By Dan Ambrose: Edgar Berlanga will debut with Matchroom in the first fight of his multi-fight deal against middleweight Jason Quigley on June 24th at Madison Square Garden in New York on DAZN.
It’s unclear why Berlanga is fighting a middleweight instead of someone from the 168-lb weight class. Quigley only recently fought at 168, beating journeyman Gabor Gorbics (26-37-3, 16 KOs) last April in Dublin. That’s the extent of Quigley’s experience at 168.
For the fans that follow boxing, they’ll remember Quigley for his recent loss to Demetrius Andrade in 2021. Andrade knocked Quigley out in the second round. Given how easy that fight was for Andrade, you’d think that Hearn would find a better opponent for Berlanga to fight so he can prove to the U.S. boxing fans that he deserves a fight against Canelo Alvarez. American fans aren’t naive.
They know a mismatch when they see one, and they won’t be sold on Berlanga as an opponent for Canelo if Edgar is fed repeated stiffs to ensure he doesn’t lose before that fight.
According to promoter Eddie Hearn, Berlanga will challenge for a world title in early 2024 against undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo if he successfully defeats Ireland’s Quigley (20-2, 14 KOs) and one other opponent later this year in December.
The rumored names for that one are Jaime Munguia and Shane Mosley Jr. In other words, Hearn won’t make it difficult for Berlanga to get the Canelo fight next year by insisting that he beat a top-grade 168-pounder.
Munguia fights at 160 and has a paper-thin resume filled with scrubs. For his part, Mosley Jr isn’t ranked in the top 15 by any of the four sanctioning bodies and was beaten by Quigley in 2021.
Berlanga should fight one of these monsters:
- David Benavidez
- Diego Pacheco
- David Morrell Jr
- Caleb Plant
- Gennadiy Golovkin
- Dmitry Bivol
It’s unlikely that Berlanga beat any of those fighters, but if he does, there would be a tremendous amount of interest in a Canelo-Berlanga fight instead of a huge backlash.
The fans will scream bloody murder if Berlanga is given a title shot against the four-belt 168-lb champion Canelo after beating two stiffs. It will look even worse if Berlanga is given a title shot before David Benavidez.
The way Hearn is talking, Berlanga will be fighting Canelo next May. That means he will get a title shot before the more deserving Benavidez, and U.S. fans will not go for that.
The 26-year-old super middleweight contender Berlanga (20-0, 16 KOs) will be coming off a one-year layoff since his last fight against Roamer Alexis Angulo last June. Berlanga received a six-month suspension for that fight due to his biting Angulo.
Berlanga vs. Quigley, do fans want to see this?
Chris Mannix: “You signed this guy just two months ago, Eddie. You’re finally ready to announce his first fight,” said Chris Mannix to DAZN about super middleweight champion Edgar Berlanga fighting Jason Quigley on June 24th in his first fight of multi-fight deal with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing.
Eddie Hearn: “Yeah, June 24th, he’s going back to Madison Square Garden. Puerto Rico vs. Ireland. It’s going to be very similar to Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano,” about Berlanga’s fight against Ireland’s Quigley. “The atmosphere is going to be unbelievable.
“This guy is back. Almost a year out of the ring. It’s Jason Quigley first, and then we want another big fight in the autumn and winter, and then a world championship fight [against Canelo Alvarez] in early 2024, but Edgar Berlanga, in my opinion, a superstar, is going to fill this place up at Madison Square Garden.
“It’s going to be electric in there. The Irish will be out, and this man wants to march on for a world title.”
Mannix: “You made it very clear that Berlanga is on a path to Canelo Alvarez. What do you want to see for him to get there?”
Hearn: “If he wants to start calling out Canelo Alvarez, he has to steamroll through the likes of Jason Quigley and start making noise for those fights. There’s a couple of levels Edgar has to get to for Canelo Alvarez, and we want to do that over the two fights.
“Quigley has boxed at world level; he’s fought Demetrius Andrade [and was knocked out in two rounds]. He just had a win.
“The perfect opponent for him [Berlanga] being out for a year to showcase what he’s doing, and then we want a big name later on in the year, and then I want him to fight Canelo Alvarez. But he’s got to prove that. We know he’s a superstar.
“The atmosphere in there [Madison Square Garden] is going to be unbelievable. It’s going to be wild, but it’s one thing selling out Madison Square Garden. We’ve got to steamroll these guys and start banging the drum for those big fights. It all starts June 24th on DAZN.”
Mannix: “Alright, Berlanga. Let’s turn to you. It’s been about a year, or it will be about a year when you get back in the ring against Jason Quigley. How anxious have you been to get back into a fight?”
Edgar Berlanga: “Super anxious. We took this step by step. It’s been a year layoff, and I’m ready, man. I just want to thank Eddie Hearn. He is the best promoter in boxing right now.
“I just want to thank him for in believing in me and being in my corner. I want to thank my team and everyone that is with me come June.”
Mannix: “You have experienced the highs and lows of boxing at a young age. The 16 first-round knockout winning streak. Everyone loved you. The four-fight winning streak that went to decision, everyone doubted you. Does this week like a new beginning for you?”
Berlanga: “Yeah and no. I feel like I’m at a stage of my career where I needed that. I needed to go the distance. In order for me to be in there with the best, I had to experience going through those rounds.
“I thank God that God aligned the stars the right way, and he got me back with my old trainer Mark Wright. That’s the guy that actually made ‘The Monster,’ and I’m back with him, and I’m back with one of the best right here, Eddie Hearns.
“I’m just ready; I’m excited. You know, June 24th is a huge day for me.”
Mannix: “I’m looking forward to seeing you back. June 24th, live on DAZN. Edgar Berlanga against Jason Quigley.”
