Edgar Berlanga signed with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing for several reasons. There are too many to name them all but the longtime promoter promised to get Berlanga some gigantic fights. It might be early, but he hasn’t delivered just yet.
In the first fight of their newly signed deal, Berlanga was given somewhat of a soft touch in Jason Quigley. Although he wasn’t able to secure the knockout, Berlanga dominated. Now, in the second fight of their three-fight deal, Berlanga (21-0, 16 KOs) will be thrown into the ring with Padraig McCrory.
The response from the public has been ho-hum. McCrory isn’t the most known fighter in the world and he hasn’t stepped up to the elite level yet. Still, while Hearn understands why some are sleeping on McCrory, he’s hoping that Berlanga isn’t one of them.
“McCrory is a huge puncher,” Hearn told Matchroom Boxing. “He’s told me that he’s 100% winning that fight. Edgar Berlanga needs a statement. It’s a real dangerous fight for both.”
In a lot of ways, it’s been a long time coming for McCrory. At the age of 35, he carries an undefeated record but with just 18 fights and a relatively low ranking in all four of the sanctioning bodies, he’s often considered an afterthought.
The floodgates for McCrory, nevertheless, could be flung open. The same applies to Berlanga. The super middleweight division is as star-studded as they come. Both Berlanga and McCrory believe that they’ve put in enough work on their craft to be standing across the ring from anyone. The loser of their upcoming showdown will have to put on their hiking boots and make the trek back up the ladder. The winner, however, will be on the verge of scoring the big fights they’ve been waiting for.
“The winner is going to put themselves in an unbelievable position. They could fight Benavidez, they could fight Canelo Alvarez. Massive, massive fight for both.”