Is this berto's first real test?

Collazo is a 2nd tier Welter and a former world champ. That's a good step up fight and certainly a stern test for Berto. You won't see Berto in there with Williams or Margo anytime soon. Cotto has a good chance to take an "L" next June, so that fight might not be in the cards until 2009. They may match him up with Clottey or Cintron if he gets past Forbes and Collazo.

 

Collazo is also extremely inactive..and his highest mark on his resume is a loss to Hatton.

Certainly he's a nice "step up" in terms of resume for Berto...but he's not the step up needed. Berto and Cintron need each other really. Cintron needs Berto to prove he's not just a puncher and Berto needs Cintron because Cintron has the skills to answer his biggest questions.

 

That's precisely why Forbes was chosen, because he most likely won't be able to take advantage of Berto's suspect chin.

This said, I wouldn't be entirely surprised to see Berto get starched. He is a KO waiting to happen.

 

What the hell has Cintron ever done? He won a vacant title, beat a bunch of cans and fringe contenders and was destroyed twice by Margo. Collazo at least beat a good fighter in the form of Jose Antonio Rivera in order to get his WBA title. Collazo is a better fighter than Cintron, and is Berto's mando.

 

its his toughest test but it aint really a real test

 

We've seen this pattern before. You'll pick Berto to get knocked out in every fight and then brag if it happens. You're off here anyway. Berto has actually been put in there with some guys that can punch. Rodriguez and Rivera both have good power. I'm not saying Berto has an iron chin, but he's not being fed a steady diet of light hitters either.

 

David Estrada was Berto's first real test

 

It has nothing to do with what he's done it's what he has. He's got dynamite power. The point is Berto's biggest question marks are his chin and toughness. Cintron has the skill set to test this.

At this point it should be less about points padding on a record and more about seeing what they have in Berto. This is step up territory...and Cintron is a MUCH bigger step up than Collazo.

 

I smoke out the glass jaws around here early, and usually I'm right.

And for what it's worth, I agree with you that Berto doesn't seem to have the Grade A china chin that Fraudley or Khan have - both of whom I also called early and was attacked by all kinds of naysayers - but it isn't exactly rock solid either. Berto will get starched at some point, trust me.:yep