‘When I Turned Pro, Nobody Wanted to Sign Me. Now, I’m Fighting a Superstar’

Edgar Berlanga is next in line to try to take down one of the greatest boxers of all-time in Canelo Alvarez.

Outside Dmirtry Bivol at light-heavyweight, no man has had their hand raised against Alvarez since 2013 when Floyd Mayweather Jr used his pull to drain a young Canelo in the lead up to their super-welterweight fight.

Fast-forward to 2024, and the Mexican great has taken several pages from ‘Money Mayweather’ when it comes to being the A-side and earning lofty paydays. Since his tough loss at the hands of Bivol, Alvarez has beaten four straight opponents to regain that elite confidence heading into his 14 September battle against Barlanga, but the undefeated Puerto Rican challenger has other plans.

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Berlanga Jr Signed with Matchroom Boxing in 23 February to a Multi-Fight Deal

Promoter extraordinaire, Eddie Hearn, has used the tools and experience of his father — who was a boxing promoter as early as the 1980s — to become the best in the business. His Matchroom boxing roster is making plenty of noise, especially with the financial support from boxing pioneer Turki Alalshikh. Last week Hearn was promoting Israil Madrimov against Terence Crawford, and now he’s trying to take out another face of boxing.

Berlanga, a native of Brooklyn, NY, signed with Matchroom Boxing and ‘best promoter in the world’ Eddie Hearn back in 2023. At the time, the 25-year-old fighter stated that his ‘main goal’ was to get the Alvarez fight, and less than 18 months later, that dream match up came to fruition due in large part to Hearn’s wheelings and dealings.

Previously, Berlanga had a deal with Las Vegas promoter Top Rank. But it wasn’t always smooth sailing with deal makers in boxing. He even said nobody wanted to sign him when he first turned pro. “I’ve been overlooked my whole life … I started knocking people out in the first round, and that’s when everybody started wanting to sign me,” he said at a press conference Monday which GIVEMESPORT attended in New York.

Edgar Berlanga is Already Tired of Talk About Other Fighters

Whatever you do, don’t mention David Benavidez

One of the biggest fights that can be made in boxing is Alvarez defending his belts against the dangerous super-middleweight, David Benavidez. ‘The Mexican Monster’ is a tall, powerful fighter with a hunter’s mindset. Before recently testing the waters at light-heavyweight, Benavidez breezed through the 168-pound division and is chasing the biggest fight in his career versus Canelo.

Fans have been clamoring for this massive fight and are hopeful Alalshikh can speed up the negotiations, but Canelo is in no rush to face the dangerous 27-year-old as apparent from his recent matchmaking. During Monday’s press conference which GIVEMESPORT attended in New York City, Berlanga made it crystal clear that he is tired of all the Benavidez talk:

The Canelo vs Berlanga fight takes place September 14 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The fight airs on Prime Video as a Premier Boxing Champions pay-per-view.