Canelo Alvarez v Edgar Berlanga: Predictions For The Full Las Vegas Card
Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez will make his latest super-middleweight world title defense in Las Vegas on Saturday against leading contender Edgar Berlanga.
Canelo (61-2-2 39 KO) will put his WBC, WBA, and WBO belts on the line at the T Mobile Arena aiming to continue his imperious form at 168lbs. Meanwhile, Berlanga (22-0-0 17 KO) will be contesting his first world title fight but is full of confidence.
There is also an exciting undercard to look forward to, with former super-bantamweight world champion Stephen Fulton in a featherweight fight against Carlos Castro, one-time super-lightweight title holder Rolando Romero facing Manuel Jaimes, and former 168lb champion Caleb Plant taking on Trevor McCumby.
The co-main event will see WBA middleweight title holder Erislandy Lara defend his belt against the returning two-weight champion Danny Garcia.
With just days remaining until the fighters enter the ring, here are the predictions.
Canelo v Berlanga (Super-Middleweight)
Canelo has been the boss of the super-middleweight division ever since February 2021 when he destroyed Avni Yildrim to collect his first world title at 168. The Mexican superstar became undisputed two fights later in November 2021 by stopping Plant in the penultimate round of their bout in Vegas.
Four title defenses have followed and while Canelo no longer holds the IBF belt, he remains the best fighter and biggest star of the division. Criticism has followed Alvarez in recent years for his refusal to fight more challenging opponents (namely David Benavidez), and he received more negativity for choosing Berlanga as his next opponent.
Puerto Rico’s Berlanga made a name for himself by winning his first 16 fights by first-round knockout, although that streak came to a spluttering end with five unimpressive points wins over lesser opponents. He returned to knockout form in his last fight against Paddy McCrory in February.
This will be Berlanga’s first world title fight, and he contests it against one of the finest fighters of his generation. There are levels to boxing and Berlanga is about to find this out first-hand.
Prediction: Canelo to beat Berlanga by knockout
Lara v Garcia (Middleweight)
A genuine 50-50 fight between WBA middleweight champion Lara (30-3-3 18 KO) and former two-weight world champion Garcia (37-3-0 21 KO).
Cuba’s Lara is the oldest active champion in boxing but the 41-year-old has impressed since moving to 160lbs, collecting the WBA world title against Thomas LaManna in May 2021 and making two successful defenses.
Garcia, meanwhile, was one of the best welterweights of his generation but the Philadelphia fighter will be competing at middleweight for the first time and has been inactive for two years. For those reasons, Garcia is the marginal underdog, but his record is far better than Lara’s.
This is a tough fight to call, but the greater experience at middleweight and better ring sharpness should see Lara edge it.
Prediction: Lara to beat Garcia on points
Plant v McCumby (Super-Middleweight)
Plant (22-2-0 13 KO) returns to the ring aiming to get back to winning ways and get himself back in world title contention against the unbeaten McCumby (28-0-0 21 KO).
The Nashville fighter held the IBF super-middleweight title for almost three years until he ran into a prime Canelo in an undisputed bout in November 2021. Since then, Plant suffered his second career defeat to Benavidez in December.
McCumby may be the unbeaten fighter in this match-up but his record lacks big names, and this will be by far the biggest show he has ever fought on.
Plant will prove to be levels above the Illinois native and secure the stoppage.
Prediction: Plant to beat McCumby by knockout
Romero v Jaimes (Super-Lightweight)
Romero (15-2-0 13 KO) is going through a rough patch in his career having lost two of his last three fights by devastating knockout, first to Gervonta Davis and most recently to Isaac Cruz.
In between, he won the WBA super-lightweight title but even that was thoroughly unconvincing; ‘Rolly’ was down on all three scorecards against Ismael Barroso when the stoppage came in the ninth round, despite no punches landing cleanly.
If the Las Vegas native wants to reboot his career, he will need an impressive victory against Jaimes (16-1-1 11 KO), and while the former champion is the favorite, the Californian is a live underdog.
Jaimes is yet to fight anyone of Romero’s caliber but he would have identified several weaknesses to exploit, and of all the bouts on this card, this is the one primed for an upset.
Prediction: Jaimes to beat Romero by stoppage
Fulton v Castro (Featherweight)
Fulton was a star at super-bantamweight, becoming a unified champion, before falling to his first defeat to Japanese superstar Naoya Inoue in his most recent bout in July last year.
The Philadelphia fighter makes his featherweight debut on Saturday against Castro (30-2-0 14 KO), whose only losses have come against Luis Nery and Brandon Figueroa.
This should be a fun fight to watch, but Fulton’s superior skill should shine through.
Prediction: Fulton to beat Castro on points
