[Boxing] Canelo Alvarez vs Edgar Berlanga - September 14

[FinneysTrueVision]

It is confirmed that Edgar Berlanga will be Canelo’s next opponent. Berlanga was once a hyped up prospect after starting his career with 16 consecutive first round knockouts. That was all smoke and mirrors because once he stepped up his level of competition he looked very unimpressive and would struggle his way to decision wins. This will be a heavily criticized decision for Canelo, who is clearly avoiding the dangerous David Benavidez, and instead chooses to fight a much lower level of competition.

The date is interesting because they will be competing directly against the UFC’s event at The Sphere, which Dana White has stated “will be the greatest sporting event of all time”. With such a lame main event and a weak undercard, I expect Canelo’s fight to be completely overshadowed by the UFC.

[Dave1]

Plus the opponent that he chooses, David Benavidez has been calling him for a while but Canelo keep ignoring him and hinting that he will only fight DB for a huge amount of money. So after a young Jaime Munguia, comes another young fighter in Berlanga.

Although we can argue that Berlanga has a good knockout ratio and tall at 168 lbs, but I don't know if he can go toe to toe against Canelo Alvarez. He has so much experience in this big fight, and Canelo might have lost some steps, but he can still fight.

[Jating]

They are trying to spin this fight as a rivalry between Mexico and Puerto Rico. We have seen a lot of boxers both in this country becoming arch-nemesis in the right. But if we look at it, not even close to call this a rivalry. You just have to look at Edgar Berlanga's resume and you will say that yeah, his record doesn't come close to Canelo who have fought a lot of possible future HoF.

And from what I read, the undercard includes Erislandy Lara vs Danny Garcia? They are no longer in their primes, maybe 6-7 years ago, this could be a good fight. But in 2024? I don't think so and I'm not seeing them winning against a pretty much stack up fight by Dana White. The promoters are going to be hard pressed here to make money and maybe they think Canelo can still drive fans and watch his fight lived or PPV.

[aioc]

I'm checking for credible boxers whom Berlanga fought, but I cannot recall names that worthy of being mentioned https://boxrec.com/en/box-pro/760625.

He may have a good record going to this fight, but he lacks quality fighters. There are better fighters than Berlanga, whom Canelo beat in the past. I don't think he will have better chances than many of the good fighters Canelo beat, but Berlanga deserves to be in the position he is right now.

This is another fight in which Canelo will showcase his skills and power because he is up to it against a young, inexperienced fighter who is not at his level.

[seoincorporation]

I'm checking for credible boxers whom Berlanga fought, but I cannot recall names that worthy of being mentioned https://boxrec.com/en/box-pro/760625.

That's true, he has a great career with tons of victories, but not big names on that list, and that way is hard to think about his victory against Canelo who has fought the big guys in the past. On this one i will bet for Canelo if the odds are decent, i try to look for the odds on stake, but the fight hasn't been listened to yet, so, let's be patient still close to two months for it.

I'm more of an MMA bettor than Box bettor, but some fighters like Canelo offer nice events.

[YOSHIE]

It is confirmed that Edgar Berlanga will be Canelo’s next opponent.

The arrogance expressed by Edgar Berlanga towards Canelo made me interested in betting and placing money on several online gambling sites.
As Edgar said.

"I deserve to be here, and I will shock the world and silence the critics by putting on an incredible performance and knocking out Canelo Alvarez on September 14," said Edgar Berlanga.

I often gamble on boxing and often see opponents who say dirty words/arrogant facts in the field/ring and will have the bad luck of ending up with a knockout, for that reason I am very curious to see both of them.

[coin-investor]

I've seen Berlanga fight, and he is good, but what he had and what he had gone through is not enough to match Canelo's level. This is not an exciting fight, and we can label it as another Canelo-dominant fight.
Unless it's a Benavidez fight or a Bivol rematch, I don't think this will be considered a legacy fight or a fight that will challenge Canelo's supremacy as an undisputed champion.

Canelo will continue to cherry-pick fights, make money, and then retire without giving chances to people who deserve to fight him, and this will cast doubts on his greatness in the future; maybe in the future when he retires that he will regret living up to the challenge of fighting Benavidez or Bivol.

[Finestream]

It may look like another cherry-picked fight by Canelo, but I’ve got to respect his opponent because his record is still undefeated. 17 KOs from 22 fights still shows some power, so hopefully, this isn’t going to be another boring fight where Canelo just dictates and ends up winning by decision or KO. Honestly, I don’t understand why Canelo is not fighting big names anymore, like fighters on his level, but this one is better than nothing, so I won't complain.

