Edgar Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) has already put together a fight poster of him and Canelo Alvarez for a battle in September.
Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) was at Canelo’s fight last Saturday night against Jaime Munguia, surrounded by fans, playing Mexican music on a little speaker, and sounding like he’s got the match in the bag for Alvarez’s next fight.
Promoter Eddie Hearn kept a low profile on social media last Saturday, not saying if his fighter Berlanga will be the next one for Canelo (61-2-2, 39 KOs).
Berlanga says a fight between him and Canelo will be the “biggest thing that happens this year,” which is a big stretch. If anything, it would be viewed as the biggest mismatch for a PPV event this year, and fans won’t be happy paying for this.
Canelo hasn’t said who he’ll be fighting next in September following his 12-round unanimous decision win over Jaime Munguia last Saturday night at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. People want to see Canelo fight David Benavidez, and if not him, guys like Christian Mbilli or David Morrell Jr.
Canelo’s problem is that the 168-lb division is empty, with Benavidez and Morrell having given up trying to fight him. There’s Jermall Charlo, but he doesn’t appear to be ambitious any longer. If Canelo offered him the fight, he’d grab it with both hands, but he won’t sell.
Canelo-Berlanga is an awful fight, but Berlanga is with Eddie Hearn, and he’ll make a major push to make it happen. Since Canelo isn’t interested in fighting A-level opposition any longer, Berlanga will work.
Confident He’ll Get the Canelo Fight
“Hopefully, we can run it in September, Puerto Rico vs. Mexico. I feel like that’s the biggest thing that can happen this year,” said Edgar Berlanga to Fight Hub TV about a fight between him and Canelo Alvarez.
“That fight [Canelo vs. Berlanga] is going to go down in history for a long time in the sport of boxing. I’m a superstar from Puerto Rico, representing my island heavy [Correction: Berlanga was born in Brooklyn, New York],” said Berlanga.
A fight between Canelo and Berlanga would sell in Puerto Rico and in parts of New York, but probably not elsewhere. Berlanga hasn’t fought anyone good at this point in his career, and he’s just seen a hype job created with the help of his former promoters, Top Rank, with their weak match-making, and that job has continued with him moving to a different promotional company.
“I just feel if I get this fight in September, I can become undisputed and be the first fighter to represent Puerto Rico for sure. We’re trying to see if we can land this Canelo fight in September,” said Berlanga when asked about his upcoming fight.
“We’re supposed to be in talks soon. I’m just going to lay back, get in the gym, start working, and get ready for that fight [against Canelo].”
It’s too bad Berlanga is in such a hurry to get the fight against Canelo, because it would be much bigger if he fought Morrell or Caleb Plant to build it a little. Right now, Berlanga would be going into the Canelo fight with his recent wins coming against British fighters, Padraig McCrory and Jason Quigley.
American fans don’t know who those guys are, and Berlanga didn’t create any interest with his wins over those guys. It looked weak on his part to fight them rather than quality fighters.
Why Berlanga Believes He’ll Get the Canelo Fight
“David [Benavidez] is a great champion, but I just feel that Canelo has his differences with him. I feel like Canelo is at that stage where he does what he wants, he’s the money man.”
So in other words, Canelo’s beef with Benavidez is Berlanga’s ticket to the big time. Canelo can do better than Berlanga, but at this point, he seems like he’s just playing it safe and finishing his career with easy paydays. Canelo appears to be on a glorified retirement tour, with bum of the month club.
“We fight for money, our family and for legacy. He feels like Benavidez never gave him that respect,” said Berlanga on why he thinks he should get the fight against Canelo instead of him.
“Just my credentials and just how I fight. I’m an action-packed fighter. I can take a punch and definitely give a punch,” said Berlanga.
