Edgar Berlanga Believes Lack Of Fear Will Carry Him To Victory Against Canelo Alvarez
Super-middleweight contender Edgar Berlanga believes the lack of fear he is feeling towards fighting unified champion Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez will be a major factor that will help guide him to victory.
Berlanga (22-0-0 17 KO) will contest his first world title fight on September 14 when he takes on unified super-middleweight champion Canelo (61-2-2 39 KO) at the T Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The Puerto Rican has displayed an image of confidence throughout the media tour and has frequently come face to face and exchanged wars of words with Canelo.
“He knows he didn’t see no fear. He knows he saw himself,” Berlanga said. “You know how Tony Montana says in the movie ‘Scarface,’ the eyes never lie? You never saw me looking around. I looked straight, right into his soul. I saw everything in his body. When I went to L.A. and he had 100 guys with him, and it was only five of us, I kept that same energy in his face. I don’t fear any man at all.”
Despite his confidence, the New York-based fighter is leaving nothing to chance and is preparing for the fight in a tough and meticulous training camp, including relocating to Colorado for altitude conditioning.
“This is the first time being away this far from home, logging and being in the mountains and stuff,” he said. “I just wanted to put in a little bit more. We’re facing a legend, he’s in the mountains, so that’s why I wanted to be in the mountains.
“We’re not going to find a guy that fights just like Canelo, but we got guys in the gym that have experience, the same height, that are strong and come forward and that also sort of mimic the things that he does in the ring.
“That’s the type of sparring [trainer Mark Farrait] is bringing in. We’re not bringing in guys who don’t listen. They got to follow what we want to do – what Canelo is going to be doing on September 14.”
Canelo, a leading pound-for-pound star and the biggest fighter in boxing, is regarded as the comfortable favorite to retain his WBA, WBO, and WBC titles. The Mexican represents a major step up in quality for Berlanga, whose 22-fight record lacks any opponents even on a level or two below the champion. Still, Berlanga is convinced he has identified weaknesses that he believes he will exploit on fight night.
“The jab is his kryptonite, and that’s what’s going to be in his face the whole night. A great jab,” Berlanga said. “He loads up on his punches too much. He’s not the old Canelo we saw at 154, the one who used to throw a lot of combinations.
“Now, the maximum number of punches he throws is maybe two – jab and a right hook, double jab and uppercut. But he’s throwing them hard because he wants to beat up on your shoulders and your arms so that later on you let your guard down and he starts hitting your face. He likes to throw a lot of good body shots as well. We’re ready for that.”
The fight is being marketed as Mexico v Puerto Rico – two proud boxing cultures with a steep rivalry, and Berlanga believes by beating Canelo he will secure his place in history.
“I’ll be a legend after I beat Canelo,” he said. “I’ll be the king of Puerto Rico forever. Me having my first title shot for three belts versus a guy that was an undisputed Mexican legend. He’s a superstar, so if I beat him, it’s over, man. We got to walk through him on September 14. I got to break his will.”
Berlanga began his career with 16 straight first-round stoppages to develop a reputation as one of the most exciting rising talents in boxing. However, that streak was followed by five points victories to take some of the shine off his status as a ferocious knockout artist.
The 26-year-old returned to knockout form in his last fight against Padraig McCrory in February, but it has done little to excite fans, who have been calling for Canelo to fight David Benavidez after two years of underwhelming opponents.
“I don’t pay any mind to people’s opinions. Just keep writing me off,” Berlanga said. “I’m used to people doubting me and saying I’m going to get knocked out. That’s just going to make the victory even sweeter. That’s going to make the celebration even bigger and that’s going to shake the whole boxing world come September 14.”
