By: Hans Themistode
At one point, fans would sit on the edge of their seats as the opening bell rang signaling the start of the Edgar Berlanga competition.
No matter how hard his opponents tried, all had to succumb to the relentless pressure and his concussion knockout power in the first round. However, as of late, Berlanga’s knock-out tendencies have dissipated. In three consecutive competitions, Berlanga was forced to enlist the help of the three judges sitting next to him, as all three of his opponents reached the final bell.
Over the weekend, Berlanga was confident in his ability to return to his knockout win streak. This 24-year-old super-middleweight contender took the first step in the fray, going up against the journeyman, Steve Rolls. While Berlanga would eventually win, he was unable to drop Rolls or cross the finish line.
Despite his somewhat lackluster results, Berlanga caught the eye of one boxer, especially David Benavidez. With the 25-year-old recently mentioning Berlanga as a possible future opponent, the New York-born player agrees with his statement. As long as the financial ramifications meet his requirements, of course.
“That fight is in the near future,” Berlanga told FightHype.com. “Promotion must be right, business must be right.”
Aside from monetary reasons, Berlanga believes the match against Benavidez is a bit premature for his position from a development standpoint. Benavidez, just a year older than Berlanga, has certainly resisted resistance at a higher level.
In addition to his stellar resume, Benavidez has also tightened his belt with a super-middleweight gold medal on two separate occasions. On May 21, Benavidez will do so again when facing David Lemieux for the interim WBC title.
With Berlanga having a closer-than-expected win over Rolls, the New York-born will be looking for a bit more experience before challenging himself against a name like Berlanga.
“I have to have a few more fights, a few more rounds. He’s been at that peak so many times. For me, I just have to get on my way, get that experience and the fight can be done. ”
