By Rodolfo Román
Miami, FL- Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (61-2-2 with 39 knockouts) wants to start the Mexican celebration two days early with a victory over undefeated Edgar Berlanga (22-0 with 17 knockouts). Mexico’s Independence Day is September 16.
Both men square off in the ring this Saturday at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The event will air on Prime Video PPV and the fight will begin at approximately around 11 p.m. ET.
The Mexican fighter will be defending his WBC WBO and WBA super middleweight titles. The IBF super middleweight title will not be on the line after Alvarez was stripped of the title for choosing to fight Berlanga instead of IBF No. 1 contender William Scull.
With an undefeated record, Berlanga, 27, is on his way to his first golden opportunity, which boxing fans have been clamoring for. The Brooklyn boxer is known for starting his fights in explosive fashion by capturing more than 10 knockouts as a pro. He recently knocked out Padraig McCroy in the sixth round, which has fans excited for the war to come.
Berlanga, as an amateur, had a 162-17 record. This is the biggest opportunity he has in his career. He attempted to capture the world record for consecutive first round knockouts, but it ended in April 2021 when he was taken the distance in his unanimous decision win over Demond Nicholson in his 17th fight.
Unlike his previous fights, the young fighter can’t go in thinking about making easy work of Alvarez as he faces an experienced opponent with speed, technique and power. Alvarez will not get into a brawl early in the fight, which would benefit Berlanga.
Alvarez is too smart a fighter to take the bait.
On the other hand, only two men have defeated Alvarez, which includes undefeated boxing legend Floyd Mayweather in 2013 and Dmitry Vibol in 2022, which was a fight in which Alvarez competed in a different weight class. Alvarez has fought the who’s who of the boxing world. He is the only boxer in history to become the undisputed super middleweight champion holding this distinction until July 2024.
He last competed in May, defeating Jaime Munguia, taking home a unanimous decision victory. It has been some time since Alvarez has knocked out an opponent. The last time he earned a technical knockout was against Caleb Plant in the final fight paint in 2021.
To solidify his name and become more relevant in the sport, a knockout over Berlanga would be essential. Currently, the fans have Alvarez in the category of picking opponents and not giving the fans the fights they want.
But, by knocking out his foe, it is still the world of boxing, which is the main attraction.
Expect Alvarez to let Berlanga throw his hands, but the experienced fighter will step in to slow the pace and take control. Alvarez should take this fight by unanimous decision.
Then, there are several athletes in the fighting world who want a piece of Alvarez and it’s not Kamaru Usman.
The money fight Alvarez has been interested in is against former mixed martial arts world champion, Irish “Notorious” Conor McGregor, which would be a big payday.
But before he sets his eyes on the money, he needs to get through Berlanga this Saturday and in a way that convinces fans he’s serious power yet.
