Crème caught up with him as he begins training for the highly anticipated bout with irrefutable Sugar Shane Mosley. He gave us the lowdown on how he prepares and what to expect when he hits the ring this January.

Thembi Banks: So how’s training going?

Andre Berto:  Everything is pretty good. We’re in the beginning stages and getting ready for a tough nine weeks.

TB: What does your training regimen consist of?

AB: Basically the physical aspect consists of us working out three times a day. I work with a nutritionist, strength conditioning coach and my chef to make sure I’m replenishing my body correctly.  As far as the mental, just a lot of watching video tapes and getting to the point where the whole camp has that fight vibe.

TB: Sugar Shane Mosley has such a notorious reputation, so much so that many fighters refuse to get in the ring with him. Why is this such an important fight for you?

AB: This is a big fight for me. He’s already a hall of famer. He’s built his rep by fighting the best and that’s how I want to build mine. I think of this fight as the changing of the guards and my chance to really step out and become a superstar.

TB: So how did this fight come about?

AB: Well our two camps talked about it for a while and we knew this would be an entertaining fight and a really great opportunity so we finally were able to negotiate everything and make it happen.

TB: You come from an amazing family of athletes, tell me about your background?

AB: My parents were immigrants from Haiti and we always had that strong, tough background. My dad believes that with hard work you can achieve anything. My dad is the ultimate athlete, the ultimate man’s man. He doesn’t believe in making anything easy, he made everything hard on us. I grew up rough and tough but it made us have a different type of vision on life. How I grew up definitely played a major part in my career.

TB: What was one of your most challenging or memorable moments in your career?

AB: As an amateur when I made the U.S. National team at 15 years old that was definitely a defining moment for me. The first big tournament I won was the National Golden Gloves so that was another really important moment.  That recognition has a lot of honor and significance and now I have two. Also winning my first world title was huge.

TB: My dad was a boxer as well and had the honor of training with the legendary Cus D’Amato. Who are the legends that stand out in your mind as inspirations?

AB: Oh wow. Well Muhammad Ali of course. I haven’t met him yet but he is definitely someone I absolutely look up to. Marvin Haggler is another great, I had the chance to meet him and that was an incredible experience. Of course I look up to the Sugar Ray Leonards, there’s a lot of people that I’ve been fortunate enough to meet and talk to. Mike Tyson has come to watch a couple of my fights and said to me he enjoys watching so that’s a dream come true itself.

TB: HBO has really stood behind you and your career. What does that mean to you?

AB: They’ve been watching and following me ever since I was a young kid fighting so that’s an absolute blessing.  They picked me up when I was around 13, 14 years old, some of my earliest fights and have given me crazy exposure. They’re like family now, they put me in the right position to really be big. They had this vision of me from a young kid and really gave me the push and opportunities I needed so it’s definitely a great thing that I’m thankful for.

TB: Every great boxer has his signature moves and hook. Describe your style.

AB: A lot of people and boxing fans are looking for that new young face. My style is a fan-friendly style, a lot of speed, power and explosiveness. I consider myself to be something new and fresh to the game since so many people are looking for that new hot shot so that’s what I’m bringing to the table.  Putting on exciting fights is big for me.

TB: Let’s play a little word association:

AB: (laughs) OK cool.

TB: Family

AB: Everything

TB: Mosley

AB: (long pause) Legend

TB: Fame

AB: On the horizon

TB: Love

AB: Boxing 

TB: I’ve noticed that in your relatively short professional career you’ve already managed to expand your vision and concentrate on giving back. Why is that so important to you?

AB: If you’re blessed in general and you’re able to give back then you should do so, it’s the purpose of your blessing.  I feel like God put me in this position to bring awareness to people. It’s my passion to give back so I’ve made sure to do that for certain causes here and in Haiti. You have to make everything come around full circle and keep young people inspired. It’s important for them to always remember where they came from. For more on Andre Berto visit his website at www.andreberto.com

Boxers  Shane Mosley [46-5-0, 39], Andre Berto [25-0-0, 19]
Weight division Welterweight (147 lbs)
Title WBC Title, WBA Title, 
Date 30 January 2010, Sat
Location  USA, Las Vegas, Mandalay Bay