Edgar Berlanga predicts a fast knockout of unified super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez on September 14th.
Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) is convinced he has the power and talent to make fast work of the superstar Canelo in their headliner next money at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Echoes of Tyson vs Douglas?
If Berlanga is right, it’ll be one of the biggest upsets the sport has seen since Mike Tyson lost to Buster Douglas in February 1990. Canelo (61-2-2, 39 KOs) seems to be overlooking Berlanga just like Tyson did against Douglas heading into that fight at the Tokyo Dome in Japan.
The difference is that Douglas had already proven himself to be a solid fighter heading into that clash, having beaten Oliver McCall, Trevor Berbick, Greg Page, and Randall ‘Tex’ Cobb. Berlanga hasn’t beaten anyone except for Padraig McCrory and Jason Quigley. Those are fighters that weren’t true top 10-level.
“I’m knocking him out in six rounds,” said Edgar Berlanga on Instagram about his prediction of his fight against Canelo Alvarez.
“You putting him to bed. Anybody who wants to doubt us every time we talk like this, we’re right. You putting him out. He’s too little for you. You’re putting him out,” said Fat Joe.
It’s good that Fat Joe believes in Berlanga, but it will take much more than his confidence to get the job done against Canelo because he can take a punch. He’ll be in a lot of trouble if he can handle Berlanga’s power, as he has against sluggers like Gennadiy Golovkin and Miguel Cotto.
Berlanga’s Fuel: Criticism and Doubt
“What I took from this press tour is Edgar Berlanga is very aware of all the criticism that’s around,” said Chris Mannix to DAZN Boxing. “There are so many people out there who say he doesn’t deserve it and is going to get knocked out early. Not just fans or the media but his peers.”
Berlanga doesn’t deserve the fight with Canelo. His promoter, Eddie Hearn, positioned him for this payday and worked him into the title spot by matching him against Jason Quigley and Padraig McCrory.
Beating shouldn’t have earned Berlanga a #1 ranking with the WBA, but they did, and Canelo picked him out, knowing he was an easy mark.
“David Morrell is out there mocking the fight. David Benavidez is mocking the fight. Caleb Plant. He’s getting it from all sides here.
“Being around Edgar Berlanga, I get the sense he’s absorbing all that. Is that a good thing? Do you want to use all that negativity as fuel going into a fight, or can it be a distraction?”
Berlanga can’t help but hear all the bad press he’s getting because it’s coming from everywhere, and it’s arguably worse than any Canelo opponent in years.
The ‘Bag’ and the Backlash
Even Avni Yildirim wasn’t criticized as much as Berlanga is, and that’s because he wasn’t a cocky, gold chain-wearing fighter, constantly talking about getting “that bag” for a fight against Canelo.
Berlanga’s gold chains, arrogance, and constant mention of his payday are off-putting for fans and the media because his resume is so barren of quality.
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