Edgar Berlanga’s trainer doesn’t believe that his fighter is ready to challenge Saul “Canelo” Alvarez – and nor does he think anyone else is.
That Berlanga stopped Padraig McCrory in six rounds in his past fight has, in the context of reports of Alvarez preparing to split from Premier Boxing Champions and return to Matchroom and DAZN – who also promote and broadcast Berlanga’s fights – moved him back into contention to challenge the world’s leading fighter.
Against McCrory he recorded his first knockout for six fights, and while Jaime Munguia would also be an option for Alvarez – 33 and the undisputed super middleweight champion – after stopping John Ryder and David Benavidez is the opponent most observers want Alvarez to fight, Marc Ferrait, Berlanga’s trainer, doesn’t see anyone ready to threaten him.
“I’m going to be honest with you, I don’t think anyone’s ready for Canelo,” he told ProBox TV. “Let’s just call a spade a spade. We heard a lot from [Jermell] Charlo, right? ‘I’m gonna do this, I’m gonna do that.’ He got in the ring; it all became real. There was nothing done. I tell you right now, you’re going to get a better fight with Edgar.
“Edgar has a lot to develop. He still has a lot to develop.
“All those boxing experts can say, ‘He’s not that guy that Canelo should fight’, so I want to be honest. You’ve got monsters in that division. You’ve got Benavidez. You’ve got one guy there that I love his style, and people are staying away from, which is [David] Morrell. Jaime Munguia looked great against Ryder. You can go on and on…
“You’ve got monsters, and it just so happens that the dominos might fall Edgar’s way.
“I don’t think there’s one fighter that would turn that down. Do you know why? Because you’re a prizefighter.
“[Alvarez] doesn’t want to fight Benavidez. It shouldn’t be Edgar’s fault that he chooses Edgar. Edgar just threw his hat in the ring like everybody else.”
Ferrait was also asked to reflect on the 26-year-old Berlanga’s past performance, and he said: “He’s fine. They gave him one stitch, so he’s fine. That was on a head butt.
“He didn’t take much punishment at all. He did a lot of good things; he landed some good shots.”