It’s the first big rodeo for Edgar Berlanga, and he’s digging in his boots and riding high in the saddle as he hopes to rope the super-middleweight king Saul “Canelo” Alvarez.
The bout between Alvarez (61-2-2, 39 KOs) and Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) will take place on September 14 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, but a precursor clash, albeit verbally, has already taken place during a contentious pre-fight media tour.
Alvarez gave Berlanga pelvic gyrations and spanked the air in front of him during a profanity-laced lashing, while Berlanga whipped back with combinations of expletives, indicating he’d use both brains and brawn to beat the future hall of famer.
Berlanga may be biting off more than he can chew for his first world-title shot, but “The Chosen One” has no choice but to roll with the punches during a career-defining fight that has landed sooner than it should have.
“The trash talk is a part of the sport – fuck him,” Berlanga said. “There is no more respect for any opponent once the contract is signed. It’s business. He’s going to try to kill me in front of my family. This is gladiator shit, and I am going to do the same thing to him. On my son, let me drop dead – I never fear no one. I’m going to go out on my shield, and he better go out on his.
“I didn’t like it when he smiled at me at the press conference. I felt like he was taking me as a joke. I know his intentions. I’m from the hood in New York. If you are smiling at my face that is disrespectful.”
Berlanga is portraying a world of confidence despite not having the dossier to justify it against a caliber of opponent like Alvarez. After starting his career with 16 consecutive first-round knockouts, the Brooklyn-based Puerto Rican has fizzled and lost steam while stepping up in competition. With just 72 rounds fought, compared to 496 from Alvarez, he will have a steep learning curve to account for Alvarez’s incredible experience.
“I am training for IQ, intelligence, and being smart,” said Berlanga. “Anyone who beat Canelo had that.
“At the end of the day, I’m a star myself, for real; for real. He was going to fight either me or David Benavidez, or eventually retire, and I was going to come in and take his spot. I have everything. I can fight. I look good. I’m appealing. I’m Puerto Rican with an island behind me. I have the whole package, which is what you need in the sport of boxing to become a star.”
Berlanga says he will not make the same mistakes as Alvarez’s most recent opponent Jaime Munguia, who suffered a knockdown and a unanimous decision defeat in May.
“Munguia is long, big and throws a lot of punches but he fell for a lot of Canelo’s traps,” said Berlanga. “He gave up his height and reach and moved forward a lot. I thought it was going to be a way better fight for Munguia.”
Berlanga then lobbed personal jabs at Alvarez while predicting a sixth-round knockout, a stoppage two rounds sooner than his adversary predicted.
“A lot of Mexicans don’t like [Alvarez],” said Berlanga. “I go to Mexico a lot. They don’t like him. His people are my fans. They like us. Puerto Ricans don’t hate on me crazy like that. He’s a [shit-eating] person. He’s shit. He has money, but money doesn’t make you. It’s about how you treat people. People love me because of that.
“He’s just talking shit [saying the fight is going to be easy]. I don’t give a fuck. He knows what’s up. I looked right through him. Like Tony Montana said in the movie Scarface, ‘The eyes don’t lie, chico’. And you can see it in my eyes, I don’t fear no man.”
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.
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