Tag Archives: Edgar berlanga

Posted on 06/12/2022

By: Hans Themistode

The opening act of Edgar Berlanga’s career went better than expected. The Puerto Rican native hollered loudly following 16 consecutive first-round knockouts, before screaming, “I’m a monster.”

Yet, with each concussive victory, Berlanga was slowly but assuredly placing more pressure on his broad shoulders. Admittedly, Berlanga responded well. Against Demond Nicholson, although Berlanga was pushed past the first round for the first time in his career, he knocked his man down multiple times, en route to a lopsided win. However, against Marcelo Esteban Coceres, Berlanga was sent crashing down to the canvas before scoring the win.

Several months later, Berlanga picked up a sloppy, yet clear, unanimous decision against Steve Rolls. With the 25-year-old anxious to not only maintain his undefeated record but do so in violent fashion, he was given an unwilling participant in Alexis Angulo.

Berlanga couldn’t help but smile as he made his way through his fellow Puerto Ricans at Madison Square Garden’s Hulu Theater. Moments later, Berlanga’s joyous attitude turned demonic as he stepped to the middle of the ring for the opening round. Angulo, undeterred by the roaring crowd, happily traded blows with the overly eager 25-year-old.

As Anuglo pushed the pace of the fight, Berlanga attempted to hold his ground, uncorking several wide-winging right hands. At the tail end of the first, he seemed to buzz Angulo with a stinging left hand. Aching to pick up where he left off, Berlanga came out aggressive to start the second. However, while he found a home for his right hand, Angulo made him pay, landing numerous uppercuts on the inside.

Berlanga, to his credit, seemed unfazed by the offensive onslaught of Angulo and baited him to move in. With the former title holder lunging forward, Berlanga landed a near picture-perfect right hand. Still, despite his precision, Angulo continued to march full steam ahead.

In the fifth, a visibly weary Berlanga plodded to the center of the ring. A clear pep in the step of Angulo was evident as he roughed up his much younger man on the inside. The 38-year-old pinned Berlanga up against the ropes and teed off, much to the chagrin of the pro-Berlanga crowd.

As the up-and-coming 168-pound prospect began tiring, he looked cautiously at the referee as Angulo buried his head into his chest in an attempt to make it a rough and rugged fight.

A seemingly exasperated Berlanga sauntered out of his corner in the seventh. With Angulo once again landing pernicious blows on his man, Berlanga did his best to box on the back foot. At times, the normally aggressive 168-pound prospect tagged Angulo with a head-snapping jab, forcing his loyal fans to rise to their feet and cheer him on vehemently.

In the eighth, Angulo was consistent in his attack. He placed his hands up high and smiled as Berlanga’s blows bounced innocuously off his gloves. When given the opportunity, Angulo found his range and pounded Berlanga against the ropes. It was much of the same in the ninth and 10th, as Berlanga tried desperately to change the momentum of the fight.

In the waning seconds of the final round, Berlanga angled out of Angulo’s way on numerous occasions, opting to play it safe. But, as the final bell rang, Berlanga stepped directly in front of Angulo, mouthing off while attempting to head butt his man. The two were then separated by their opposing corners and led to the center of the ring.

Both Berlanga and Angulo waited patiently for the final tally. During the protracted delay, Berlanga rose his hands confidently while flexing at the crowd. Moments later, he was given a reason to smile as he handed a lopsided unanimous decision victory.

Posted on 04/27/2022

By: Hans Themistode

Edgar Berlanga vowed to punish Steve Rolls. The highly regarded super middleweight prospect started his career on fire, nabbing 16 consecutive first-round stoppage victories in a row. But, as of late, Berlanga has been forced to enlist the help of the three judge’s watching his bouts ringside. Against Rolls, that trend continued.

A jam-packed crowd at Madison Square Garden’s Hulu Theater booed in frustration as Berlanga cruised to a lackluster unanimous decision victory. Admittedly, Berlanga revealed that his latest showing was far from his best. Come June 11th, the deleterious knockout artist will attempt to get back to violent winning ways.

Berlanga, 24, will return to the scene of his most recent crime. On the night, Berlanga will attempt to show Roamer Alexis Angulo the door.

At the age of 38, Angulo has come up woefully short when pushed into the ring against elite competition. The Columbian native was thoroughly outboxed against Gilberto Ramirez in 2018. While he did manage to pick up three consecutive victories shortly after, he was savagely stopped against David Benavidez in 2020.

