Edgar Berlanga was too happy after losing to Canelo Alvarez by a lopsided 12-round decision last weekend, which suggests he doesn’t have the mindset of a winner.
Like others, Paulie Malignaggi didn’t like how happy Berlanga, 27, was after the fight, as if he’d done something special by not getting knocked out by the much smaller and lover 34-year-old Canelo.
Berlanga treated the loss like a moral victory, going the distance but not fighting hard or trying to win. He fought like a bigger version of Jermell Charlo, who was just there for the payday against Canelo but was unwilling to go out on his shield like a warrior.
The 193-lb Berlanga (22-1, 17 KOs), who should be competing at cruiserweight, acted like he’d done something special, winning one or two rounds against unified super middleweight champion Canelo at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
It’s not surprising that Berlanga was ecstatic about not getting knocked out because he got a giant payday of millions that set him up for life. Moreover, not getting knocked out means there will be other nice-paying fights for Berlanga. If Canelo had stopped him, the chances for another big money fight would have been diminished.
“I don’t mind Berlanga’s stock rising, but you’ve got to let other people give you credit for a moral victory. You can’t be that happy about a loss here,” said Paulie Malignaggi to the Probox TV channel, discussing Edgar Berlanga acting pleased about having gone the 12-round distance against Canelo Alvarez last weekend.
Berlanga’s stock didn’t rise with hardcore boxing fans who saw the fight and noted that he didn’t try to win the Canelo fight. Casuals who don’t understand what they’re watching will be pleased that Berlanga went 12 rounds, but not anyone else. Even if this were the first boxing match I’d watched, I’d have been troubled by Berlanga’s lack of effort and smelled a rat. He didn’t try to win. He was just there for the payday.
“For me, he was a little bit too happy for a guy that won one or two rounds in the fight and never tried to win the fight. So, there’s a mentality change the next time around when he’s tested at this level. I wonder if a guy that thinks like this is capable of doing that,” Malignaggi said about Berlanga.
You can argue that Berlanga doesn’t take his own career seriously. The impression that I got from listening to him and watching his previous 21 pro fights is that he knows what his career is all about. It’s just one big marketing gimmick to fight lesser fighters, build a record on wins over fluff opposition, create a false image, and sell it to the public to make loads of money.
It worked because Berlanga got a fight against Canelo without ever facing a world class opponent to get the title shot. Now it’ll be rinse and repeat. Berlanga fights more scrubs to get a second fight against Canelo or another popular guy that he has no business fighting.
“I think him and Mbilli is a fun fight. I think him and Munguia is a fun fight. I don’t know if he’s ready for Plant yet because he showed a different gear that he can actually take it to you in the McCumby fight. I hadn’t seen that side of Plant either. He’s a terrific boxer, but Plant has a dog in him as well,” said Malignaggi.
Berlanga’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, already hinted that they’re going to give him a soft opponent next in New York or Puerto Rico in early 2025. Hearn says he wants Berlanga to fight Munguia, Caleb Plant, or Jermall Charlo. Berlanga has other ideas. He wants to fight for the IBF title against the winner of the William Scull vs. Vladimir Shishkin fight. However, Berlanga might not be aware of the IBF’s 10-lb rehydration limit. It would be near impossible for Berlanga to fight for the IBF belt if he’s rehydrating to 193 lbs.
“I’d like to see Berlanga against a hungry fighter like Mbilli, like Pacheco. It’s time for us to see if Berlanga has that rage. I didn’t see that killer instinct in the Canelo fight. I saw a guy that was happy to survive the distance and never try to win the fight. I need to see if he has the killer inside. Not against the journeymen of the world. Can he mentally got to that place against high-caliber opposition? He’s not shown that to me yet, not even against Canelo,” said Malignaggi.
The New Yorker Berlanga had never beaten a world-class-level opponent to get the title shot against Canelo in the first place. The Eddie Hearn-promoted Berlanga got the title shot against Canelo by beating UK domestic-level fighters Jason Quigley and Padraig McCrory.
It was disturbing that the World Boxing Association gave Berlanga a #1 ranking after beating those two lesser fighters. If the sport were working right, Berlanga should have at least had to beat someone like Diego Pacheco, Osleys Inglesias, Christian Mbilli, or Jaime Munguia to get a #1 ranking with the WBA.
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