And upon checking the betting odds if this is correct,
https://www.oddschecker.com/boxing/saul-alvarez-v-edgar-berlanga/winner

Canelo is a huge favorite to win at 1/8 or -800 moneyline.

[Maslate]

I'm checking for credible boxers whom Berlanga fought, but I cannot recall names that worthy of being mentioned https://boxrec.com/en/box-pro/760625.

That's true, he has a great career with tons of victories, but not big names on that list, and that way is hard to think about his victory against Canelo who has fought the big guys in the past. On this one i will bet for Canelo if the odds are decent, i try to look for the odds on stake, but the fight hasn't been listened to yet, so, let's be patient still close to two months for it.

This is not the fight I expected for Canelo. I thought he would go with the tough challengers that fans are always matching him with, but instead, he chose a boxer with a perfect record but who isn’t popular due to the quality of opponents he has beaten. I’ve noticed that Canelo has become more cautious since his loss to Bivol. After that defeat, he had four straight wins, all by unanimous decision, so he’s not going for the kill but rather making sure he stays ahead on the scorecards.

Here are the last fighters Canelo beat:

1-Jaime Munguia
2-Jermell Charlo
3-John Ryder
4-Gennadiy Golovkin

IMO, Golovkin was the toughest opponent, but Canelo fought an aging Golovkin, so he won.

[cabron]

I've seen Berlanga fight, and he is good, but what he had and what he had gone through is not enough to match Canelo's level. This is not an exciting fight, and we can label it as another Canelo-dominant fight.
Unless it's a Benavidez fight or a Bivol rematch, I don't think this will be considered a legacy fight or a fight that will challenge Canelo's supremacy as an undisputed champion.

Canelo will continue to cherry-pick fights, make money, and then retire without giving chances to people who deserve to fight him, and this will cast doubts on his greatness in the future; maybe in the future when he retires that he will regret living up to the challenge of fighting Benavidez or Bivol.

It's kind of generous of Canelo to make this fight happen for Berlanga to earn this much appreciation from Canelo. It should be worth it for Canelo to respond to the mandate to fight Benavidez but maybe he is waiting for an order from the commission and talk about the money. Berlanga is sort of a bonus fight for Canelo but for Berlanga, it's a huge pay for him.

The card in the UFC 306 isn't yet finalized if Turki and Dana could arrange big names, Canelo vs Berlanga will be overshadowed so far it is all just rumors
such as OMalley vs Merab / Grasso vs Shevchenko 3. It has to be HW for it to gain hype for the Saudis.

[serjent05]

I'm checking for credible boxers whom Berlanga fought, but I cannot recall names that worthy of being mentioned https://boxrec.com/en/box-pro/760625.

He may have a good record going to this fight, but he lacks quality fighters. There are better fighters than Berlanga, whom Canelo beat in the past. I don't think he will have better chances than many of the good fighters Canelo beat, but Berlanga deserves to be in the position he is right now.

I believe the manager and promoter of Berlanga are very careful in choosing Berlanga's opponent thus avoiding elite quality boxers to take good care of the boxer's record.  Although Berlanga had not aced quality boxers, he is still dangerous since his Knock out percentage is somehow high at 77.27%.

I also think that it is a good decision on the part of Edgar Berlanga to close a match deal against Canelo Alvarez since being a professional boxer for 8 years I think he is ripe to fight for the title. 

This is another fight in which Canelo will showcase his skills and power because he is up to it against a young, inexperienced fighter who is not at his level.

Berlanga may be inexperience but I think Canelo should not be overconfident because the guy can deliver knockout punches and an upset win in boxing frequently happens.  That aside, I also think Canelo will dominate the fight and possibly an easy win for him.

[Yatsan]

I'm checking for credible boxers whom Berlanga fought, but I cannot recall names that worthy of being mentioned https://boxrec.com/en/box-pro/760625.

That's true, he has a great career with tons of victories, but not big names on that list, and that way is hard to think about his victory against Canelo who has fought the big guys in the past. On this one i will bet for Canelo if the odds are decent, i try to look for the odds on stake, but the fight hasn't been listened to yet, so, let's be patient still close to two months for it.

I'm more of an MMA bettor than Box bettor, but some fighters like Canelo offer nice events.