Since suffering only the second loss of his career, Angulo has made only one ring appearance, a fifth-round stoppage victory over Carlos Galvan in June of 2021.

Although a boisterous New York crowd will cheer loudly for their homegrown product in Berlanga, Angulo has shown a propensity for upsetting the applecart. In December of 2018, one fight removed from his loss against Ramirez, Angulo handed Reinaldo Gonzalez the first loss of his career. The Columbian native continued that trend in 2020, becoming the first man to defeat Anthony Sims Jr., doing so via split decision.

Posted on 03/23/2022

By: Hans Themistode

At one point, fans would sit on the edge of their seats as the opening bell rang to signify the beginning of an Edgar Berlanga contest.

No matter how hard his opponents ultimately tried, they all succumbed to his relentless pressure and concussive knockout power in the very first round. However, as of late, Berlanga’s propensity for knockouts has dissipated. In three consecutive contests, Berlanga has been forced to enlist the help of the three judges sitting ringside, as all three of his opponents have reached the final bell.

This past weekend, Berlanga was confident in his ability to get back to his knockout winning ways. The 24-year-old super middleweight contender took his first step up in competition, matching up against journeymen, Steve Rolls. While Berlanga would ultimately go on to pick up the victory, he failed to either drop Rolls or secure the finish.

Regardless of his somewhat lackluster results, Berlanga has taken notice of one fighter, in particular, David Benavidez. With the newly turned 25-year-old mentioning Berlanga as a possible future opponent, the New York native agrees with his statement. Provided, of course, the financial ramifications meet his requirements.

“That fight is in the near future,” said Berlanga to FightHype.com. “The promotion has to be right, the business has to be right.”

Aside from the monetary reasons, Berlanga believes a matchup against Benavidez is a bit too soon compared to where he is from a developmental standpoint. Benavidez, while only one year older than Berlanga, has undoubtedly fought higher levels of opposition.

In addition to his stellar resume, Benavidez has also wrapped his waist with super middleweight gold on two separate occasions. On May 21st, Benavidez will look to do so once again as he takes on David Lemieux for the WBC interim title.

With Berlanga coming off a closer than expected win against Rolls, the New York native will look to bank a bit more experience before challenging himself against a name such as Berlanga.

“I gotta get a couple more fights in, a couple more rounds in. He already been at that pinnacle plenty of times. For me, I just gotta wiggle my way through, get that experience and the fight can be done.”

Posted on 03/20/2022

By: Hans Themistode

Tim Bradley anxiously awaited Edgar Berlanga’s trip to the ring. The former two-division world titlist was none too pleased with Berlanga’s previous performance. Just five months ago, Berlanga failed to impress as he took on fringe contender Marcelo Esteban Coceres.

In addition to Berlanga being forced to go the distance for only the second time in his career, the hard-hitting super middleweight prospect was sent crashing down to the canvas before eking out a close unanimous decision.

Regardless of his lackluster efforts, Bradley was left even more disappointed by Berlanga’s recent showing. Late last night, in front of a jam-packed crowd in Madison Square Garden’s Hulu Theater, Berlanga scraped by veteran journeymen, Steve Rolls.

As Berlanga sauntered his way through his hometown crowd, he was accompanied by hip hop star Fat Joe, as notable musical artists such as Fabulous, Maino, Remy Ma, Papoose, Dave East, and Jim Jones rooted him on from the sidelines.

Despite the famed support, Berlanga simply couldn’t get his offense going as Rolls continually danced around the ring. At one point, Berlanga threw up his hands in frustration in an attempt to force Rolls to stand in the middle of the ring and bang with him.

When Rolls did oblige Berlanga and fought fire with fire, the 37-year-old landed the more eye-catching shots. While Berlanga may have ultimately eked out a close decision, taking into account the considerable amount public exposure that Berlanga is receiving, Bradley believes the 24-year-old needs to justify those lofty expectations.

“Edgar got a lot of hype and a lot buzz around him,” said Bradley to BoxingInsider.com. “Main event, you the main event. All the Puerto Rican fans came out to see him perform. He didn’t get the knockout but he didn’t land anything really significant. You gotta be way better than that.”

Throughout much of Berlanga’s early career, the highly touted super middleweight prospect has tabbed himself as a future boxing superstar. Furthermore, the New York native views as a showdown against boxing’s premier star at the moment, Canelo Alvarez, as inevitable.

