By: Sean Crose
He certainly isn’t lacking in confidence, and perhaps he shouldn’t be. Edgar Berlanga is undefeated, after all, having stopped seventeen of his twenty-two opponents inside the distance. Despite five of his last six wins coming on the judges’ scorecards, the twenty-seven-year-old feels he has what it takes to beat the one and only Canelo Alvarez when the two men meet for the super middleweight title next Saturday night in Las Vegas. Most people wouldn’t agree with the fighter known as “The Chosen One,” but Berlanga doesn’t seem to care much about what others say.
“I feel like now is my time to really shine,” he said in a recent interview. In another, the Brooklyn native declared, “Who I was in my last fight is not who I’m going to be on September 14 (the day of the Canelo fight).” And what does the hungry challenger think of Canelo himself? “He’s disrespecting me and disrespecting me,” Berlanga said. “I’m going to beat him to death.” Many may not believe those words – but Berlanga does. He has to, otherwise what’s the point of facing perhaps the greatest fighter of this generation?
The truth is, Canelo may not be the only one eyeing the bold Berlanga. After all, the boxing public wants to see Canelo face the fearsome David Benavidez next. Canelo chose to face Berlanga instead, leading some to believe he was eschewing Benavidez to face an easier target. Such thinking may only embolden Berlanga further. Winning the WBC and WBO super middleweight titles next week is one thing, winning them as an underdog would only make the achievement sweeter. Having Canelo’s David face off against Goliath would make Berlanga’s victory that much more remarkable.
Still, Canelo is Canelo, one of the most skilled, acclaimed, and famous fighters in the world. There’s a good reason he’s the favorite heading into the Berlanga fight. Why wouldn’t he be? A guaranteed Hall of Famer, Canelo has beaten the likes of Miguel Cotto, Sergey Kovalev, Gennady Golovkin, Daniel Jacobs, and countless others. His track record is impressive. But even the greatest fighters fade, and some have suggested that Canelo is starting to slip after years at the top of the figurative heap. If Canelo does lose a beat, expect Berlanga to capitalize on it on May 14. Or at least try. Old fighters die hard, after all.