Won't go wrong with fights of Canelo. I agree, would quite be of a mismatch if we would base on their previous opponents. I'd say Canelo has an advantage with experience from fighting "big" competitors. There are even feedbacks that Berlanga is cherry picking opponents and this time, it would be proven. Unbeaten indeed but that's not something to be enough for an experienced fighter having a good foundation and career. He's still young to fight legends. Would at least be a good experience for him on his next matches. Not to close the doors as well 'coz Edgar won't be in such position for no reason. It is just my bias telling me that this is quite of a mismatch; anything could still happen in the square but one thing's for sure, this will be a good fight.

So will it be a spotlight for a bright future or an end to a legend's journey? Both fighters have great records on their own era.

[Baofeng]

And with Canelo not wanting to fight his IBF mandatory in William Scull, IBF decided to stripped him of his belt. So he is no longer undisputed at Middleweight. And I lauded the IBF for doing that.

WBC should also follow suit as well, they should have stripped Canelo of the WBC belt long time ago for not fighting their mandatory in David Benavidez.

Canelo Alvarez stripped of IBF title after agreeing to fight Edgar Berlanga.

[Dave1]

This is not the fight I expected for Canelo. I thought he would go with the tough challengers that fans are always matching him with, but instead, he chose a boxer with a perfect record but who isn’t popular due to the quality of opponents he has beaten. I’ve noticed that Canelo has become more cautious since his loss to Bivol. After that defeat, he had four straight wins, all by unanimous decision, so he’s not going for the kill but rather making sure he stays ahead on the scorecards.

Here are the last fighters Canelo beat:

1-Jaime Munguia
2-Jermell Charlo
3-John Ryder
4-Gennadiy Golovkin

IMO, Golovkin was the toughest opponent, but Canelo fought an aging Golovkin, so he won.

And many believed that Canelo lost the first fight against Golovkin in the first one, including myself. They really robbed GGG of that win and Canelo. And in the second fight, Canelo was found to have PEDs in his system, but still they give him a passed and the two fought and then Canelo won the second who I think should be a draw this time.

After that, he lost to Bivol, and then he started to cherry pick his opponent, Jermell Charlo a natural 154 lbs, who goes up in two weight class. John Ryder who Canelo had difficult time beating in his own Mexico.

[TravelMug]

And with Canelo not wanting to fight his IBF mandatory in William Scull, IBF decided to stripped him of his belt. So he is no longer undisputed at Middleweight. And I lauded the IBF for doing that.

WBC should also follow suit as well, they should have stripped Canelo of the WBC belt long time ago for not fighting their mandatory in David Benavidez.

Canelo Alvarez stripped of IBF title after agreeing to fight Edgar Berlanga.

IBF is the least corrupt governing bodies amongst those boxing organizations if I'm not mistaken. So they don't care if it is the cash cow Canelo Alvarez. Unlike the Sulaiman's of WBC and obviously they are Mexicans as well and so they give Canelo all they want. I remember him trying to fight Ilunga Makabu, a CW but in a catchweight.

WBC approved it during their convention years ago, but it didn't happen as Canelo lost to Bivol at 175 lbs. So that's where the special treatment of Canelo. With that, I don't think the Sulaiman's are going to stripped him of his WBC belt.

[crwth]

A lot of people had said that it is an avoidance match and also with the events happening at the same time I think it would be split in terms of the audience. I have read articles as well that it is not a significant challenge and I think that’s just major sentimental with this. I don’t think it would be worth it compared to watching the UFC.

https://www.boxingscene.com/its-official-canelo-alvarez-face-edgar-berlanga-on-september-14-las-vegas--185013

[FinneysTrueVision]

And with Canelo not wanting to fight his IBF mandatory in William Scull, IBF decided to stripped him of his belt. So he is no longer undisputed at Middleweight. And I lauded the IBF for doing that.

WBC should also follow suit as well, they should have stripped Canelo of the WBC belt long time ago for not fighting their mandatory in David Benavidez.

Canelo Alvarez stripped of IBF title after agreeing to fight Edgar Berlanga.

William Scull is not the most deserving challenger but at this point you can’t justify letting Canelo hold the belts hostage, like the WBC is allowing him to do. If Canelo is not going to fight the best, the division needs to move on and have some fresh faces try to establish themselves. Eventually somebody will rise up and become the new king of super middleweight.

[Maslate]

This is not the fight I expected for Canelo. I thought he would go with the tough challengers that fans are always matching him with, but instead, he chose a boxer with a perfect record but who isn’t popular due to the quality of opponents he has beaten. I’ve noticed that Canelo has become more cautious since his loss to Bivol. After that defeat, he had four straight wins, all by unanimous decision, so he’s not going for the kill but rather making sure he stays ahead on the scorecards.