Although Berlanga has demonstrated that he can talk the talk, Bradley urges him to put down the microphone and prove his worth in the ring.

“You gotta convince the fans that you are going to be the next. You can’t just talk about it, you gotta be about it.”

Posted on 03/20/2022

By: Hans Themistode

Edgar Berlanga was far from pleased with his previous performance in the ring. For the first time in his young career, not only did Berlanga fail to drop his opponent but he also crashed face-first to the canvas. With the 24-year-old forced to undergo subsequent surgery to repair a torn left bicep, he promised to return a much better fighter. However, despite his promise, Berlanga was far from the hellacious knockout puncher many pegged him out as.

Although normally aggressive, Berlanga came out much more lethargic and somewhat methodical at Madison Square Garden’s Hulu Theater. He kept his hands up high and attempted to walk Rolls down. Unwilling to get into a firefight with his much younger and stronger opponent, Rolls boxed and moved on the outside while snapping Berlanga’s head back with a consistent jab.

A visibly flustered Berlanga attempted to employ the same tactics in round two. However, as Rolls continued to bounce around the ring, Berlanga threw his hands up in frustration. Still, despite imploring his man to walk to the center of the ring and throw down with him, Rolls opted to box.

Rolls continued his momentum in much of the third round. He danced, moved, and landed persistent jabs through the third and fourth rounds. Seldom would Berlanga push his own jab into the face of his man, although his corner urged him to do so.

In the fifth, Berlanga upped his aggression. He pinned Rolls against the ropes and unloaded on two quick and thunderous shots. Even with Rolls appearing to be on unsteady legs, Berlanga refused to let his hands go. Instead, much to the chagrin of the New York crowd, Berlanga backed off and allowed Rolls to get back to the center of the ring.

Although initially, Berlanga’s hometown crowd cheered him on, they booed relentlessly as their normally pernicious knockout puncher refused to go in for the kill.

In the eighth, Rolls stood his ground. He met Berlanga in the center of the ring and connected on a clean three-punch combination. Although Berlanga’s aggression was few and far between, his motor was kicked into high gear in the final two rounds.

Regardless of his attempts to get back to his knockout ways, Rolls managed to avoid any huge shots of Berlanga while making it to the final bell. In the end, regardless of his somewhat lackluster performance, Berlanga kept his perfect record intact, winning a close unanimous decision on the night.

Posted on 03/18/2022

By: Hans Themistode

Everything was going according to plan for Edgar Berlanga…right until it wasn’t.

The highly touted super middleweight prospect built a name for himself through his sheer power, resulting in his first 16 contests ending in the very first round. Although Berlanga’s streak came to an end against Demond Nicholson, he pounded his man while scoring several knockdowns on the night.

However, during Berlanga’s most recent ring appearance, he found himself in a real fight. On October 9th, 2021, Berlanga strolled to the ring as a sizable favorite against Marcelo Esteban Coceres. Even with Berlanga dominating most of the action, Coceres had his moments, including in the ninth where he dropped his much younger opponent.

Shortly after Berlanga’s name was called to the winner’s circle, it was revealed that he fought on a torn left bicep for much of the night. Considering the severity of the injury, and tasting the canvas for the first time in his young career, Berlanga was visibly frustrated with himself. That said, as he prepares to re-enter the ring this Saturday night against Steve Rolls at Madison Square Garden, Berlanga is looking back on his trying time against Coceres with appreciation.

“I needed that for my career,” said Berlanga during a recent press conference. “I needed that adversity. Every fighter goes through that in their career. I knew I was going to make it out of that adversity because having a torn bicep in the third round and fighting seven rounds like that, a lot of fighters would’ve quit. We took it how it came and now we’re here and ready for Saturday.”

Madison Square Garden represents a harrowing venue for the Canadian Rolls. In his lone trip through those famed doors, Rolls suffered the first and only loss of his career. In June of 2019, Rolls was steamrolled at the hands of Gennadiy Golovkin, succumbing to his sickening power in the fourth round. Berlanga, of course, would love nothing more than to outdo Golovkin and push Rolls into the New York streets, courtesy of a violent early knockout.

Still, while Berlanga is normally loquacious before stepping into the ring, he refrained from making any bold claims. Instead, the 24-year-old is just hoping to give the crowd something to cheer about.

“I don’t like to predict nothing but he’s a tough veteran, he’s been in there with the best. I’m just looking forward to putting on a show. Fireworks like always.”

