Edgar Berlanga has ripped into Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez ahead of their huge September 14 super middleweight showdown which headlines a Premier Boxing Champions on Prime Video PPV at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
That date is one of the biggest of the entire year for fans of all fight sports as UFC heads further up the strip to host UFC Noche at the he Sphere. Though UFC 306 showcases a main event between the reigning UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley and the challenger Merab Dvalishvili, the star of the show is, arguably, the $2.3 billion mega venue — one which UFC boss Dana White told GIVEMESPORT has already cost his company $20 million in pre-production alone.
White previously told us the reason he isn’t focused entirely on profit for this event is that you don’t hold a live sports event at The Sphere to make money but, rather, to create the baddest combat show in history. It is for this reason that Berlanga believes his opponent has made a mistake going up against the mixed martial arts market-leader, and said that if it were up to him, he would have postponed the boxing event.
Edgar Berlanga Says Boxing Should Not Compete With UFC 306
Puerto Rican power puncher would have pushed the Canelo event back so it didn’t clash with UFC
The weekend closest to Mexican Independence Day is, traditionally, one of the key dates in boxing’s calendar and, in the modern era, it is one that, like Cinco de Mayo, has become synonymous with Canelo’s big events. It was also a date the sport had reserved prior to UFC wanting a show that weekend in the same city, according to Boxing Scene. Regardless, Berlanga said Canelo should have moved to a later date so their fight, for the unified championship at 168 pounds, would not be going head-to-head with O’Malley vs Dvalishvili.
“I’ve got respect for the UFC,” said Berlanga during an appearance on the Pound-4-Pound With Kamaru and Henry podcast Thursday.
“But if I was in Canelo’s shoes, personally me, I would have said, ‘Yo let’s push this date up, let’s push it another two weeks and give the UFC their shine – they’re making history that day, and we’re making history, but we’ll push it up two weeks’.”
Berlanga Put Canelo on Blast
Super middleweight fighter said Canelo shouldn’t be battling with UFC and Turki Alalshikh
Berlanga then said Canelo shouldn’t have such a negative approach to others in the combat sport space, particularly boxing financier Turki Alalshikh via Riyadh Season, and UFC and its CEO and president Dana White.
“Canelo’s a guy who’s got too much pride, you’ve seen him go back and forth with Turki and stuff, he feels like he’s the money man, he’s like ‘F*** the UFC, f*** Turki,’ and all that, ‘This is my event and my day.’ You know what I’m saying?”
Berlanga said if it were up to him, he’d instead postpone his event by two weeks, and hold it at the end of the month, so that there is no clash with UFC Noche. “It’s out of respect, man.”
He continued: “You can’t go against the guy, this guy has major money, man, and you’re going up against him, you’re firing him [up], so that guy is going to do the most to try to build up that event [UFC 306] to be the craziest event. But it is what it is, we just got to focus on September 14, on my event, and I just got to come out victorious so that when I do win, times like this, I could push the UFC event [back myself].”
Canelo vs Berlanga airs on Prime Video PPV, while ESPN pay-per-view carries the UFC card in the US.
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