Here are the last fighters Canelo beat:

1-Jaime Munguia
2-Jermell Charlo
3-John Ryder
4-Gennadiy Golovkin

IMO, Golovkin was the toughest opponent, but Canelo fought an aging Golovkin, so he won.

And many believed that Canelo lost the first fight against Golovkin in the first one, including myself. They really robbed GGG of that win and Canelo. And in the second fight, Canelo was found to have PEDs in his system, but still they give him a passed and the two fought and then Canelo won the second who I think should be a draw this time.

Same feeling with their first fight—I thought GGG won the fight but he was robbed. In the rematch, I didn't know Canelo was found out with PEDs, which is cheating. So, Canelo really isn't a clean fighter after all? I know he is very popular in boxing now, but I would not forget how Mayweather dominated him before. It was like Mayweather was fighting a boxer not on his level so Canelo will never be great like Mayweather and Manny.

After that, he lost to Bivol, and then he started to cherry pick his opponent, Jermell Charlo a natural 154 lbs, who goes up in two weight class. John Ryder who Canelo had difficult time beating in his own Mexico.

He knows how to take care of himself and his value but to the expense of our satisfaction as we want him to face the best in boxing but it's not happen due to his cherry picking decision.

[Kemarit]

And with Canelo not wanting to fight his IBF mandatory in William Scull, IBF decided to stripped him of his belt. So he is no longer undisputed at Middleweight. And I lauded the IBF for doing that.

WBC should also follow suit as well, they should have stripped Canelo of the WBC belt long time ago for not fighting their mandatory in David Benavidez.

Canelo Alvarez stripped of IBF title after agreeing to fight Edgar Berlanga.

William Scull is not the most deserving challenger but at this point you can’t justify letting Canelo hold the belts hostage, like the WBC is allowing him to do. If Canelo is not going to fight the best, the division needs to move on and have some fresh faces try to establish themselves. Eventually somebody will rise up and become the new king of super middleweight.

Right, but we have to give it to IBF, they have a mandatory fighter and even if he is not well known, their champion will have to oblige and take his mandatory otherwise it will be a complete slap on the organization themselves.

And at the very least, it makes the IBF more exciting, maybe they will have to relegate Scull at the interim, or maybe have him fight the next rank boxer which is Vladimir Shishkin for the regular belt. Interesting that Berlanga is rank 4th in the IBF so maybe he will have a crack in the future if he losses to Canelo in this fight.

[danherbias07]

This is a nice article on why Canelo Alvarez is fighting Edgar Berlanga.
Why is Canelo fighting Berlanga? What about Crawford and Benavidez?
https://www.espn.com/boxing/story/_/id/40625642/canelo-boxing-berlanga-crawford-benavidez

Why won't Alvarez face Benavidez?
Benavidez would present a dangerous test for Alvarez, but to this point, Alvarez has shown virtually no interest in the matchup boxing fans most want to see. Benavidez is a big, strong volume-puncher and appears to own considerable punch resistance.

Benavidez has also undoubtedly earned a shot at Alvarez. He defeated Caleb Plant and Demetrius Andrade in impressive fashion last year. Benavidez claims Canelo is avoiding a fight with him because he's a rising star of Mexican descent, and a loss would mean Alvarez has passed the torch.

"I think he's scared of him losing and then me taking all the shine," Benavidez told ESPN back in June. "... I don't really think he's scared of me. ... I think he doesn't like me and he doesn't want ... another Mexican to take the shine."

Whatever the case may be, Benavidez is now campaigning at 175 pounds since he realized an Alvarez fight wasn't on the horizon.

Oh yeah, I agree with that. Benavidez is truly a big man and a volume puncher and I don't think Canelo would like to face something like that. He truly earned his shot against him but until now Canelo's camp seems to know that they will be in big trouble if they face him which is why they are avoiding it to happen maybe until Canelo retires.
We don't like it as boxing fans but that's reality if you want to protect your boxer with his reputation. The same as how Mayweather avoided Manny for a long time until Manny got old and that's the only time he accepted the fight but with so much written in the contract for his advantage.

I don't even think it will happen but there's good news written in the article and I think it could be possible.

Who does that leave for Alvarez to face in a superfight after what amounts to a stay-busy bout vs. Berlanga?
Assuming Alvarez takes care of business against Berlanga in impressive fashion, there's only one dance partner outside of Benavidez who can present a marquee event with Alvarez: Terence Crawford.

This will be fun if ever it materializes and I think it will be big with so many fans of both sides getting excited that will hype in on all social media.