Canelo Alvarez vs. Edgar Berlanga is one month away on September 14th, and fans are looking forward to seeing if the superstar Alvarez will destroy him in their Mexico vs. Puerto Rico battle on DAZN and PBC on Prime Video PPV battle at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Berlanga’s Promoter Hearn Calls for War
Berlanga’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, likes what he saw from him in his trash-talking press conferences. Hearn feels that it’s important that Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) show he’s for real.
He doesn’t want Berlanga to act like he’s just grateful to be blessed with the opportunity for the big payday, even though that’s the reality of the situation. Berlanga would still be toiling away in the salt mines with the other contenders if not for Canelo giving him this golden opportunity.
Hearn wants his Matchroom-promoted fighter Berlanga to bring war to Canelo to try and pull off an upset on September 14th because a win would set up a lucrative rematch. Without a victory for Berlanga, 27, that would be it for him, and Hearn has to figure out whether he’s worth keeping or dumping as useless ballast for the Matchroom ship.
“You want to let him know that you’re for real, and don’t come and think you’re going to steamroll me. I’m here in the opportunity of my life for Brooklyn, for Puerto Rico, and my family to become a great. So don’t disrespect me and think this is easy work because, on September 14thy, we’re going to go to war,” said Eddie Hearn to Matchroom Boxing about Edgar Berlanga heading into his clash against WBA, WBC, and WBO super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez.
Berlanga’s behavior during the press conference put a smile on Hearn’s face. He looked so happy because this is the only way he’s going to get Canelo’s respect.
Berlanga’s Recent Struggles
The problem is, Berlanga hasn’t looked good in five of his last six fights, and it’s become clear that he’s not the fighter that his previous promoters at Top Rank made him look by matching him against the worst possible opponents they could find.
Berlanga looked great against the guys Top Rank matched him against, but he’s looked terrible lately, and he’s not been fighting quality guys. Berlanga’s last opponent, 36-year-old Padraig McCrory, resembled a bottom 100-level fighter with an inflated WBA ranking.
“I love what I saw I saw from Edgar, and I think the fans do as well. We have to remember as well. This is theater among sport. So this shouldn’t be a, ‘Thank you, Canelo. I’m so lucky you picked me. No, I’m going to stick it on you and knock you out and cause an upset on September 14th,’ and I thought the pressor was great,” said Hearn about Berlanga’s attitude towards the fight.
During the press conferences with Canelo, Berlanga was in pure theatrical mode, out-acting him and admirably selling the fight by playing the villain role. However, Berlanga’s acting ability will not bring him victory unless he raises his game 20-fold.
I would suggest that Berlanga jump on Canelo from the first round, throwing with pure power and not letting up on him. Make it a rough fight for Canelo, and don’t be afraid to use extracurricular methods to win. There’s too much gold bullion on the line for Berlanga not to fight tooth & nail.
Las Vegas bound for Mexico vs Puerto Rico 🇲🇽⚔️🇵🇷 @Canelo @EdgarBerlangaJr
1 month out from #CaneloBerlanga! @DAZNBoxing PPV pic.twitter.com/sZtShNv9qA
— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) August 14, 2024
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