Edgar Berlanga is about to enter the ring against Canelo Alvarez on September 14th at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. It will be Berlanga’s first major title fight. And guess what? The man responsible for helping the 27-year-old do the unthinkable is none other than his old trainer Marc Farrait.

Berlanga has had quite the rise to fame, as he defeated his first 16 opponents by a first-round knockout and remains undefeated to this day. He also secured the WBO NABO super middleweight title back in 2021. While Farrait wasn’t part of Berlanga’s training for about three years in the middle, a major part of his success can be credited to Farrait. So, here’s everything you need to know about Farrait. 

Meet Marc Farrait, Edgar Berlanga’s head trainer

While not much is out there about Marc Farrait or his life and history in the sport of boxing, he started working with Berlanga when he was very young. In fact, Berlanga’s father had brought the duo together after Berlanga came out of his Olympic trials. Marc Farrait trained him until the now 27-year-old built up a strong 12-0 record in professional boxing.

This included Berlanga’s first 12 fights, which ended with a knockout. However, destiny had other plans for the duo, as Farrait had to take care of his business and they parted ways for several years. Without help from his expert trainer, Berlanga went on to win 10 more fights, but Farrait came back into his life right before Berlanga took on Jason Quigley in June 2023. 

‘The Chosen One’ defeated Quigley via a unanimous decision, with Farrait by his side for the whole camp. Berlanga even dropped Quigley in the 3rd and 5th rounds before knocking him down twice in the 12th. Since then the Brooklyn-born boxer has fought Padraig McCrory, a fight where his vicious knockout made a recurrence once again, as he ended the fight in the 6th round of the bout, breaking his five-fight UD streak. 

So, of course, Marc Farrait was going to be the one training Berlanga for the biggest fight of his career against Canelo Alvarez, where a win can turn him into an instant hit and propel him among the elite of the sport. And guess what? Marc Farrait has the perfect plan to get this done. 

Marc Farrait talks about Edgar Berlanga’s gameplan against Canelo Alvarez

During Episode 1 of BERLANGA CAMP: Chasing Greatness, Marc Farrait shared insight into the game plan for Berlanga’s highly anticipated bout against unified super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez. So, Farrait emphasized the importance of the jab and distance control, both of which, you guessed it, will be key to keeping Canelo at bay. 

“Edgar’s looking good. He’s pretty much ahead,” Farrait said, referring to Berlanga’s conditioning and weight management in preparation for the biggest fight of his career. “Today, we’re focusing on quick-twitch muscles, working his distance, keeping his leverage, and staying out of traps.”

Farrait highlighted the significance of Berlanga’s lead hand, stating that maintaining an active jab is essential to preventing Canelo from closing the gap. “Make sure that lead hand is always out,” Farrait urged. “Everybody that beat him convincingly, beat him with a jab.” However, whether Berlanga will be able to replicate Dmitry Bivol and Floyd Mayweather’s performance against Canelo Alvarez is yet to be seen.

Regardless, Berlanga’s team is also preparing him for the mental aspect of the fight. So, what is Farrait’s advice? He suggested that Berlanga has to recover between rounds and remain composed so that each round is treated independently. This means, with Alvarez’s history of struggling against strong jabs, Farrait’s game plan could prove pivotal if Berlanga can execute on fight night.

More about Marc Farrait and his boxing history

Besides Farrait’s work with Berlanga, he has also trained the likes of undefeated light heavyweight Najee Lopez (11-0, 8KOs), and an undefeated prospect from Florida Darrelle Valsaint, who has a record of (11-0, 9KOs). That’s not even the whole list. Others under Farrait’s wing include the likes of Marques Valle (10-1, 7KOs), and undefeated Dominic Valle (10-0, 7KOs).

Seems like Farrait is quite good at teaching his pupils how to knock out their opponents. According to a report from Boxing Scene, before fighting Jason Quigley, Berlanga spoke about his trainer, stating, “I am back with Mark Farrait, my coach that created the monster, and that’s amazing. We were separated for three years but now he’s back when the timing is important, and I think you’re going to see something explosive.”

It appears Marc Farrait has had a profound effect on Edgar Berlanga, at least, in terms of his career. The man who set Berlanga on the path to knock out his first 16 opponents, is back on his side to help him prepare for the ultimate challenge against Canelo Alvarez. However, only time will tell whether their partnership churns out a win against the face of boxing. Share your predictions for the fight in the comments below.