Former two-division world champion Andre Berto believes Dirty Boxing’s hybrid rule set is designed to produce nonstop action.
Dirty Boxing Championship returns on April 10 with DBX6 at Miami’s James L. Knight Center as the emerging hybrid format blends traditional boxing striking with MMA-style combat.
The concept, co-founded by Jon Jones and Mike Perry, has started attracting attention across combat sports circles by combining boxing offense with limited clinch work and controlled ground finishing designed to keep fights moving.
As the organization builds toward its latest event, WBN spoke to Berto about how he first became involved with Dirty Boxing and why the format immediately caught his attention.
Andre Berto on discovering Dirty Boxing
Berto, who undertook commentary duties on January’s Dirty Boxing show, explained that his introduction to the promotion came through a close friend who had become involved with the league as an investor.
“It was actually a really good friend of mine. He had a meeting with one of the co-founders of Dirty Boxing. He was explaining the whole concept to him, and the guy was a friend of mine and a big investor, but he didn’t know too much about the combat space. He just knew it was new and different, so he called me,” Berto exclusively told World Boxing News.
“He told me he met this guy who started this new league and wanted to have a meeting with me and him. I was down in Miami, we had that meeting, and he explained the whole concept to me and invited me to the next DBX event so I could see the concept in real life.
“I know a lot about boxing, of course, but I come from an MMA background. My family — my dad fought in the UFC, and my brother and sister are all big MMA guys — so I just wanted to see if what he was telling me was going to come to life.
“So I ended up going to the first event.”
Why Dirty Boxing is built for constant action
What stood out to Berto was how the rules are structured to remove the slower moments that can sometimes stall fights in both boxing and mixed martial arts.
“I think it’s dope. I think it’s cool, it’s new, it’s fresh. I think the idea of taking all of the boring, stagnant parts out of the UFC and actual boxing and making its own type of sport is pretty dope.
“It’s not as gruesome as bare-knuckle because you have small gloves on. It just causes you to have complete action. It’s a small ring, no grappling. You can fight on your feet, you can grab, you can clinch, you can do elbows up top.
“If you knock somebody down on the ground, you can finish him, but you only have five or six seconds to finish him or they are going to put you back up on your feet.
“So it’s just set for non-stop action. That’s why I believe they have been having so many tremendous knockouts.”
Could boxers have an advantage?
The hybrid rule set naturally raises questions about which fighters may benefit most from the format.
For Berto, experienced boxers could hold a natural edge given how much of the action remains on the feet.
“A little bit, maybe, because to be honest I think if you’re a very good boxer, you could definitely have an edge.
“Because like I said, everything is on your feet — no grappling, no holding. The only thing that is different is that you can throw elbows in the clinch.
“And sometimes us boxers, when we are in training camps or even in fights, we may have an urge to throw an elbow and we can’t. So I don’t think it’s too far from boxing rules.”
DBX6 arrives April 10 in Miami
Dirty Boxing Championship’s next event takes place April 10 at the James L. Knight Center in Miami and will stream live and free on the promotion’s YouTube channel.
The card is headlined by an interim heavyweight title clash between undefeated DBX competitors Michael Garcia and Rob “The Wolf” Perez.
Montavious Ware faces Luis Saldana in the co-main event, while Miami fan favorite Bryan “El Gallo” Duran meets Tristan Gallichan on the main card.
Berto expects Perez to bring plenty of personality into the headline fight.
“I don’t know too much about the other guy, but I have seen Wolf fight. I heard he has been talking a lot of crap and getting under his opponent’s skin pretty well.
“But my assessment of Wolf when I saw him last time — I mean, he had a devastating knockout that night. I just know from his presence and his energy.
“He DM’s me all the time, saying, ‘I hope you’re coming to this fight. I’m gonna kill him, I’m gonna kill him.’
“So I am thinking that he is going to go out there and really try to put on a show. He is very expressive. He wants that attention. He wants people to know that he is going to be the next star of DBX.”
About the Author
Phil Jay is the Editor-in-Chief of World Boxing News (WBN) and a veteran boxing reporter with 15+ years of experience. He has interviewed world champions, broken international exclusives, and reported ringside since 2010. Read full bio.