Promoter Eddie Hearn is interested in Diego Pacheco vs. the recently beaten Edgar Berlanga. The winner of a Berlanga-Pacheco fight would be in a great position to challenge for a world title against superstar Canelo Alvarez. That’s the fight that Berlanga wants after losing to Canelo by a 12-round unanimous decision last Saturday night at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
(Credit: Rey Del Rio/Premier Boxing Champions)
Hearn states that Berlanga (22-1, 17 KOs) is now the second most popular fighter in the 168-lb division. However, for him to continue to be the #2 fighter in the super middleweight division, he needs to keep the momentum going by fighting a talented top-shelf contender like Diego Pacheco (22-0, 18 KOs).
Berlanga has never beaten a true top-five contender during his eight-year professional career, and fighting Pacheco would give him that opportunity.
Pacheco is ranked #1 WBO, #4 IBF, and #4 WBC. He’s coming off a sixth-round knockout victory over veteran Maciej Sulecki on August 31st and looked impressive in that fight. The power, size, and combination of punching Pacheco make him a formidable presence for anyone in the division.
With his tremendous cruiserweight-sized frame, Berlanga would have a big weight advantage over the slender Pacheco. Assuming Berlanga enters the ring weighing around 193 lbs on fight night, Pacheco would have to figure out how to deal with that size for 12 rounds. Diego couldn’t count on knocking out Berlanga because he showed that he could take even the biggest punches from a super middleweight in his fight against Canelo last weekend.
“Diego [Pacheco] is a young fighter with something to prove, but Edgar [Berlanga] just fought Canelo Alvarez, and his stock really rose. I think Diego will be chasing Berlanga. All young fighters should be chasing Edgar Berlanga,” said Eddie Hearn at the post-fight press conference last Saturday night.
Hearn also mentioned wanting to match Berlanga against Caleb Plant and Jaime Munguia. It’s unclear how soon Hearn would want Berlanga to fight one of those two, but neither is likely in his plans for his next fight. Ideally, Berlanga needs a confidence-booster type of opponent for his next fight to bring him back and get the fans accustomed to seeing him win again.
Hearn must choose a contender that the fans have heard of and isn’t viewed as a soft touch for Berlanga’s next fight.
Options for Berlanga’s next fight:
– Trevor McCumby
– Sergiy Derevyanchenko
– Bektemir Melikuziev
– Demetrius Andrade
– Kevin Lele Sadjo
Eddie Hearn on what’s next for Edgar Berlanga#CaneloBerlanga pic.twitter.com/L2g0aV5moD
— Sal Arteaga (@sal__arteaga) September 15, 2024
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