Edgar Berlanga Sr. dares Canelo Alvarez to come out brawling in the first round against his son, Edgar Jr., on September 14th.
(Credit: Esther Lin: Premier Boxing Champions)
Most fans see Berlanga as part of the ‘Bum of the Month’ club and think Canelo will knock him out quickly. If he’s victorious over Mexican superstar Canelo, it would be one of the biggest upsets in the sport’s history.
Berlanga Sr. Wants a Quick Fight
Berlanga Sr. doesn’t want unified super middleweight champion Canelo (61-2-2, 39 KOs) to run around the ring from Edgar (22-0, 17 KOs) because he wants the fight to end quickly next month.
Canelo is the favorite, and he’s expected to make easy work of the inexperienced 27-year-old Berlanga, who was positioned into this title opportunity by his promoter Eddie Hearn of Matchroom.
He signed Berlanga last year after he left Top Rank when they pulled off main event slots after a couple of poor performances against lower-level opposition.
Hearn then worked with the WBA to get Berlanga the #1 mandatory spot with wins over British fighters Padraig McCrory and Jason Quigley.
Berlanga didn’t take any risky fights to earn that title shot, which was good for him because he might have lost if he had to go through contenders Caleb Plant, Christian Mbilli, or Diego Pacheco.
“We give him respect, but then he comes here to LA and thinks he’s the [top guy]. Canelo, we’re going to knock you out. Come to the first round and try and fight us. Don’t run around like you be doing,” said Edgar Berlanga Sr. to the Stomping Ground YouTube channel about wanting WBA, WBC, and WBO super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez to brawl with challenger Edgar Berlanga on September 14th.
Canelo has reason to be confident going into this fight. He’s earned it through a long, successful career with many victories over popular fighters. You wouldn’t expect him to come into this fight without confidence against a fighter like Berlanga, who has been selected for a reason. He’s beatable.
“This is the fight that we’ve worked for 20 years. Since he was little, we’re going to be a champion,” said Berlanga Sr. “We’re not fighting for one Berlanga Sr. Dares Canelo: “Come To The First Round And Try And Fight Us”. We’re fighting for three. It’s supposed to be four, but we’re fighting for three. That’s a dream come true. It’s not like I’m dreaming about Canelo.”
Berlanga has operated at a lower level during his eight-year professional career. He may have been fighting for 20 years, but his opposition level at the pro ranks is soft.
Edgar’s Recent Opponents:
– Padraig McCrory
– Jason Quigley
– Roamer Alexis Angulo
– Steve Rolls
– Marcelo Esteban Coceres
– Demond Nicholson
“I’m just proud. We worked for this, and we got it. He’s the one that’s scared,” said Berlanga Sr., reacting to being told that Canelo said Edgar is scared. “Watch when we touch him. He’s going to be even more scared.”
If Berlanga does land, he’s likely to get countered with one of Canelo’s left hooks, and that might be the end of the night for him. Berlanga has shown weakness in the left hook. Coceres dropped him with a left hook, and Angulo hit him repeatedly with that punch.
Legacy and Generational Wealth on the Line
“My son’s power is on another level. Watch. He’s going to be talking about that. ‘Oh, Berlanga. When he touch me, oh my God. My body shakes.’ It’s about legacy. After this, we’re going to beat Canelo and keep doing big fights,” said Berlanga Sr. when told that Edgar will get generational money if he beats Canelo.
Like David Benavidez, Berlanga is big for the super middleweight division and should be fighting at 175. He’s going to have to move up in weight sooner or later because he looks like he weighs in the neighborhood of 190 when he’s not fighting. That’s huge for the super middleweight division.
“My name is important to me. Wherever I go, my name has got to be on top. We’re going to give the victory to Puerto Ricans around the world because Puerto Rico is a little island, but we’re huge,” said Berlanga Sr.
