The scrapped rematch between welterweights Victor Ortiz and Andre Berto will be rescheduled, according to a report by Rick Reeno of BoxingScene.com, with Berto's promoter Lou DiBella saying that a late June date is the current target.
"The rematch will happen. Berto will not require any surgery. Berto-Ortiz will take place in about four months. There will not be any interim fights. They are going straight into the rematch," DiBella told BoxingScene.com.
Berto injured his bicep recently, which forced the scheduled February 11 date to be canceled. After seeking a second opinion on the injury, Berto has opted to not have surgery, and an 8-to-12 week recovery period is expected.
Showtime will still televise.
Ortiz (29-3-2, 22 KO) and Berto (28-1, 22 KO) had a Fight of the Year contender on April 16, 2011, in Connecticut, raising the stock of both men. Ortiz went on to lose embarrassingly to Floyd Mayweather Jr in September, while Berto defeated Jan Zaveck in a toe-to-toe scrap just two weeks before that.
The win over Zaveck netted Berto the IBF welterweight title, but he gave that up to pursue a rematch with Ortiz when HBO turned down a fight between Berto and Randall Bailey, his mandatory challenger. With no TV money in a fight against Bailey, Berto forfeited his title belt and went after the bigger, better fight.
The rematch was a highly-anticipated event for boxing fans, and the cancellation disappointing. This should help ease some of that pain, and chances are we'll find out a new date soon enough.