complaining about his right shoulder as the round ends. Soto Karass, 10-9; Soto Karass, 49-46.
Round 6: Hunter telling Berto to “Be Great Tonight.” Berto’s trying, but cointinues to get beaten to the punch on the inside. Wicked uppercut shots to the head and body by Soto Karass. Soto Karass is timing the right hand from behind the jab. Left uppercut by Berto and a jab by Berto. Another jab by Berto. Left by Berto. Another left by Berto on the inside. Jab by Berto. Soto Karass lands a left and a right and then an uppercut. Solid left hook to the body by Berto, who also takes a left to the body. Good comeback round for Berto. Berto, 10-9; Soto Karass, 58-56.
Round 7: Berto’s at his best on the inside, pushing Soto Karass backward. Berto’s beating Soto Karass to the punch on the inside, working in behind the jab and firing lefts and rights. Solid body shot by Berto, but he also takes a left to the body. Berto lands a right uppercut. A left uppercut by Berto. Crowd’s chanting Berto’s name. Berto’s firing a nice up-jab and follows with three consecutive left uppercuts. The jab is working well for Berto, who takes a couple of right hands. Berto closes the round with a triple-left hook. Berto, 10-9; Soto Karass, 67-66.
Round 8: Berto’s told by Hunter to “Beat Him Up With The Jab.” Solid body shots early from Soto Karass, but Berto comes with the jab. Straight right by Soto Karass, who also lands an uppercut. Berto’s shoulder must be hurt, because he’s not throwing the right much at all. Piston-like jab continues to be effective for Berto. Soto Karass lands a couple of rights that continue to swell Berto’s eye. Three solid right hands hurt Berto. Big right hands. Straight right by Soto Karass and a left. Another left hook by Soto Karass, followed by a left uppercut and a straight right. Soto Karass continues to have success on the inside with the uppercuts. Right hand stands up Berto just before the bell. Soto Karass, 10-9; Soto Karass, 77-75.
Round 9: Berto tries to regain momentum with an early jab, but Soto Karass drills lefts and rights to the body and closes with a straight right. Another solid right by Soto Karass, who follows up to the body. Berto drills a right to the head, but takes one also. Soto Karass continues to go from body to head. Left to the body by Berto, who takes a right cross. There’s a right and a left by Soto Karass, who takes a jab. Double-jab by Soto Karass. Hard left and right by Soto Karass. Berto continues to push forward, driving home a right and a left and forcing Soto Karass to the ropes at round’s end. Soto Karass, 10-9; Soto Karass, 87-84.
Round 10: It’s more of the same to start the 10th, although Berto fires hard with the jab. Berto’s winging lefts and rights, plodding forward. LOW BLOW from Berto, referee Jon Schorle gives Soto Karass time to rest. There’s 1:44 left in the round as Berto comes forward, throwing hard to the head and body. Soto Karass stays on the body, then comes to the head with a left and a right. Berto has Soto Karass on the ropes but doesn’t land effectively. Soto Karass lands a nice right uppercut and then a left hook. Soto Karass continues to splits the seams of Berto’s wide guard and his punches with his uppercuts. Soto Karass, 10-9; Soto Karass, 97-93.
Round 11: Hunter wants Berto to go back to the jab, but he takes an early series of lefts and right hands in the 11th. Berto DROPS SOTO KARASS WITH A HARD LEFT TO THE BELLY. He rises. Berto drives a left to the head. They clinch. Berto’s jabbing his way in again, but takes a straight right from Soto Karass. There’s a right and a left by Soto Karass and then another right. Berto comes back with a left to the body but takes a right and a left. Right uppercut by Berto drives Soto Karass to the ropes. Counter-right and left by Soto Karass. Left hook by Berto has Soto Karass on the ropes again. Right by Soto Karass, who manages to come back strong from the knockdown. Berto, 10-8; Soto Karass, 105-103.
Round 12: Soto Karass comes out strong early with several hard body shots. Berto tries to answer, but is not as effective. SOTO KARASS DROPS BERTO TO HIS LEFT SIDE WITH A LEFT HOOK. HE RISES ON WOBBLY LEGS, BUT REFEREE JON SCHORLE HAS SEEN ENOUGH AND WAVES AN END TO THE FIGHT AS HE CRADLES BERTO IN HIS ARMS.
SOTO KARASS STOPS BERTO WITH A 12TH-ROUND TKO AT O:48
Photos by Naoki Fukuda
Lem Satterfield can be reached at [email protected]