Berto, Quintana fighting for Haiti tonight on HBO

On the surface, Andre Berto looks the same as he always has.

He has the same brilliant smile and easygoing nature and a work ethic that is matched by few.

But beyond the exterior, the Winter Haven native and current WBC welterweight champion is a changed man.

His foundation was shaken when the ground beneath the island nation of Haiti violently shifted Jan. 12. According to some reports, the earthquake killed more that 200,000 people. Eight of those were members of Berto's family.

Just 10 days before the biggest fight of his career - against boxing icon Shane Mosley - Berto had an extreme shift of focus. Instead of collecting on a multimillion dollar payday, Berto opted to cancel the fight and help those in dire need.

"There are some of us out there that have certain morals that we just don't step away from," said Berto, the son of two Haiti natives. "Hopefully it will make people unafraid to really stand up for what they really (believe in). At the end of the day, boxing can be gone tomorrow. Family is forever."

Tonight, Berto returns to the ring to face Carlos Quintana live on HBO. A portion of the ticket sales for the fight, dubbed "Fighting for Haiti," will go toward relief efforts for the island nation.

After the earthquake, Berto and his family couldn't contact his sister, Naomi, and her daughter, Jessica, for three days. They feared the worst before finally receiving news that they were safe, but their house was destroyed.

Berto, the lone representative for the Haiti boxing team at the 2004 Athens Olympics, boarded a private flight with his brother Cleveland less than two weeks after the quake to spend four days in Haiti.

During his time there, Berto teamed with Barth Green and Project Medishare. Berto helped unload the injured and the dead as they arrived at a makeshift hospital. He also helped pull bodies from the rubble and helped distribute food.

"I think he grew up 10 years," said Tony Morgan, who has been Berto's trainer since the fighter was 6. "A lot of people don't realize, for a 26-year-old kid to turn down millions of dollars, and possibly after that maybe 50 to 100 million dollars the next fights, that's hard to do for anybody, let alone a 26-year-old. I think the maturity he showed was remarkable."

In addition to his time in Haiti, Berto teamed with his boxing equipment company, Everlast, to sell Team Berto T-shirts, with the proceeds going to the American Red Cross and the Haiti relief endeavors. Berto also started up his charity, The Berto Dynasty Foundation.

Berto's heavy involvement in Haiti has his father, Dieusuel Berto, brimming with pride.

"I look at him as a man of character and integrity," Dieusuel Berto said. "For him to step out that way, it really makes me feel good, because he knows how much I love my heritage. He knows how much I love the country, and for him to step forward and take my place, to do things I wasn't able to do for the country, that makes me feel proud."

Not only will Berto have to defend his welterweight title, but also he must preserve his chance to fight the top boxers in the division. After what he's witnessed, Berto isn't shying away from any competition.

"The experience going to Haiti and seeing the things that I've seen and being part of the things that I've been a part of, I don't think there's any fight out there that can compare to that," he said. "Nothing. I'm ready to go."