Berto believes Floyd chose him because of personal grievance

If Andre Berto wanted stoke the fires for this promotion, he certainly isn't doing much of a great job at it. In fact, he seems to be doing even less talking than he was before the fight was officially announced. Many have questioned why Mayweather would choose Berto as his final opponent, and Berto gives his answer - sort of.

"Why don't you guys ask him why he chose me," Berto responded with an accusatory tone during a private session with the media at the MGM's VIP room. "It's always been something... I have a few ideas."

Berto continued by talking about his personal history with Mayweather, dating back to when he won the National Golden Gloves tournament. Berto says after he won, Floyd took him and his team out to dinner to congratulate him, but he also feels like Mayweather viewed him as a rising threat and wanted to keep close tabs on him.

"I think he's always had a certain type of idea about me," Berto continued. "But he was never my type of guy. I show respect where respect is due but I got into this game to take the No. 1 spot and that's where he is."

Finally, Berto alludes to a personal issue between he and Mayweather that stems from members of the opposite sex. He wouldn't get specific, but says that the two share some mutual friends and suggests that Floyd harbors some bitterness.

"I don't know what's going through his head," Berto shrugged off. "We know a lot of the same people so it must be something. (The media doesn't) think I deserve this fight so he must be trying to beat me up for a reason. Every other fighter makes sense but before he leaves he wants to fight me."

Now this is a little more cryptic than what Berto had been telling TMZ before the fight was announced. In that interview, he all but confirmed that Floyd's issue with him stemmed from a woman. Rumor has it that woman would be Floyd's ex-fiance Shantel Jackson, who is now with her new beau Nelly, who just so happens to be friends with Andre Berto. For those who don't know, Floyd and Nelly have a pretty rancorous relationship since Floyd believed they were friends and apparently got offended that Nelly would hook up with his girl. I'm guessing that bitterness only got worse after Nelly aired Floyd out on ESPN by poking fun at his level of education.

So If we piece the puzzle together, it would seem that Floyd still aches over the loss of Ms. Jackson, and supposedly has his people call up Berto to attempt to get the inside scoop on her. Since Berto failed to oblige, Floyd wants to put hands on him. As petty and ridiculous as that sounds, Floyd's rumored controlling nature, particularly over women, would not make this such a far-fetched concept.

My only thing is that Berto is already in a no-lose situation with this fight. He really has no reason to tippy-toe around the subject, especially since he's been the one to mention it (however obscurely). He might as well just put Floyd on full blast, if for nothing other than promotion, and say that Floyd just wants to beat him up for being affiliated with his tormentors.

That's much more interesting than this lame promotion they've strung together...