Edgar Berlanga will face fellow unbeaten 168-pound contender Padraig McCrory on Saturday night in Orlando, Florida.
EDGAR BERLANGA (21-0, 16 KOs)
VS. PADRAIG MCCRORY (18-0, 9 KOs)
- Date: Saturday, Feb. 24
- Time: 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT (main event later in show)
- Where: Caribe Royale Orlando, Orlando, Florida
- TV/Stream: DAZN
- Division: Super middleweight (168 pounds)
- At stake: No major titles
- Pound-for-pound: None
- Odds: Berlanga 3½-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
- Significance (up to five stars): ***
- Also on the card: Andy Cruz vs. Brayan Zamarripa, lightweights; Shakhram Giyasov vs. Pablo Cesar Cano, welterweights; Antonio Vargas vs. Jonathan Rodriguez, bantamweights; Yankiel Rivera vs. Andy Dominguez, flyweights
- Background: Berlanga continues on his path toward showdowns with the biggest names at 168 pounds. The New York slugger’s days of early knockouts are behind him but he has continued to win, claiming decision victories in his last five fights. He last fought in June, when he struggled with the movement of Jason Quigley but put the Irishman down four times to win a unanimous decision. That was his only fight last year. He is among those targeting undisputed 168-pound champion Canelo Alvarez but has also expressed interest in fighting fellow unbeaten contender Jaime Munguia and veteran Gabriel Rosado. He’s ranked in the Top 11 by all four major sanctioning bodies, as high as No. 5 by the WBO. McCrory is a 35-year-old contender from Belfast, Northern Ireland. He’s unbeaten but is taking a significant step up in opposition on Saturday, which is why he’s a significant underdog. McCrory is coming off a unanimous decision victory over Steed Woodall last August in Belfast. He’s ranked No. 3 by the WBA – ahead of No. 8 Berlanga – and No. 13 by the IBF.
