Promoter Eddie Hearn is placing a optimistic spin on Edgar Berlanga’s loss to Canelo Alvarez, suggesting that he’s now the second hottest fighter within the tremendous middleweight division following his “aggressive” defeat final Saturday evening in Las Vegas.
Hearn says Berlanga (22-1, 17 KOs) “pissed off” the unified tremendous middleweight champion Canelo (62-2-2, 39 KOs) at instances together with his ring IQ. Canelo was pissed off, however for a special cause than Berlanga’s ring IQ. He was upset with the head-butting, low blows, rabbit punches, and unlawful straight arms Berlanga was utilizing.
It appeared that Berlanga was simply there to outlive all evening and didn’t combat laborious till the twelfth spherical. Within the different rounds, Berlanga seemed too afraid to throw his energy photographs for worry of being countered by Canelo once more. After Berlanga was knocked down in spherical three, he performed it secure, throwing primarily jabs.
Hearn and informal boxing followers had been celebrating Berlanga afterward simply because he obtained knocked out, however they didn’t have the perception to see that he was simply making an attempt to outlive and wasn’t making an attempt to win. He was there to go 12 rounds.
The Matchroom promoter Hearn is making an attempt to color a false image that Berlanga had fought in a heroic method, however that’s not the truth. He was much less spectacular than Canelo’s earlier opponent Jaime Munguia, who fought tougher and really gained 4 rounds final Might. Munguia was extra brave.
“He by no means actually seemed out of his depth in there. We obtained beat nicely by a legend, but it surely was all the time aggressive the rounds,” mentioned Eddie Hearn throughout the post-fight press convention, praising his fighter Edgar Berlanga after his loss to Canelo Alvarez.
It was solely aggressive as a result of Canelo didn’t have the scale or the gasoline tank to complete off Berlanga resulting from his enormous 6’1″, 193-lb body throughout the combat. If Canelo’s conditioning had been higher, he’d have knocked Berlanga out by the fourth spherical as a result of he was there to be stopped if he may put his punches collectively as an alternative of simply loading up with single photographs.
“To me, it was the bins he ticked. The impregnable chin. He took each shot within the artillery of Canelo Alvarez. The knockdown was an unimaginable left hook. It was type of a flash knockdown. He was by no means actually harm throughout your entire combat,” mentioned Hearn.
Berlanga’s weight of 193 lbs is the explanation he may take Canelo’s punches. When a lightweight heavyweight takes on an excellent middleweight, they will stand up to their punches so much higher than once they’re competing of their pure weight class.
In case you stick Berlanga in with mild heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev, we’ll see how good his chin is. Clearly, Berlanga won’t ever combat Beterbiev as a result of his administration is simply too calculated to threat placing him in with somebody who would knock him out and reduce off the spigot to the oil nicely that’s pumping in that black gold.
“Even when he obtained dropped, he got here again, was firing again, and the folks liked it. His ring IQ, we knew was higher than folks anticipated, was good and pissed off Canelo Alvarez at instances,” mentioned Hearn.
Berlanga obtained up from the third-round knockdown and simply took the punishment for the rest of the combat, taking part in it secure. He used quite a lot of unlawful roughhouse techniques that angered Canelo, which was why he was pissed off with him.
“As I informed him earlier. He’s secured his whole life [with millions] and his household’s life perpetually at such a younger age, and it’s just the start as a result of proper now, it’s important to say he’s the #1 title within the division exterior of Canelo Alvarez, and there are enormous fights on the market for him,” Hearn mentioned about Berlanga.
Berlanga is extra fashionable resulting from his fanbase in New York Metropolis than the opposite contenders within the 168-lb division, however he lacks far behind within the expertise division. Nonetheless, Berlanga isn’t actually a real tremendous middleweight. He’s a lightweight heavyweight that boils right down to 168 to compete in opposition to smaller fighters.
Berlanga is like one other David Benavidez sort of weight bully, however with much less expertise, extra of a self-promoter [Read: out of touch braggart], and has a shorter shelf-life. He must be protected greater than Benavidez.
“I virtually really feel like he’s a brand new signing as a result of we knew he was an enormous star earlier than, however now, I really feel we’ve obtained one of many largest stars within the division. I believe the comeback path and the comeback plan goes to be actually enjoyable,” mentioned Hearn.
When Hearn says “comeback path,” that’s code for mushy opponents like those he’d been matched in opposition to to construct his 22-0 document to get him the Canelo payday. Hearn is promoting a faux product to the general public, making an attempt to make it look higher than it’s. Berlanga is the equal of fools gold, and solely the naive followers consider he’s the real 24k gold actual factor.
Berlanga will not be a brand new star, and Hearn isn’t going to have the ability to rework him into a gentle cash driver, like an oil nicely that pumps black gold for a few years. With out defending Berlanga by matching him in opposition to mushy opposition that the followers gained’t be excited to see, he’s going to lose if Hearn matches him in opposition to good opposition.
After I say, ‘Good,’ I’m not speaking about Caleb Plant, Diego Pacheco, Jaime Munguia, and Christian Mbilli. Berlanga will lose to these guys. If Hearn places Berlanga in with a high-caliber fighter like David Benavidez, David Morrell, or Osleys Inglesias, he’ll get knocked out.
