Edgar Berlanga reacted angrily to David Morrell’s criticism of Canelo Alvarez for choosing him as his opponent for his September 14th title defense at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
(Credit: Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing)
Berlanga’s Refusal to Fight Morrell
Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) says he’s never going to give Morrell (11-0, 9 KOs) an opportunity to fight him because he’s just using his name for “clout,” and he can’t sell. According to Berlanga, Morrell is a “nobody.”
Berlanga already chose not to fight Morrell earlier this year when he became his WBA mandatory for his super middleweight title. Berlanga seemed to be already ducking Morrell long before he got the Canelo Alvarez payday fight.
After Berlanga defeated Padraig McCrory in a WBA title eliminator on February 24th, he chose not to challenge Morrell for his WBA ‘regular’ 168-lb belt.
Instead, Berlanga sat and waited for his promoter, Eddie Hearn, to land him the “bag” against unified super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez, which he’s now delivered for him.
Morrell’s Recent Achievement
Morrell is a two-division world champion after beating Radivoje Kalajdzic by a twelve-round unanimous decision to capture the WBA ‘regular’ light heavyweight title last Saturday night at the BMO Stadium in Los Angeles.
In contrast, the 27-year-old Berlanga is a year older than the 26-year-old Morrell, and he’s never won a world title. His 15 minutes of fame as Canelo’s opponent for September 14th could end with a defeat in that fight. Despite sporting a 22-0 record, Berlanga’s career lags behind Morrell’s because he’s fought only weak opposition to build his resume.
If Berlanga is blown out of the water by Canelo, as most fans believe will happen, he’s not likely to get another chance. Canelo gave Berlanga a title shot without beating anyone to earn it, as his best wins have come against the little-known Padraig McCrory, Jason Quigley, Marcelo Caceres, and Roamer Alexis Angulo.
The Irish fighter McCrory, 36, was ranked highly by the WBA, but he was an unknown and had never beaten anyone of note during his career. He was just some random guy that the WBA ranked highly for unknown reasons.
“Who is Morrell? He don’t sell, he’s a nobody, and he’s another dude that looks for clout,” said Edgar Berlanga to the OnlyKayla YouTube channel, reacting to being told that David Morrell had nothing good to say about him when asked about his thoughts on Canelo Alvarez defending his unified super middleweight titles against the New Yorker.
Berlanga doesn’t sell either. He’s popular with his fanbase in New York City, but he’s not a national star in the U.S. nor a PPV attraction. He doesn’t sell, and if he did, his fights would always be on PPV. Berlanga’s fight with Canelo will be shown on PBC on Prime Video and DAZN PPV, but not because of him. All of Canelo’s fights are on PPV.
It’ll be interesting to see if Berlanga ever gets another world title shot in his career if he loses to Canelo, because fighters have to earn their mandatory spots by beating a good contender. In Berlanga’s case, he fought a weak older fighter, McCrory, who looked like a British domestic-level fighter and not a contender. It was the perfect situation for Berlanga.
Berlanga’s Accusations Against Morrell
“He was drunk. He was on coke. He was on drugs, and I was walking into the fight, and he was dead drunk, acting a fool,” said Berlanga about Morrell. “He’s a good fighter, but he’s a cornball.”
Berlanga doesn’t have proof that Morrell was on drugs or drunk. That’s just his comment, and he doesn’t say when.
“I don’t pay no mind to him. He’s a sucker. He ain’t getting an opportunity at all,” said Berlanga when asked if he’s never going to agree to fight him.
It doesn’t matter that Berlanga never fights Morrell because they’re fighting in different weight classes, and his career is likely heading downhill after he fights Canelo on September 14th.
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