By Dan Ambrose: Free agent Edgar Berlanga posted a photo of him on social media meeting today with Golden Boy Promotion’s top brass, Oscar De La Hoya and Eric Gomez, in what could lead to him signing with them.
It’s unclear what fights would be available for the 26-year-old Berlanga (20-0, 16 KOs) if he were to sign with Golden Boy because they no longer have Canelo Alvarez, and he’s unlikely to want to do them any favors.
The chances of Berlanga getting a cash-out fight which he doesn’t deserve, against Canelo are zero because it will not happen. Many boxing fans view Berlanga as a hype job, and they see his record as a plastic one, filled with tomato cans.
For Canelo to bother giving Berlanga the time of day, he would need to defeat solid, well-respected fighters like David Benavidez, Caleb Plant, David Morrell, or Demetrius Andrade. Berlanga won’t beat any of those guys. Hence, he’ll never get a fight with Canelo, and he won’t win a world title.
“What a pleasure meeting @edgarberlanga and his pops. Looking forward to your future, ready to make history. #boriqua #puñeta,” said Oscar De La Hoya on Instagram.
The interesting options for Berlanga with Golden Boy would be these fighters:
- Jaime Munguia
- Gilberto Ramirez
- Bektemir Melikuziev
Those wouldn’t be mega-fights for Berlanga, and there’s an excellent chance he would lose to all of them. The way Berlanga has looked in his last four fights, he would be out of his depth against those guys, particularly Munguia. He’s the best of that flawed B-level bunch.
The unbeaten Berlanga (20-0, 16 KOs) recently mutually parted ways with his promoters at Top Rank due to a difference in how the two want to progress with his career.
While Top Rank wanted to take the slow approach, Berlanga reportedly was interested in being moved at a faster pace against better opposition.
#meetings #newyork @OscarDeLaHoya pic.twitter.com/I8eihbC6TH
— Edgar Berlanga Jr (@EdgarBerlangaJr) January 31, 2023
🤝🤝🤝🤝🤝 https://t.co/JYBzpkvTTW
— Edgar Berlanga Jr (@EdgarBerlangaJr) January 28, 2023
If Berlanga wants to fight Canelo Alvarez, he’ll need to sign with Matchroom Boxing, and it’s unknown whether they would be interested in signing him.
Promoter Eddie Hearn said this week that if Berlanga can prove that he’s a contender, he feels that he can get a fight against Canelo. Hearn isn’t saying what kind of opposition Berlanga would need to defeat for him to get a shot against Canelo, but it’s fair to say that it would be guys that he’s incapable of beating.
Berlanga had all he could handle against Steve Rolls, Roamer Alexis Angulo, and Marcelo Esteban Coceres. If Hearn were to sign Berlanga and throw him in with a talented contender like David Benavidez or Caleb Plant, he’d be food for them.
“If Edgar Berlanga can headline a couple of shows against high-level, world-ranked opposition and prove that he is a contender for Canelo Alvarez, you have a fantastic Mexico vs. Puerto Rico fight there. But he has to establish himself as a world champion contender against that opposition. I believe he can do it,” said Hearn to DAZN.
Berlanga is a project that will need a lot of time to try and develop him, but if he’s insisting on fighting quality fighters at 168 right now, he’s going to lose repeatedly, and a promoter like Hearn won’t be happy being stuck with a fighter going nowhere.
Berlanga had looked good in his first 16 fights, knocking them all out in the first round. But ever since Top Rank moved him up against C+ level fighters in 2021, he’s looked poor.
Worst of all, Berlanga has shown no signs of improvement in the last two years since they moved him out of feasting on D-level opposition.
Berlanga’s last four fights:
- Roamer Alexis Angulo
- Steve Rolls
- Marcelo Esteban Coceres
- Demond Nicholson
Berlanga is ranked #4 IBF, #4 WBA, #4 WBO, and #12 WBC, but you can argue that he should be at the bottom of the rankings, not the top five.