Edgar Berlanga faced one of the most challenging tasks in boxing as he attempted to dethrone super-middleweight kingpin Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez at the weekend. Still, one of the few advantages that the Puerto Rican had heading into the fight was his size and it has now been reported how Berlanga attempted to maximise this edge over the Mexican, piling on the pounds between the weigh-in and fight night.
Fans believing that Edgar Berlanga could pull off the upset were few and far between and the contest was largely met with disapproval when it was announced, with David Benavidez and David Morrell both deemed to be more worthy opponents – although both have now moved up to light-heavyweight.
However, Canelo has maintained that his refusal to take on Benavidez is down to the fact that he is simply too big, famously stating that he brings ‘nothing to the table other than an extra 25 pounds’. Yet, Canelo still decided to go ahead with the Berlanga fight – another man who is deemed to be a large super-middleweight – and the move was met with understandable disappointment as a result.
‘The Chosen One’ hit the scales at 167.6lbs at Friday night’s weigh-in as he prepared for the biggest test of his professional career and ESPN’s Salvador Rodriguez has now revealed that Berlanga rehydrated an ironic 25.4lbs before he stepped through the ropes to take on Canelo the following day.
“I was told that Edgar Berlanga entered the ring tonight at 193 pounds, that is, 25.4 pounds above the 167.6 he weighed on Friday. The Puerto Rican won by losing.”
Inside of the ring, Canelo proved that he was levels above Berlanga regardless of the physical disadvantages and battled to a unanimous-decision victory in an entertaining but dominant display after dropping the challenger in the third-round.
In the post-fight interview, 34-year-old Canelo declared that he was the best fighter on the planet, and addressed his doubters – believing to have silenced them by triumphing over younger opponents rather than those that are past their sell-by date.
"I'm the best fighter in the world" @Canelo let's it be known, he still is the best in the game. #CaneloBerlangapic.twitter.com/06gNidr8gW
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) September 15, 2024
“I did good. Now what are they [the haters] going to say? I fight younger fighters, before they said I fight older fighters, now what are they going to say? That he fought younger fighters? They always talk.
“I am the best fighter in the world.”
As far as future opponents go for Canelo, a clash with Benavidez seems as far away as ever despite recent reports suggest that the pound-for-pound legend could follow ‘The Mexican Monster’ up to the 175lb division in pursuit of the undisputed light-heavyweight title and a rematch with Dmitry Bivol, who hopes to become the four-belt champion next month.
Meanwhile, back down at super-middleweight, a showdown with French knockout-artist Christian Mbilli appears the most desirable, whilst Diego Pacheco sits as the number one contender with the WBO – although his promoter is not convinced that he is ready for such a fight.
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