Jason Quigley has grown comfortable with the role of longshot underdog fighting on the road.
In a sense, it’s why he didn’t hesitate to answer the call when he was offered the chance to fight in New York City versus local favorite Edgar Berlanga.
“This is a massive opportunity for me to come on this stage and this platform and to show my worth,” Quigley said of this weekend’s DAZN headliner from Madison Square Garden’s Hulu Theater. “I know people have been overlooking me. This is a chance to put a stamp on my name, show how good I really am.”
Berlanga (20-0, 16KOs)—the popular Nuyorican who hails from nearby Brooklyn—is viewed by bet365 as a -1200 betting favorite as of Thursday afternoon, despite having not fought in more than a year. The same sportsbook places Ireland’s Quigley (20-2, 14KOs) as a +700 underdog to prevail in their scheduled 12-round super middleweight contest (Saturday, DAZN, 8:00 p.m. ET).
The 32-year-old from Ballybofey, Ireland is just two fights removed from a November 2021 second-round knockout to unbeaten two-division and then-reigning WBO middleweight titlist Demetrius Andrade in Manchester, New Hampshire. The lone career title opportunity of his career came from a ten-round, majority decision win over Shane Mosley Jr. just six months earlier in Las Vegas.
Opening odds had Quigley as a -278 favorite over Mosley but bet down to -200 by fight night. A more drastic betting trend saw early odds at just -600 for Andrade, who as high as a -2000 and Quigley as much as +834 when they entered the ring.
While Quigley is familiar to U.S. viewers—all but two career fights have come stateside—he remains best known for the recent knockout loss in his highest profile fight to date. It is theorized that the early defeat versus the modest-hitting Andrade coupled with the move up in weight is a recipe for disaster. There is also the cynicism that comes with any opponent agreed upon by Berlanga and his team, which wrongly defaults to a cherry pick.
Of course, that negativity to can be used to the advantage of the fighter given next to no chance to win.
“I back myself all the way. The training I’ve done, the stuff we’ve been through and progressed from, I know I am the better man. I’m here to become champion to progress my career and my life. That’s what I’ve got to do on fight night.”
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox