Expert judges have come under close scrutiny this year due to a number of scorecards that, frankly, don’t make any sense. Last night, in New York, we were treated to two more people that make you question the integrity of the sport.
Puerto Rican-born New Yorker and rising super-middleweight star Edgar Berlanga extended his undefeated career (19-0, 16 KOs) after a decisive win over Gennadiy Golovkin’s former rival Steve Rolls (21-2, 12 KOs).
Nicknamed ‘The Chosen One’, the 24-year-old was fighting inside Madison Square Garden’s Hulu Theater in front of a partisan crowd. It was the super-middleweight 10-round main match and Berlanga’s first defense of the WBO NABO belt. A heavyweight, powerhouse favorite who saw 16 opponents not hear the final bell, and a man leaning toward great things: On paper, it looks like he’s going to beat Rolls but In fact, all he has to do is show off to win.
In the end, referee Frank Lombardi scored Berlanga 96-94 while the talents of Tom Carusone and Mark Consentino gave a 97-93 conclusion to the undefeated boxer.
For the first two innings, Berlanga followed Rolls around the ring. An English term to describe him for the first six minutes would be ‘dull’. He waited too long to throw anything while his opponent simply used the fundamentals to win the rounds. Rolls’ stab will be key in the fight and his most notable shot throughout.
Berlanga’s stalking impression continued into the third inning. An accidental elbow strike in season two slashed the crowd’s favour, and then he said, “I started to see blur in season 5.”order or 6order ring”.
The third final came in a tight three minutes that the bigger-looking Berlanga won thanks to his strike coming late and covering up whatever Rolls had to offer.
A little momentum built in 4order for Berlanga. He was getting closer to his moving target, who was ready to launch the stab. Puerto Ricans are more commanding in this session and are getting better in some exchanges as well.
The Rolls jab accelerates within 5order and he had a two-goal early in the half. Berlanga’s corner is calling for punches, jabs and one-twos but instead, Rolls is just starting to pull off such tactics and looks like a much more stable and skilled fighter.
Friday is near. Jabs is established again and an overstretched right from Berlanga seems to have Rolls on its mind. In fact, one assumption was that if Berlanga had landed, it might not have taken long to end the war. But he never detonated those injurious bombs, which gave Rolls even more confidence.
In the seventh, the Rolls jab is sharper than ever. Several sharp one-twos and three-punch combinations kept him in control. His first two minutes were comfortable. Berlanga has a bloody nose. Rolls was taking over but some complacency allowed Berlanga to catch him with a right near the end. It was a warning but not a change of fortune.
Berlanga’s corner featuring his father and Andre Rozier is calling for simple boxing. Rolls did something. Canadians put their right hand on top and continue to control the proceedings. The MSG crowd felt Berlanga was struggling, not injured, but in danger of losing its unbeaten record. A single shot to the body is said to be Berlanga’s main highlight of the 8order.
“I want to work big in the next few rounds,” Berlanga’s corner demanded. And they got it in 9order. This is Berlanga doing what he should have done from the first minute of the battle. He went headhunting and then landed a top, followed by a left hook that pleased his fans. Rolls was then caught by Berlanga’s best punch of the fight. The loser throws a roll of the dice in the right hand that has been timed perfectly by an upper cut. This proved what Berlanga’s power could do. Rolls wasn’t right and for the first time in the fight he was in danger. A subsequent right-handed stab from afar and a round-the-ear shot put an exclamation point into Berlanga’s best round.
He should have tried to wrap up the performance in the last three minutes. “Edgar, Edgar,” the crowd shouted, but their men still looked uneasy and allowed Rolls to re-enter. Jabs was shot, his arms aching, and in the final seconds, both men opened fire to earn a nod from the judges.
This reporter had it 97-93 for Rolls but conceivably it was also 96-94 for away boxers. No closer than that. Not a draw and certainly not a win for Berlanga. However, the scorecards that appear after that are predictable, it is the habit of boxing to discredit the man who is not supposed to win unless he has a 10-8 or two tilt. on his side.
Boxing reached a point a long time ago where fans knew who would win if the points were counted, regardless of the performance. It’s a sour taste to sit on while you watch a fight unfold. Sure, Rolls didn’t exactly beat Berlanga from column to column, but he beat him with ease at times.
Berlanga hasn’t boxed in New York for three years. This is a showcase, he said before about fireworks. All he created was a strange sparkle that was quickly extinguished.
In a post-match interview, Berlanga looked like a man who knew he had avoided crushing defeat with a disturbing performance. His words can be read as an act of defiance, but they are not convincing.
“You could tell he was fighting in fear.”
“I am looking for a big shot. My elbows were bothering me a bit. ”
“Tonight, he’s a fearless warrior.”
“I know people are going to run now.”
What Steve Rolls did at the MSG Hulu Theater on March 19 was the blueprint for how to beat Edgar Berlanga.
