Edgar Berlanga vs. Jonathan Gonzalez-Ortiz added to March 15 show in Florida

Super middleweight contender Edgar Berlanga will return to the ring six months after his loss to Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, taking on unbeaten Jonathan Gonzalez-Ortiz.

Matchroom Boxing announced that the fight will take place on its March 15 show at the Caribe Royale Orlando in Orlando, Florida. The event will stream on DAZN and is headlined by a middleweight fight between Austin “Ammo” Williams and Patrice Volny. 

Also on the undercard is the pro debut of Omari Jones, who earned a bronze medal at welterweight in the 2024 Olympics. Jones, who hails from Orlando, will face Alessio Mastronunzio.

Berlanga, a 27-year-old from New York City, is 22-1 (17 KOs). In the wake of his loss to Alvarez in September, Berlanga is hoping to capitalize on any additional fame he gained in defeat while remaining in the mix at 168lbs.

It was initially thought that Berlanga, who is of Puerto Rican heritage, would fight on March 8 in Puerto Rico. Instead, he’ll perform in Orlando, which also has a sizable Puerto Rican population; Miguel Cotto headlined in the city against Delvin Rodriguez in 2013.

Berlanga’s manager, Keith Connolly, told ESPN’s Mike Coppinger that “was a strategic move on our part to keep Edgar active since the big fight we are targeting isn’t available ’til later this summer.”

Gonzalez-Ortiz is a 35-year-old from San Juan, Puerto Rico, with a record of 20-0-1 (16 KOs). His name may be familiar to some boxing fans – but don’t confuse him with another current fighter: former junior flyweight titleholder Jonathan Gonzalez.

Gonzalez-Ortiz fought Serhiy Dzinziruk to a draw in 2012 on the same broadcast as Gennadiy Golovkin’s HBO debut. He proceeded to score victories over Derek Ennis and Rogelio “Porky” Medina. But Gonzalez-Ortiz then spent a decade out of the ring following the Medina fight, inactive from May 2014 until his return in March 2024.

In his two fights last year, Gonzalez-Ortiz knocked out the 5-23 Jose Saint-Hilaire Gil in two rounds and put away the 14-5 Edward Ulloa Diaz in seven rounds.