Posted on 03/16/2022

By: Hans Themistode

Both Edgar Berlanga and those around him are desperate to push him down an arduous road.

To kick off his career, Berlanga made quick work of his first 16 opponents, stopping each of them in the opening round. However, as of late, the New York native has been met with considerable resistance.

During Berlanga’s April 2021 showdown against Demond Nicholson, the 24-year-old was forced to go the distance for the first time in his career. In his following bout, Berlanga was pushed even further.

Affectionately known for his ability to put his opponents down, Berlanga was forced to deal with his own adversity as he was dropped in the 9th round against former 168-pound title contender, Marcelo Esteban Coceres. While Berlanga ultimately went on to win a decision on the scorecards, the heavy-hitting contender tore his left bicep and underwent subsequent surgery.

As Berlanga has diligently worked on his ring return, which will take place this weekend against Steve Rolls, the highly ranked contender has partnered with former world titlist, Mickey Bey.

With both Bey and head trainer Andre Rozier working closely with Berlanga, Bey has been thoroughly impressed by what he’s seen. In fact, in Bey’s opinion, if Berlanga continues on his current trajectory, he sees mega showdowns against the division’s best taking place in the not-so-distant future.

“What I’ve been seeing in the past couple of weeks, I see him being able to fight anybody in the world in 12 to 18 months. You’ll be able to see him in there with Canelo, anybody.”

Canelo, of course, currently has a firm hold on every world title at 168 pounds. Despite the gap in both age, 31 to 24, and experience, Berlanga himself has stated on numerous occasions that a showdown against Alvarez is one that he craves.

Still, presently speaking, Bey wants Berlanga to focus on the immediate future. In due time, Bey believes that Berlanga will push himself to the top of the 168-pound food chain. For now, however, Bey is expecting a dominant showing this upcoming weekend at Madison Gardens Hulu Theater.

“I expect him to look great and dominate next week.”

Posted on 01/09/2022

By: Hans Themistode

2021 didn’t go exactly the way Edgar Berlanga was expecting.

During the first four years of Berlanga’s career, judges were given the night off. No matter who the New York native entered the ring against, he quickly and violently ended his bouts. Most notably, Berlanga had earned a reputation as being one of boxing’s most deleterious punchers, stopping his first 16 opponents in the first round.

For the first time in his career, however, Berlanga was forced to go the distance against Demond Nicholson in the first half of 2021. At the tail end of the year, Berlanga was faced with even more adversity, eking out a close unanimous decision against fringe contender Marcelo Esteban Coceres.

During the bout, Berlanga hit the deck for the first time in his young career. Also, to make matters worse, the heavy-hitting 168 pound prospect suffered a torn bicep. With the injury healing well, Berlanga is now set to return to the ring against arguably the most difficult opponent of his career.

As first reported by BoxingScene.com, Berlanga will headline at Madison Square Garden’s Hulu Theater in New York against Steve Rolls on March 19th.

Although the Canadian native was thoroughly defeated at the hands of Gennadiy Golovkin, Rolls has brushed off the stoppage defeat to register back-to-back knockout victories of his own. Most recently, Rolls carefully dissected journeymen Christopher Brooker on December 17th, 2021, stopping him in the ninth round.

Should Berlanga return to his destructive ways, Top Rank, the promotional banner in which Berlanga fights under, could place him in position to increase his star power.

On Sunday, June 12th, the streets of Manhattan in New York will be filled with Berlanga’s Puerto Rican countrymen in celebration of the Puerto Rican Day Parade. One day prior, Top Rank could place Berlanga in the main event once again to accentuate his growing audience.

Posted on 09/28/2021

By: Hans Themistode

Edgar Berlanga is attempting to keep his focus in one singular direction.

The New York born knockout artist is continuing his climb up the super middleweight ranks. With not one but two fight dates already placed on his schedule, the 24-year-old knows good and well that if he doesn’t take care of business against Marcelo Esteban Coceres on October 9th, then his second date two months later will be a moot point.

“Obviously we’re focused on October 9th,” said Berlanga during an interview with Cornerman Boxing. “If I don’t get the job done October 9th, then there’s then there’s no December 11th.”

Seemingly overnight, Berlanga went from your typical highly touted boxing prospect to a well-known superstar. Berlanga’s rise to fame stems from his propensity to not just register stoppage wins but to do so in the first round.

