By Allan Fox: Retired former three-division world champion Felix Trinidad predicts that unbeaten 168-lb contender Edgar ‘The Chosen One’ Berlanga will soon be a world champion. The boxing great Trinidad sees ability in the 24-year-old Berlanga that he feels will lead him to world title honors.
As of now, the Top Rank-promoted Berlanga still hasn’t fought any world-class contenders during his short five-year professional career. It wasn’t exactly a good sign that he was hurt in his last fight by little-known Demond Nicholson last April.
Nicholson broke Berlanga’s 16-fight first-round knockout streak by going the eight-round distance against him. Up until that fight, Berlanga had been matched against guys that nose-dived after he would land a handful of power shots in the first round.
That was supposed to have been a slam dunk victory for the heavy-handed Berlanga, but surprisingly it turned out to be a competitive match.
More recently, a sparring video was posted on YouTube in which Berlanga was seen being dropped hard by 154-lb contender Erickson ‘The Hammer’ Lubin. Before Berlanga was knocked down, he was getting worked over by the 25-year-old Lubin, who is just a year older than him.
“Edgar [Berlanga] is a powerful boxer with a huge heart. He’s learning each and every day, and I know soon enough he’s going to be a world champion,” said Felix Trinidad to the DAZN Boxing Show.
“There are various boxers, a fighter like [welterweight prospect Xander] Zayas. He’s a great fighter at 147 pounds.
“Edgar Berlanga has a very bright future. He needs to continue training hard, stick with his corner, his father, and he will be world champion very soon.”
Berlanga has the power to go far, but he needs to be more explosive with his combinations. He’s slow and ponderous with the way he throws his shots.
For Berlanga to get to the next level, he needs more hand speed, and he’s got to put his combinations together. He loads up too often with single power shots, which leaves him open to being countered.
Top Rank is still taking their time with Berlanga, matching him slowly against beatable second-tier opposition that he’s capable of defeating. It’s probably going to be a while before they begin matching Berlanga against contenders in the 168lb division because he’s still green.
Despite being the same age as former two-time WBC super middleweight champion David Benavidez, Berlanga is far less advanced than him. Not only is Benavidez facing better opposition, but he looks much better inside the ring than Berlanga.
For Berlanga to get to the next level, he’s got to be able to perform like Benavidez, Carlos Gongora, and David Morrell Jr. Unfortunately, Berlanga is nowhere near the level of those fighters, which is a good reason for his promoters to keep him on training wheels to improve his game slowly.
Some contenders would be ideal for Berlanga to face right now, but Top Rank will need to decide when to begin matching him against those guys.
Good options for Berlanga
- John Ryder
- Zach Parker
- Alantez Fox
- Daniele Scardina
At this point, it would be a mistake to throw Berlanga in the ring with the old lions Anthony Dirrell and Juergen Braehmer. Even though Berlanga is ranked much bigger than those fighters, he’d likely lose to them.
There’s no word yet who Berlanga will be fighting next. A bottom feeder level contender would be a great idea for Berlanga, as he needs someone that won’t fall over after the first punch he throws. We’ve seen that happen many times in Berlanga’s first 16 fights against fodder-level opposition, which explains why he was able to stop them in the first round.