Andre Berto reatained his WBC welterweight title with a comfortable points win over fellow American Steve Forbes in Los Angeles.
Unbeaten champion goes the distance for first time in Los Angeles
Andre Berto reatained his WBC welterweight title with a comfortable points win over Steve Forbes in Los Angeles.
Ahead of the Shane Mosley v Ricardo Mayorga bout, the two Americans served up a tasty appetiser that went the full 12 rounds.
Berto was rightly given the verdict by the three judges, two giving it his way by a 118-109 verdict with the other scoring it 116-111.
The victory, his 23rd as a professional, maintains the 25-year-old's unbeaten record, though for the first time he was taken the distance.
Powerful puncher
A powerful puncher who has won 19 times by knockout, Berto did his best to stop the durable challenger, outpunching him throughout.
However, Forbes' impressive chin helped him maintain his record of never being stopped in a 33-fight career which included a points loss to Oscar De La Hoya earlier this year.
The former IBF super featherweight champion battled bravely through to the final bell, though he knew at the finish that he hadn't done enough to get the verdict.
Instead it was Berto who took the points success to hang on to the WBO strap that he won with a KO of Miguel Angel Rodriguez in June.