Berlanga came within shouting distance of record holder Tyrone Brunson who registered 19 consecutive first-round stoppage victories. Ultimately, Berlanga saw his streak come to an end at 16 in his last ring appearance against Demond Nicholson. While the heavy-handed New Yorker was forced to go the distance for the first time in his career, he believes that if he didn’t go head hunting and switched up his game plan, he would’ve had an early night.

“I know I could’ve got him out of there,” continued Berlanga. “I just didn’t go to the body, I didn’t utilize my jab more. If I went to the body early on, I think the body would’ve fallen.”

Berlanga’s first-round knockout streak may have fast-tracked him to the boxing spotlight, but he’s somewhat relieved that the pressure to keep it going is now off his shoulders.

“I always said you got a little weight on your shoulders because of the first-round knockout thing. Now, it’s out of the way, we ended the streak. I’m happy I went the distance and I showed that I have power in the later rounds.”

In Coceres, Berlanga faces one of his more durable opponents. In 33 professional fights, the Argentinian has been stopped just once. That would come in November of 2019 against former WBO titleholder, Billy Joe Saunders.

Although Berlanga admitted that he has a sense of relief that his unprecedented streak came to an end, the super middleweight prospect is looking forward to starting things back up all over again.

“Now I got those rounds in, I’m not looking to go rounds October 9th. No scorecards October 9th, or December 11th. I’m looking to start the streak over.”

Posted on 09/13/2021

By: Hans Themistode

Bob Arum couldn’t help but gush over the immense talent of Canelo Alvarez.

The Mexican native and pound-for-pound star, made a ringside appearance on Arum’s Top Rank show this past weekend as stablemate and WBC super featherweight champion Oscar Valdez, defeated mandatory challenger Robson Conceicao.

An overzealous Alvarez vehemently cheered for his good friend while shouting instructions. With Valdez eking out the win, Alvarez will now turn his attention to his own upcoming showdown, a November 6th matchup against IBF super middleweight titleholder, Caleb Plant.

In a moment of pure candor, Arum simply shook his head as he scrambled to name someone who could defeat the Mexican star.

“I don’t think anybody beats Canelo,” said Arum during an interview with several reporters. “He’s just that good.”

Although Arum ultimately expects Alvarez to snag the IBF title of Plant to become the first undisputed super middleweight champion of all time, the 89-year-old promoter believes that he may have someone who will eventually dethrone him in the near future.

“Maybe in two years or a year and a half, [Edgar] Berlanga.”

The 24-year-old New York native has become somewhat of an internet sensation over the years. With 16 first-round finishes in his first 16 fights, Berlanga has earned the reputation of becoming a feared knockout artist.

In his most recent appearance, however, Berlanga saw his streak come to an end against Demond Nicholson. Despite registering numerous knockdowns throughout, Nicholson managed to peel himself up off the deck but would suffer a wide decision loss.

Recently, Berlanga came to terms on a two-fight deal with Top Rank. Up first for the hard-hitting super middleweight contender, is a showdown against Marcelo Esteban Coceres on October 9th, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Should he pick up the victory, Berlanga would then return two months later on December 11th, in the co-main event of a show headlined by Vasiliy Lomachenko.

If Berlanga continues to impress, as well as pick up victories, Arum is hopeful that his young star will eventually find himself standing across the ring from Alvarez with all of the super middleweight marbles on the line.

Posted on 05/10/2021

By: Hans Themistode

Super middleweight contender Edgar Berlanga was not too pleased with the performance of Billy Joe Saunders this past Saturday night. The British native took on unified super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez in front of over 73,000 fans at the AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas.

Saunders, 31, attempted to box and move against Alvarez but his defensive acumen was no match for the offensive onslaught of the Mexican star. With the right eye of Saunders falling apart, the slick southpaw was forced to remain on his stool as the start of round nine began. Despite Saunders suffering a quadripod fracture and has since undergone surgery, Berlanga ripped into his actions.

“Billy p*ssy,” said Berlanga during an interview with ESNews. “He quit. At this caliber man, you supposed to show out. Give a f*ck if you go down, if you get knocked out, you get stopped you supposed to go out like a champ. To quit on the stool like that is no good.”

