A super middleweight fight between Jaime Munguia and Edgar Berlanga should be a cinch to make, according to promoter Eddie Hearn—”should” being the operative word.
Although they share different promoters—Munguia is with Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy, while Berlanga with Hearn’s Matchroom—the two fighters are backed by the same broadcaster in DAZN. In an age in which meaningful fights are, seemingly more often than not, squashed based on a fighter’s particular allegiance with a network, Munguia vs. Berlanga should theoretically be simple to program.
In a recent interview, Hearn stated that he (as well as Golden Boy) has received a clear directive from DAZN to make that fight, pointing out it is incumbent on the fighters and their handlers to reach common ground.
“The instructions from DAZN are very clear to both sides: ‘We don’t want any other fight for Berlanga or Munguia than them fighting each other next’ and that’s the instruction of our broadcaster,” Hearn said on The Boxing with Chris Mannix Podcast. “We should try and make that happen. Of course, both fighters and their representatives are entitled to get the best possible deal they can for that fight but if we can’t make Berlanga against Munguia, and we can’t get those fighters in the fight, what are we in the sport for?
“I asked myself, ‘Edgar, can you beat Jaime Munguia?’ He believes, ‘Yes, I can.’ I believe it’s a 50-50 fight. Munguia thinks he can win. It’s Mexico against Puerto Rico. It’s the kind of fight that’s gonna break you out into a massive star.
Mexico’s Munguia, 26, is coming off a gutsy decision over perennial contender Sergiy Derevyanchenko in June at Toyota Arena in Ontario, Calif. In the same month, Berlanga, a Brooklyn native who is of Puerto Rican descent, picked up a unanimous decision over Jason Quigley at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City, in what was Berlanga’s first fight under Hearn.
Hearn said the winner of Munguia-Berlanga is a natural stepping stone to a showdown with undisputed 168-pound champion Canelo Alvarez. Of course, Alvarez is not a fighter that Hearn can deliver to either fighter for the foreseeable future. The Mexican superstar signed a multi-fight deal with Al Haymon of Premier Boxing Champions. Alvarez’s first fight on that deal takes place Sept. 30 against Jermell Charlo at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
“Like if Munguia fights Berlanga, I cannot see how Canelo Alvarez cannot fight the winner of that fight. Right? I mean it’s such a natural fight.
“So the question is, do you want to roll the dice? Unfortunately in boxing, trainers or advisors don’t want to roll the dice. Well, guess what? I want to roll it. And I believe in our man. And I want to see Edgar Berlanga in a massive fight that he can win. So I’ll be doing everything I can.”
Sean Nam is the author of Murder on Federal Street: Tyrone Everett, the Black Mafia, and the Last Golden Age of Philadelphia Boxing.