Edgar Berlanga doesn’t have any illusions about skipping to the front of the line in the Canelo sweepstakes.
It’s unquestioned that his new alignment with Matchroom Boxing will help at least provide a shortcut to a potential shot at undisputed super middleweight king Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez.
However, the unbeaten Nuyorican knows he still has to fight his way to the top. That begins with his showdown versus Ireland’s Jason Quigley this Saturday on DAZN from Madison Square Garden’s Hulu Theater in New York City.
“I got to look spectacular,” Berlanga said of a potential Alvarez fight during the most recent segment of Matchroom Boxing’s ‘Behind Closed Doors’ pre-fight documentary series. “I’m taking this fight as if it’s my last fight in boxing. Because I know that every fighter that fights me is doing the same.
“I don’t give a f— who it is. I’m gonna be ready for all the top dogs.”
To his credit, Berlanga (20-0, 16KOs) has not left any stone unturned for his first fight in more than a year. It says a lot about the drastic changes from his last camp considering he is a massive -1300 favorite to topple Quigley (20-2, 14KOs) this weekend on MSG soil where he fights for the third straight time. The 26-year-old Brooklyn-bred Puerto Rican has returned to original head trainer Marc Farrait, under whom he fought through his first three years as a pro.
Saturday will mark Berlanga’s first fight since a win over Alexis Angulo last June 11. The bout saw Berlanga go the distance for the fourth straight time, and also get hit with a six-month suspension for an attempted bite during the seventh-round of their ESPN-televised headliner on the eve of the Puerto Rican Day Parade in New York City.
The disciplinary action meant Berlanga was done for 2022. Upon his return, he was also through with Top Rank as the two ended their three-plus year relationship on mostly amicable terms.
Berlanga has since signed with Matchroom, who enjoys an excellent working relationship with Alvarez (59-2-2, 39KOs). Matchroom Sport chairman Eddie Hearn has openly admitted that he couldn’t justify a straightaway Alvarez-Berlanga fight, that the undefeated Boricua would have to win and look spectacular for at least his next couple of fights before making such a move.
The young charge is up to the task as he is well aware that every performance will be placed under a microscope, beginning with this weekend.
“I think about it every night,” Berlanga said of an Alvarez fight. “I speak it into existence. Of course, we got to handle business on June 24.”
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox