Edgar Berlanga doesn’t believe Padraig McCrory is “dangerous” enough to pose him a threat when on Saturday they fight.
They fight at super middleweight at Caribe Royale in Orlando, Florida, when the 26-year-old Berlanga is again the favourite and again under pressure to impress.
In his first fight under Matchroom, when he was perhaps in contention to fight Saul “Canelo” Alvarez – a fighter who shared Matchroom as a promoter – he outpointed Ireland’s Jason Quigley.
Eight months on Alvarez is with Premier Boxing Champions and the undefeated McCrory, 35, is Berlanga’s opponent, but they fight a month after Jaime Munguia retired John Ryder, aware that Munguia’s association with DAZN makes, in the event of victory, a date between them considerably easier to make.
McCrory’s promoter Jamie Conlan has been vocal about the power in his fighter’s right hand and Berlanga has repeatedly looked defensively vulnerable. McCrory also proved himself on the road when in 2022 he travelled to Germany to stop Leon Bunn at light heavyweight, but Berlanga said: “I don’t think he is a dangerous fighter. He is not someone who I should be worrying about.
“He depends on his right hand a lot and tries to shoot it at you, and he likes to fight. As far as being dangerous, I am dangerous, and he has a lot to worry about. I don’t have to worry about anything. I need to make sure I am 100 per cent on point and that I don’t get hit with any stupid shots and nothing that is going to have me thinking, ‘Damm, why did I get hit with that?’
“I am not sleeping on him. I know he will go in there and go for the win, just like how I will. [But] I am going to come out victorious on that night.”
Mexico’s Munguia continues to be seen as in contention to fight Alvarez, potentially increasing the stakes involved in a fight between he and Berlanga later in 2024.
“We got big names out there,” continued Berlanga, a board member of the Cristian Rivera Foundation. “We got Munguia. We got ‘Canelo’. We are eyeing right now for this year. I handle business, and I do what I have to do – those are the two fights we’re looking to grab.
“I know that [McCrory] is going to be a tough opponent. First of all, he is undefeated, so I know he is going to go in there and try to protect his 0. He knows, and I know that if he beats me, then this is a life-changing fight for him. I’m just ready, man. This is my time. I am going to go in there, handle business, and move on to the next.”