The exact moment in which Alvarez essentially shattered the face of Saunders, took place in the eighth round. The British product lunged in with a left hand and attempted to duck low once he missed. A fully aware Alvarez connected with a sharp right uppercut that left Saunders on weak legs. The bell to end the round came soon after and a wincing Saunders slumped into his corner. His team attempted desperately to reduce the swelling but we’re unable to. As round nine began, Saunders remained on his stool as his corner waved their hands and said their man was done for the night.

Prior to the stoppage, Saunders appeared to be boxing well. Two of the three judges sitting ringside had their contest 6-2 in favor of Alvarez while the third and final judge had it a bit closer at 5-3. Reporter and commentator for DAZN in, Chris Mannix, actually had Saunders winning by the score of 5-3.

In the mind of Berlanga, he vehemently disagrees with the scorecard of Mannix. He also disagrees with anyone who gave Saunders even a single round. In Berlanga’s opinion, Alvarez was dishing out a one-sided beating.

“He won every round in my eyes. Billy Joe wasn’t doing nothing, he was running.”

Posted on 04/24/2021

By: Hans Themistode

No matter what, Demond Nicholson was determined to not be Edgar Berlanga’s 17th straight first-round knockout win.

The highly touted super middleweight prospect began drawing comparison’s to a young Mike Tyson after he continued to bulldoze the competition. In the case of Nicholson, the fringe contender vowed to not only survive Berlanga’s early onslaught but also flat-out win.

Well, after sharing the ring with Berlanga earlier tonight, Nicholson (23-4-1, 20 KOs) got the first part of his prediction correct.

The boxing world watched closely as the opening bell rang. With the amount of attention Berlanga (17-0, 16 KOs) has received for ending all of his contests in the first round, there was reason to believe his streak would continue. For Nicholson however, he did everything in his power to stay upright during the opening frame.

While Berlanga landed several big shots, Nicholson never budged as he proved to be more durable than his record indicated. With Berlanga entering the second round for the first time in his young career, the deleterious knockout power he’s displayed carried into the frame as a hard shot sent Nicholson down to the canvas.

Although his legs were clearly not yet underneath him, Nicholson rose to his feet and continued to press on. As the frame came to an end, it was as if the rest of their contest was played on a perpetual loop. Berlanga would march forward at the beginning of every round as Nicholson attempted to play defense. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Berlanga would land a shot that would send Nicholson to another dimension.

Still, despite the ongoing punishment, Nicholson continued to rise to his feet and push the young prospect like never before. While he proved to be game, Berlanga easily cruised to a unanimous decision victory.

Posted on 01/31/2021

By: Hans Themistode

Although Edgar Berlanga is still making a name for himself in the super middleweight division, The Athletic’s 2020 prospect of the year appears to be ready to take a humongous leap forward.

In what many expected to be a one-sided affair, IBF titlist Caleb Plant dominated former belt holder Caleb Truax at the Shrine Exposition Center, in Los Angeles California. At no point during their showdown did Plant find himself even remotely in any sort of trouble. Despite winning every single round, Berlanga was seemingly unimpressed with his efforts.

In fact, the hard puncher from New York City even offered to take on Plant whenever he would like.

“That fight was cute,” said Plant via Twitter. “Let me know when you ready to get kissed by these fist.”

For Berlanga, if he were somehow able to skip the line and jump right into a contest with Plant, it would be considered a major step up in competition for the 23-year-old.

At the moment, Berlanga (16-0, 16 KOs) has yet to face anyone in the top 15 of the 168-pound division, let alone someone the caliber of Plant. But while Berlanga is still attempting to build his resume, he has seemingly captured the attention of most of the boxing public. The reason for his growing fanbase is simple, the Puerto Rican native hits unbelievably hard.

Currently, Berlanga has yet to find an opponent who can make it out of the first round. Regardless of the quick outcomes of his contests, Berlanga has stated on numerous occasions that he is more than just a power puncher.

Although he may have called for a showdown with Plant (21-0, 12 KOs), the IBF champion has his eyes set on WBA, WBC and Ring magazine titlist, Canelo Alvarez. With Plant successfully defending his world title last night, and with Alvarez penciled in to take on mandatory challenger Avni Yildirim followed by WBO champion Billy Joe Saunders, the two are seemingly headed towards an undisputed matchup should everything fall into place.

As for what’s next for Berlanga, he has set his sights on a possible showdown with fringe contender Gabe Rosado.

Posted on 01/01/2021

By: Hans Themistode

Edgar Berlanga has gone from super middleweight prospect to must-watch television in seemingly the blink of an eye. With 16 first-round knockouts, Berlanga has garnered national television due to the savage beatings he’s dished out during his short career.

