By Dan Ambrose: Eddie Hearn is still interested in signing unbeaten super middleweight contender Edgar Berlanga to his Matchroom stable and then building him up for a big-money cash-out against Canelo Alvarez.
For Berlanga to get a lucrative fight against Canelo, he’ll need to prove himself by winning a couple of fights against world class opposition, says Hearn.
“To build into a Canelo Alvarez fight, he [Berlanga] needs a COUPLE of victories from world class opposition,” said Eddie Hearn to Fight Hub TV when asked about him signing Edgar Berlanga to his Matchroom Boxing stable.
Hearn hoping to win the Berlanga lottery
It’s unknown what Hearn means when he says Berlanga must beat two fighters in the top 15 because there are many weaker contenders that he’s quite capable of defeating, but he wouldn’t be proving himself as deserving of a fight with Canelo in the real sense.
It would be just more careful match-making like we saw Top Rank doing on Berlanga’s behalf in his first 20 fights in the pro ranks.
Beating these fighters would prove that Berlanga is deserving of a Canelo fight:
- David Benavidez
- Caleb Plant
- David Morrell
- Demetrius Andrade
- Gennadiy Golovkin
“He can’t fight Canelo Alvarez now, but if he could prove himself at that level, it’s a massive fight. He has a huge fanbase,” Hearn said about Berlanga. “Everybody wants to sign Edgar Berlanga, and if we win the race, we’d be delighted.
Berlanga needs to be built
It’s a given that Hearn would never attempt to put Berlanga in with any of those fighters if his plan was to build him up for a cash-out fight against Canelo. Hearn would know what the end results would be for Berlanga if he fought any of those four fighters at 168.
If Hearn signs Berlanga, he’ll likely match him against fringe world class contenders near the bottom of the top 15 rankings and hope that the fans don’t rake him over the coals too badly when he sets up a PPV fight on DAZN between him and Canelo.
Berlanga will likely fight these types of fighters to earn a Canelo fight if he inks with Hearn:
- John Ryder
- Anthony Dirrell
- Carlos Gongora
- Jose Uzcategui
- Zach Parker
- Lerrone Richards
- Giovanni De Carolis
- Daniel Jacobs
Hearn is one of a handful of promoters trying to sign the 25-year-old Berlanga (20-0, 16 KOs) to take advantage of his popularity in the New York area, with his ability to sell tickets.
Unfortunately, Berlanga isn’t popular outside of the New York area and based on how he’s looked in his last four fights, his long-range potential of becoming a world champion is slim unless it’s the perfect situation with either a weak belt holder or a vacant title.
“Because he’s a good fighter, he has a huge fanbase, he’s a character, he’s a personality, and he has a future. He’s a 168-pounder, and it’s really exciting. Hopefully, we can work him into the team,” said Hearn.