Edgar Berlanga looking forward to fighting Canelo Alvarez next year

Image: Edgar Berlanga looking forward to fighting Canelo Alvarez next year
By Boxing News - 04/10/2023 - Comments

By Sam Volz: Edgar Berlanga says he’s excited about potentially fighting for a world title next year against Canelo Alvarez.

Berlanga (20-0, 16 KOs) signed a three-fight deal with Matchroom Boxing, and promoter Eddie Hearn is putting him on the fast track to challenge undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez in the first quarter of 2024.

The earn the Canelo fight, the 25-year-old unbeaten super middleweight contender Berlanga must “steamroll” Jason Quigley (20-2, 14 KOs) on June 24th and then defeat a still-to-be-determined opponent in December.

According to Hearn, that’s the tough one for Berlanga. Shane Mosley Jr (19-4, 10 KOs) is the rumored opponent that Berlanga will be fighting in December to earn the shot against Canelo. Mosley Jr looked good recently, beating Gabe Rosado Jr.

You can’t blame Hearn if he chooses to make it easy for Berlanga to get the Canelo fight because he’s paying him a lot of money for his three-fight deal.

If Hearn were to insist on Berlanga proving himself against quality 168-pounders like David Benavidez, Caleb Plant, or David Morrell Jr, he’d likely have nothing to show for the money he’s paying him because those guys are clearly out of his league.

It would be interesting if Canelo insisted on Berlanga proving himself like he insisted David Benavidez do. Benavidez recently beat Plant and still didn’t get the fight against Canelo.

If Berlanga gets a title shot against Canelo after beating Quigley and Mosley Jr, it will look obvious that the Mexican star is purposefully ducking Benavidez. A win over Plant is far more meaningful than victories over Quigley and Mosley Jr.

“We’ve heard Eddie Hearn, your new promoter, say that he wants to put you on a pathway to face Canelo Alvarez at some point next year. How do you feel about that? Do you feel that’s the path you should be taking?” said Chris Mannix to the DAZN Boxing Show about Edgar Berlanga.

“Oh, of course. If it’s not that, then why should I be boxing?” said Berlanga about him being in favor of a fight against Canelo after two fights this year.

“All the guys at 168 want a shot at him, want a crack at him, but me, I have a different perspective. It’s not about the money. It’s about the legacy and getting to that level and winning and possibly becoming the first undisputed Puerto Rican male because, obviously, my sister did it, Amanda Serrano. So that’s something I’m looking forward to,”  said Berlanga.

“Canelo is always about his future opponents showing him something, earning the opportunity to get a fight against him, whether it’s getting belts or through big performances. Do you feel this year is for kind of earning that opportunity, showing what you’ve got at 168?” said Mannix.

“Most definitely. My first opposition is Jason Quigley. I don’t want to focus on the Canelo fight,” said Berlanga. “It’s good to focus on that, but right now, I’ve got to focus on June.

“I’ve got a year layoff, so I’m just looking forward to putting on a spectacular performance and just blowing the roof off the Hula Theater [at Madison Square Garden in New York],” said Berlanga.