Names such as recently inducted hall of famer Andre Ward and former two-division titlist Tim Bradley have been left impressed with his performances. So has promoter Bob Arum who’s pegged him to be a possible future star.

But while Berlanga (16-0, 16 KOs) continues to receive pats on the back for a job well done, former super middleweight champion David Benavidez doesn’t understand the hype. The 24-year-old admits that the knockouts are highlight-worthy, but after taking a deep dive into Berlanga’s resume, Benavidez could only come to one conclusion.

“The people that he knocked out are all bums,” said Benavidez during a recent interview on AHAT, a YouTube channel. “They’re all garbage but he makes them look nice.”

Recently, former trainer of long-reigning middleweight titlist Gennadiy Golovkin in Abel Sanchez, spoke glowingly of the skills of Benavidez. Going as far as to say that even as an amateur, Benavidez gave Golovkin all he could handle in sparring. His experience in the unpaid ranks, coupled with his truncated title reigns, has left Benavidez scratching his head as he tries to understand the hype surrounding the new kid on the super middleweight block.

“I been fighting way better competition since I was 17 years old, 18 years old. He’s 23 years old now and he’s fighting nobodies. If that makes him and his team feel good than to each their own.”

Not only does Benavidez (23-0, 20 KOs) struggle to recognize any of the names on Berlanga’s resume but the Arizona native doesn’t see the benefit in what he’s accomplishing. The quick nights at the office may have netted Berlanga a few newfound celebrity friends as well as daily appearances on Sports Centers highlight reel, but Benavidez is under the impression that his growth is being stunted and the pressure is mounting.

“It’s cool but the thing about knocking people out in the first hard is now there’s pressure. He’s throwing everything in the first round. There’s a lot of stuff in this professional game that he has to learn. You have to learn how to go a couple rounds, throw a couple jabs, set some guys up. You don’t always have to go for the finish every first round but now that people are making a big deal out of it he’s putting a lot of pressure on himself to knock people out in the first round.”

For Berlanga, there’s a certain aura of invincibility that is accompanying him and his current streak. No matter how hard his opponents attempt to simply make it through the first three minutes, it’s become virtually impossible up until this point. To Benavidez though, it’s all a lie. Berlanga may seem unbeatable but the former titleholder has seen him lose time and time again.

“I have a couple videos of him getting knocked out in the amateurs. I just saw a video of Erickson Lubin beating him up so I don’t think much of that guy.”

Despite not believing in the hype, Berlanga would love to share with the up and comer from Brooklyn, New York. He doesn’t anticipate that it will happen now, but as long as Berlanga continues to win, Benavidez views their clash as inevitable.

“We’ll see where he get to. That’s definitely a fight that I wanna make happen in the future.”

Posted on 12/24/2020

By: Hans Themistode

Chances are if you blinked during a contest involving Edgar Berlanga, then you missed the entire event. In short, it doesn’t take long for the 23-year-old super middleweight prospect to take care of business once he steps foot inside of the ring.

With 16 straight first-round knockout wins to start his career, Berlanga has gotten a noticeable amount of attention. However, he’s also gotten a considerable amount of push back as well.

Despite stopping several opponents that have never been down, let alone knocked out during the course of their respective careers, fans of Berlanga are twiddling their thumbs as they want the Puerto Rican native to increase his level of competition, something he has been quietly clamoring for as well.

Identifying an opponent that will push the New York native and allow him to bank the rounds needed for experience is easier said than done. Yet, after taking a deep dive into the names ranked above him, he’s come across one that he believes would be the perfect opponent to truly test him.

“Shout out to Gabe Rosado,” said Berlanga on his Instagram account. “We probably gonna make something happen.”

For Berlanga, he’s developed a certain dislike for most of his opponents. Often times the undefeated prospect will jump into the face of his man during the weigh-ins and exchange heated words. In the case of Rosado however, Berlanga has nothing but respect for him.

“No harsh feelings or none of that with him but at the end of the day it’s about the fans and making good fights happen.”

While it’s unclear if and when the two will actually step into the ring with one another, Berlanga wants to reassure his fans that he does in fact hear their nonstop pleas for him to take on better names. All that he asks for in return, is time.

“Everybody keeps saying oh he didn’t fight anybody but relax, next year we stepping up competition. Y’all are just so impatient.”