Edgar Berlanga on Canelo Alvarez: ‘People want a new face, I’m going to retire him’

Edgar Berlanga believes boxing needs a changing of the guard.

The 27-year-old undefeated knockout artist Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) will try to take matters into his own hands on Sept. 14 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas when he fights the face of boxing and the sport’s biggest breadwinner, super middleweight king Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (61-2-2, 39 KOs).

“I’m fighting a legend, and I’m going to become a legend,” Berlanga told BoxingScene. “It’s my time to shine. I’m destined for this, to take over the sport and become the face by defeating him and retiring him on the night. He already made his mark in the sport. People are tired of him and want a new face.”

Alvarez has wiped out the 168-pound division over the last four years, and Berlanga is one of the few credible opponents left in the division for the Mexican superstar to face. Alvarez, 34, has opted not to fight the likes of David Benavidez and David Morrell, who have since repositioned their careers and moved on to 175 pounds, joining former Canelo conqueror Dmitry Bivol. 

The Brooklyn-born boxer of Puerto Rican heritage believes he’s more than deserving to claim the winning ticket to the Canelo Sweepstakes. 

“[Benavidez and others] don’t sell,” said Berlanga. “They don’t have a country behind them. I’m Puerto Rican, and that is a big help to get the fight. They are not somebody that people must watch. When I fight, people want to watch me. Everyone is tuning in. I don’t need a title. I have the credentials from what I bring to the table. 

“I got this fight due to my hard work and from my last performance and knockout out Padraig McCrory in February. It definitely set me up and put me in this position.”

Berlanga’s sixth-round stoppage of McCrory ended a streak of five straight decision wins for “The Chosen One” after starting his career with 16 straight first-round KOs. 

“Yeah, Canelo’s getting old, but he fought a great fight in the last fight against Jaime Munguia,” said Berlanga. “I don’t see a decline. I still think that he’s good. I’m not taking anything away from him. I know what I’m going up against, and who I’m going up against. I know what it takes to beat a guy like that. Now it’s my time though. I’m destined. It’s the perfect time to take over the sport of boxing.”

Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer and broadcast reporter whose work has appeared on ESPN, Fox Sports, USA Today, The Guardian, Newsweek, Men’s Health, NFL.com, Los Angeles Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, Ring Magazine, and more. He’s been writing for BoxingScene since 2018. Manouk is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube, through email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com or via www.ManoukAkopyan.com.