By Dan Ambrose: Eddie Hearn says his recent Matchroom signee Edgar Berlanga (20-0, 16 KOs) will need to destroy his opponent Jason Quigley in style on June 24th for him to be considered as a potential option for undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez’s next fight in September.
Berlanga is an excellent option for Canelo, as hugely popular in New York and will bring in a massive crowd.
Matchroom Boxing promoter Hearn states that he prefers that the 26-year-old Berlanga take one more fight after his match against Quigley (20-2, 14 KOs) before he sets up the bout with the superstar Canelo (59-2-2, 39 KOs).
Unfortunately, Hearn may need to accelerate his plans for Berlanga because Canelo’s negotiations for a rematch with WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol aren’t going well.
Indeed, there are NO negotiations, according to Bivol and his manager Vadim Kornilov. There have been “zero talks,” said Vadim.
If Hearn isn’t actively negotiating with Bivol’s team, it would indicate that it’s the old ‘bait & switch‘ on his part and that Berlanga is the guy that Canelo will face in September. It’s clever. Get the boxing public excited about seeing the Canelo vs. Bivol II rematch, and then substitute Berlanga at the last minute, saying, ‘Well, we tried to make the fight, but Bivol’s team priced themselves out.‘
Given that Berlanga is Canelo’s only option for September, the New Yorker must look good against the tough-as-nails 32-year-old Quigley, who isn’t an easy out.
“We are trying to make the Bivol fight; that is still the intention,” said Hearn to ProBox TV about Canelo Alvarez.
“He would have to ice [Jason] Quigley in unbelievable style to even be in the hat [for Canelo],” the Matchroom Boxing boss Hearn said about Edgar Berlanga for him to get the chance of fighting Canelo Alvarez in September.
“I think he [Berlanga] needs one more fight [after Quigley]. Let’s see how he goes on June 24 at Madison Square Garden,” said Hearn.
Berlanga hasn’t fought in a year, dealing with promotional issues on top of a six-month suspension from his last fight against Roamer Alexis Angulo on June 11, 2022, in New York. That was the fight in which Berlanga briefly turned into Count Dracula in the sixth round, attempting to bite Roamer in the neck.
Undercard for Berlanga-Quigley:
- Adam Kownacki vs. Joe Cusumano
- Khalil Coe vs. Buneet Bisla
- Yankiel Rivera Figueroa vs. Christian Robles
- Harley Mederos vs. Pedro Vicente Scharbaai
- Pablo Valdez vs. Demian Daniel Fernandez
- Reshat Mati vs. Dakota Linger
