In the 11 years since his title pay-per-view debut against Floyd Mayweather, Mexican icon Canelo Alvarez has largely owned the world’s fight capital from a boxing perspective through his commercial appearances.
That trend will only continue on Saturday as Alvarez returns to the Mexican Independence Day weekend pay-per-view clash, this time at T-Mobile Arena. Defending his unified super middleweight crown And bravely face the historically unique UFC 306 on the other side of the world famous Las Vegas Strip at The Sphere.
The only negative associated with Alvarez’s high-profile comeback, at least from his critics’ perspective, has been his choice of opponents. Edgar Berlanga, a 27-year-old undefeated slugger, will enter the biggest fight of his career against Alvarez as a major betting underdog while a more coveted matchup by fans – David Benavidez to Terence Crawford – will have to wait.
The main hook of the fight’s biggest selling point is that Alvarez, 34, will add another chapter to the storied boxing rivalry between Mexico and Puerto Rico (and the first since knocking out Hall-of-Famer Miguel Cotto in 2015) when he faces Berlanga, Brooklyn, A New York native who proudly leans into his family’s heritage while attracting the attention of celebrities like rapper Fat Joe.
Regardless of which side of the court of public opinion you stand on in his decision making, Alvarez is confident and ready to put on another show, almost four months removed from his dominant decision win over undefeated Jaime Munguia over the Cinco de Mayo weekend. Vegas.
“I just can’t wait for Saturday night, it’s going to be a great match for people,” Alvarez said. “Mexico vs. Puerto Rico is always exciting. It’s an honor to fight on this date. Mexican Independence Day is very important to us. It’s very special and I’m very proud to fight for the people of Mexico.
“I always give 100% in my fights and training, no matter who I fight. Same mentality in every fight. This one is no exception.”
While there was never a question of whether there was a commercial possibility for Berlanger to one day share the ring with Alvarez, the opportunity came much sooner than anyone expected. After starting his career with a remarkable streak of first-round knockouts in his first 16 fights, Berlanga struggled at times to win his next five bouts by decision and mutually sparred with top-ranked main promoters.
To Berlanga’s credit, he quickly signed with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Sport and reunited with trainer Mark Farrett. In February, he started a new knockout streak by stopping undefeated Padraig McCrory in the sixth round and showed zero signs of fear when facing or trading blows with Alvarez. Build for war.
“It’s going to be a big fight on Saturday and it’s going to be something amazing. We’re going to make history and become legends,” Berlanga said. “It means everything to be in this position. I’m not supposed to be here. I was doubted even before I turned pro. But I knew I was bound to end up in this position.”
The experience gap between the two fighters cannot be overlooked as Alvarez has almost twice as many career knockout wins as Berlanga. But even though Alvarez is installed as high as a 20-to-1 betting favorite, Berlanger has a few things going for him in this matchup, including everything from youth and a 5.5-inch height advantage to his confident swing and reputation being a big punch.
“I’m a knockout artist. Every fighter wants a knockout,” Berlanga said. “We know he’s a legend and we can’t just swing for the fences. We’ve got to do it right. Sixth-round knockout, that’s what we’re going to do. But we’re ready for 12 rounds. If we have to.”
Just two years ago, it became a popular opinion to openly question whether Alvarez was slowing down with age, especially over a three-fight streak against Dimitri Bivol (Alvarez’s first loss since 2013) and decision wins over Gennady Golovkin (in their trilogy). and John Ryder. But a hand injury, which limited his training during that stretch, appeared to be the real culprit as Alvarez bounced back with convincing wins to help Jermael Charlo and Munguia keep pace in the pound-for-pound top 10.
“I just want to show everyone that I’m still the best,” Alvarez said. “I still love this sport. When I love it, you’ll know it. I love my routine and I love going to the gym every day.”
To Berlanga, the fight is about more than proving his critics wrong or establishing himself among the sport’s true elite for the first time.
“After Saturday night I can be the face of Puerto Rican boxing,” Berlanga said. “I’ve wanted this for years and now it’s time to do it.”
In addition to the big main event, PBC loaded this card with former champions looking to shake off some ring rust after decent layoffs. WBA middleweight champion Erislandy Lara looks to defend his crown against former junior welterweight and welterweight king Danny Garcia in the co-main event. Garcia, 36, has had just one fight in the past four years and gets this opportunity having never fought at 160 pounds. Elsewhere, former super middleweight champion Caleb Plant looks to get back into the win column when he takes on Trevor McCumbie. Plant has been somewhat inactive in just two fights in three years, including a decision loss to Benavidez. The card also features the return of former champions Rolando “Rally” Romero and Stephen Fulton.
“Trevor himself knows I’m not a bum, and that’s why he wants to fight me. He wants to be on the big stage, and that means facing a real fighter. Right now, he’s looking at a real fighter. He’s fought. . Only bums, but he’s not fighting a bum now,” Plant said at the final press conference. “On Saturday we’ll see what he brings. He’s unbeaten and he wants to stay that way. So he’ll be motivated.”
“We’re ready to fight. It’s very inspiring to be on a card with these great fighters and I’m grateful to be with them for this great event,” McCumbie said. “There’s no bad blood on my side, I’m ready to fight. Things will be said in this press conference and I think when Caleb gets in there he’s going to make his opponent the villain. I don’t really let things happen. I got in my head there. Go run the business.”
Let’s take a closer look at the full fight card with the latest odds before making a prediction and expert picks on the main event.
Battle cards, odds
- Canelo Alvarez (c)-1800 vs. Edgar Berlanga +900, WBC, WBA and WBO super middleweight titles
- Erislandy Lara (c)-250 vs. Danny Garcia +205, WBA middleweight title
- Caleb Plant -1400 vs. Trevor McCumbie +750, Super Middleweight
- Rolando Romero -250 vs. Manuel James +205, Junior Welterweights
- Stephen Fulton -900 vs. Carlos Castro +550, Featherweight
Where to look
- Date: September 14
- Location: T-Mobile Arena — Las Vegas
- Start Time: 8 pm ET
- How to watch: Prime PPV (Price: $89.95)
prediction
Make no mistake, both Berlanga’s size and power could be a problem for Alvarez, especially should the decorated champion take him lightly or be tempted by some scraps early on. But, really, these situations would represent extreme, best-case scenarios for Berlanga, and would require a certain level of smarts and craft that he has yet to muster in single combat.
Unless Alvarez looks old in a big fight, it’s hard to imagine that happening. Not only is Alvarez incredibly responsible defensively, and in terms of his head movement, he owns one of the best chins in the history of the sport and has never been knocked down, even against power punchers like Golovkin, Danny Jacobs. Large Bivol.
If the same Alvarez that Munguia fought just four months ago enters the ring Saturday, the reality of what he can do as a skilled sharpshooter and counter puncher will be a lot for Berlanga to handle.
Whatever you may say about Berlanga as an athlete or puncher, he apparently lacks the poise and adaptability necessary to succeed at this level. And if he falls back and feels the need to rally aggressively against Alvarez, it will likely hasten his exit from the fight.
Alvarez admitted this week that he carried Munguia for most of their May fight and deliberately chose not to finish off his Mexican compatriot. But given the trash talk between him and Berlanga, it’s a scenario that can’t happen.
Pick: Alvarez via TKO8
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