Promoter Eddie Hearn says Edgar Berlanga has an obligation to himself to stick it on Canelo Alvarez with his trash talk in the build-up to their fight on September 14th at the T-Mobile Arena in Vegas. This isn’t about promotion.
No Fawning Allowed
It’s about Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) letting Canelo (61-2-2, 39 KO) know that he’s coming to win, and he’s not going to fawn like some of the fighters that feel grateful to him for choosing them the payday of millions that they’re receiving.
Hearn is glad Berlanga isn’t showing WBA, WBC, and WBO super middleweight champion Canelo the respect others have shown him because he wants this to be different. Berlanga wants to kick Canelo out of his royal throne and take his spot to be the next King of the 168-lb division.
Canelo vs. Berlanga will be shown live on DAZN PPV on September 14th. On the undercard is former IBF super middleweight champion Caleb Plant is fighting Trevor McCumby for the vacant WBA interim 168-lb title.
WBA middleweight champion Erislandy Lara defends against Danny Garcia. Also on the card is former WBA light welterweight champion Rolando ‘Rolly’ Romero facing Manuel Jaimes.
“The argument is, are you going to motivate him more in camp? Maybe. We saw it a little with Munguia and Oscar. That probably put the bit between his teeth bit,” said Eddie Hearn to the Stomping Ground on whether Edgar Berlanga’s trash-talking will anger Canelo Alvarez enough to want him to train harder to get even with him on September 14th.
I don’t think Berlanga’s trash-talking toward Canelo can motivate him to fight harder than he usually does because he’s been around for too long to be bothered by mental warfare. Canelo will be on cruise control on September 14th, and if Berlanga is going to win, he’s going to have to do it with his fists, not his words.
“If you’re Edgar Berlanga, you kind of have got an obligation, not just to the promotion, go out and stick it on him [Canelo],” said Hearn. “The last thing that anyone wants to see is, ‘Oh, thank you, Canelo. I can’t believe I’m sharing the ring with a great.’
“Edgar respects him. He knows how great Canelo is, but he believes he’s going to win, and he’s an underdog. I’ll tell you what. He’ll have a right go, and it’s a dangerous fight for Canelo Alvarez, and I’m looking forward to it.”
We’ve seen how dangerous Berlanga can be with his 16 first-round knockouts with which he started his career. While his knockouts have slowed down recently, he can still punch hard and is just as dangerous as he was when he began his career.
He’s gotten away from fighting as aggressively as he did earlier in his recent fights, and that’s why he’s not scoring knockouts like before.
“When Madrimov boxed Crawford, the last thing I said to him in the changing room was, ‘Don’t let this opportunity pass you by. You have to be active in the fight, and you have to be competitive in the fight.’ Too many people go in there like, ‘I’m fighting Terence Crawford. I’m fighting Canelo Alvarez,’” said Hearn.
Berlanga has to take advantage of this situation because he’s not likely to get another chance to fight Canelo again if he loses. If he wants a second fight with him, he’s got to beat him.
“You have one shot, one opportunity. To take it, or do you let it slip? That is the situation,” said Hearn. “Edgar has got to go in there and make sure he doesn’t go in there and look around, ‘Oh my God, I’m fighting Canelo Alvarez. He sticks it on him. He uses his skills and his power.
“He walks away from the ring with whatever happens, proud of his performance and knows he couldn’t have done any more. Hopefully, it’s enough for a victory,” said Hearn.
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