It was an action-packed encounter, but Walters allowed his emotions to get the better of him on several occasions, and his attacks were sometimes untidy though effective. The pre-fight hype could have led to this, as at a press conference Berry reminded journalists that Walters used to be his sparring partner, and that he used to have things easy against the Jamaican on those occasions. There would be no difference with this fight he said.

Walters admitted to being dominated in those early sparring sessions when he had just come to Panama to train, but said that things were different at this time and he is now the better fighter. To prove it, he said he would knock out Berry early in the fight.

He seemed determined to make this prediction come true quickly, as he started attacking from the opening bell. Berry, whose record going in the fight was 21-2-2 with nine knockouts, is renowned for his boxing skills, but instead of boxing, he allowed Walters to lure him into a slugfest, and paid an enormous price for this indiscretion.