Canelo Alvarez and challenger Edgar Berlanga came close to blows during today’s Los Angeles press conference to promote their fight on September 14th at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) angered WBA, WBC, and WBO super middleweight champion Canelo (61-2-2, 39 KOs) by ordering him to “shut up” and not interrupt him when he was speaking.
The press conference fell apart entirely when Berlanga started swearing in Spanish. It was no longer civil at that point, and it ended what had been an exciting press conference. It’s too bad Berlanga couldn’t control himself because he spoiled things.
Canelo’s Warning: Respect the Payday
Canelo then told Berlanga that he wouldn’t shut up and that if he hurt him during their press conference, he wouldn’t get the life-changing money on September 14th.
Essentially, Canelo was letting Berlanga know not to overstep his bounds because the payday he blessed him with could disappear instantly. Berlanga was talking nonsense throughout the press conference, talking about Canelo coming to take his life and craziness.
Canelo’s good mood initially evaporated when he reacted to Berlanga’s nonsense during the press conference. He was all over the place, blabbering about his IQ, and Canelo found that amusing.
Berlanga is a basic brawler, and he’s not known for having any boxing skills. Hearing him talking about his boxing IQ was weird because that’s the weakest part of his game.
Berlanga needs to keep future press conferences clean and focus more on his plans for the fight. They got to promote this fight and can’t depend on the undercard fighters, Caleb Plant and Trevor McCumby, to do all the hard work to get boxing fans excited about ordering the event on PBC on Prime Video and DAZN PPV.
Fans already see the Canelo-Berlanga fight as a complete mismatch, and that’s why Berlanga must convince them that he has a chance by talking in English about the fight. This might be Berlanga’s only chance in the spotlight, so he needs to sell himself.
Edgar Berlanga: “As far as compassion, I already knew he wasn’t going to have that from the get-go. It’s going to be a firefight on September 14th. Get your PPVs. I’m the type of fighter who comes to fight. I’m not going to run. I’m going to stand and fight.
“I want to thank Team Canelo for giving me this opportunity. It’s an opportunity of a lifetime to be in his shoes. He was in my shoes before coming up the rankings. Now it’s time for me to get my feet wet, make my mark in the sport of boxing, and become a legend.
“It’s a gladiator sport. He’s coming in to try and take my life, and I got to do the same. This is a do-or-die sport. You can really die in that ring. We got to take it to the next level and treat it like the gladiator sport for real.”
Canelo Alvarez: “I’m not going to give him compassion. He needs 20 of him to give me problems. I’m going to change his life with that money.”
Berlanga: “I’m Puerto Rican. He’s Mexican. You know how that goes.”
Canelo: “You’re not going to do anything. You’re just going to make me laugh.”
Berlanga: “When I talk, shut up.”
Canelo: “I don’t want to shut up. What are you going to do? I don’t want to [mess] you up right now because your money is gone. Take it easy.”
Berlanga: “I’m going to take your place.”
Canelo: “Then your money is gone.”
Berlanga: “Puerto Rico.”
Canelo: “If I [mess you] up right now, your money is gone. You think I’m scared of you? You’re nothing.
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