Edgar Berlanga‘s woes show no sign of slowing down. The Nuyorican is already dealing with the embarrassment of fighting on an undercard. Now, adding insult to the injury, he missed the weights at the final weigh-ins. Six months after suffering his first professional loss to Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez, Berlanga will face Jonathan Gonzalez-Ortiz at Orlando’s Caribe Royale.

For an unbeaten fighter who had hitherto been fighting in the shadows, the Canelo duel marked a major career milestone. Hence, the descent to an undercard face-off seems to have dealt a severe blow to his reputation. Given his ambitions for the big names in 168 pounds, potentially paving the way for a rematch with Alvarez, meeting an unheralded Gonzalez-Ortiz adds more uncertainty to his future plans. The weight gaffe has attracted significant attention. Caleb Plant, who has had frequent run-ins with Berlanga, joined the melee and delivered a cheeky jab.

Come on, you can do better than that!

Slamming his forehead, ‘Sweethands’ wrote, “Came in overweight and they renegotiated the contracted weight…come on ED.” At the final weigh-ins, Berlanga tipped the scales at 169.6 pounds against Jonathan Gonzalez-Ortiz’s 167.4 lbs. Of course, Caleb Plant found himself explaining his playful dig right away. One user suggested that Plant could be hyping up a potential fight with Edgar Berlanga. Plant wouldn’t be too motivated either if he were in Berlanga’s situation, they suggested.

The former IBF champion immediately clarified, “I made weight for my pro debut when I made $1500 & every fight since.” He rejected the idea that a fighter only trains hard depending on who they’re facing. True professionals stay disciplined no matter what. A real fighter upholds their responsibilities because they chose this path. Not just when the moment feels big enough.

Speaking with FightHype, Edgar Berlanga provided his side of the story. “People don’t know, right, but I had the flu. I was struggling with my health, and I knew that at a certain point, I was like, ‘Damn, man—I can’t do it.”

Edgar Berlanga: From top billing to the undercard – and back on top

To Berlanga, it was ‘disrespectful’ for promoter Eddie Hearn to have him fight on an undercard. “I’m 100 percent upset with [Hearn]. I don’t think it’s cool. It’s disrespectful to me and my fans… I’m upset with [Hearn] because we had good business. I never did anything to backdoor him,” he said during a conversation with the Ring. ‘The Chosen One’ joined the Matchroom ranks in 2023. It’s believed the all-Boricua fight with Gonzalez-Ortiz could be the last with the English promoter.

A few months ago, during an interview, Berlanga made it explicit which fights he was looking forward to. Caleb Plant’s name appears on that list. Their heated exchange during the Canelo-Munguia pre-fight event sparked major discussion. Though doubtful, Berlanga expressed hopes to exchange jabs with Jermall Charlo as well. Following the brutal knockout from Bruno Surace, Jaime Munguia might be licking his wounds. However, a meeting with Berlanga cannot be ruled out. Munguia had earlier slammed the Nuyorican for celebrating his defeat to Canelo.

Berlanga and Gonzalez-Ortiz fight on the DAZN stream card headlined by the Austin ‘Ammo’ Williams–Patrice Volny bout. The event marks the return of Jaimaine Ortiz, who suffered a defeat at the hands of Teofimo Lopez last year. Additionally, Olympian Omari Jones will make his professional debut on Saturday night.

What are your thoughts on the recent developments surrounding Edgar Berlanga?