Edgar Berlanga: It will be hard for me to stay at 168 pounds

Edgar Berlanga is on the verge of fighting for the lineal super middleweight championship and three of the division’s four major world titles. But he also recognizes that his time in the 168-pound weight class won’t last forever.

“It’s going to be hard for me to stay at this weight,” Berlanga said in a recent interview with Michael McCarthy, also known as Large, of Barstool Sports.

Berlanga didn’t say how long he would seek to remain at 168, though he did say later in the interview that if he beats Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, there would need to be a rematch next. After that, Berlanga would then want to win the one other world title – the IBF belt that Canelo, previously undisputed himself, parted with rather than face unheralded mandatory challenger William Scull – to become the super middleweight undisputed champion.

Canelo vs. Berlanga is scheduled for Sept. 14 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The pay-per-view will be available via Amazon’s Prime Video, DAZN, PPV.com and traditional cable and satellite outlets.

This is, of course, the biggest opportunity yet for Berlanga. The Brooklynite turned pro as a middleweight in 2016 and, like most prospects, had several over-the-limit bouts. He has been at 168 for about four years now. Berlanga, now 27 years old, fully moved up to super middleweight in 2020.

Beginning with his debut, Berlanga scored 16 consecutive first-round knockouts. Then came five straight decision wins as he stepped up against, and was tested by, better opponents: Demond Nicholson, Marcelo Coceras, Steve Rolls, Roamer Alexis Angulo and Jason Quigley. In Berlanga’s last performance, he knocked out Padraig McCrory in six rounds.

None of those opponents is anywhere near the level of the top super middleweights, never mind the best of them all in Canelo.

Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs), of course, thinks he’ll defeat Canelo. And he also believes he could succeed against heavier foes.

Plenty of fighters have moved from 168 to light heavyweight and beyond, including two current 175-pound contenders, David Benavidez and David Morrell. Sometimes the move is in search of greater opportunities. And sometimes it is because a boxer just grows out of a weight class.

“I see myself at 175. I even see myself at cruiserweight,” Berlanga said. “My power can definitely generate to the cruiserweights, even to heavyweight. I have [sparred] with heavyweights and knocked them out cold – 230-, 240-pounders, like real heavyweights, and I’m putting them on their ass.”

Follow David Greisman on Twitter @FightingWords2. His book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” is available on Amazon.