“Puerto Rican Version of Adrien Broner”: Edgar Berlanga Warned by Fans After Canelo Alvarez Callout

‘Puerto Rico versus Mexico,’ that’s how Edgar Berlanga put it after the Canelo Alvarez–Jaime Munguia fight got over. He expressed hope for a September face-off against Canelo Alvarez. To give substance to his thoughts, he seemingly came up with a poster. It features him alongside the undisputed super middleweight champion. He shared it with fans and followers through his X/Twitter handle.

Only most who saw the promotional venture weren’t too happy about it. After retaining his NABO (North American Boxing Organization) super middleweight title against Jason Quigley in June last year, ‘The Chosen One’ returned in February to fight the Irish boxer Padraig McCrory. Ever since, he has been positioning himself as one of the strongest contenders who could go against the biggest face of modern boxing.

Edgar Berlanga Aims High

On the top of the poster, it was written,” The Battle of Mexico and Puerto Rico.” Towards the bottom, “Canelo-Berlanga, September 2024.” Fight Hub TV‘s Marcus Hayes caught up with ‘The Chosen One.’ The Brooklyn-born boxer said, “I give a lot of respect to Canola and Munguia. You know what I’m saying; they uh they true champions. You know, hopefully you know we can run it on uh September, Puerto Rico versus Mexico. I feel like that’s the biggest thing that could happen for this year.”

His elevation as the WBA mandatory challenger to Canelo Alvarez’s title could be partly due to his exuding such confidence. However, when the super middleweight king didn’t stop at the WBC mandatory challenger, i.e., David Benavidez‘s door, was there a chance he would break the convention and zero in on Berlanga?

Then what are the options left for Edgar Berlanga if the Alvarez fight doesn’t materialize? One good option could be Caleb Plant. The two even got into a heated argument during the Alvarez-Munguia weigh-ins. So when Hayes asked, “Is there is is there any possibility or interest if you couldn’t land a Canelo Alvarez fight for some reason? Would you guys be interested in making a fight with Caleb Plant?” Edgar Berlanga simply raised his middle finger.

Choose Wisely

However, from most of the comments, it’s apparent that’s not what fans and followers feel. Instead, they believe that for a boxer who has yet to fight big names in his career, he should first go and chase boxers such as Plant and Charlo.

Chastising Edgar Berlanga that he is yet to qualify for an opportunity to fight Canelo Alvarez, this user mentioned that it will be better if he goes against Caleb Plant. David Benavidez sounds like a better matchup against Alvarez, they emphasized.

According to the next user, ‘The Chosen One’ perhaps has run out of patience. However, he first needs to settle the business with the ‘Sweethands’ hands.

This follower called Berlanga a ‘fraud’ and a ‘Puerto Rican version of Adrien Broner’. They stated matter-of-factly that the Brooklyn-born boxer has yet to fight any credible name. He should rather focus on saving whatever money he has made so far. Then he’d be able to use it once his career got over, the follower cautioned.

This user seems to admire ‘The Chosen One’. But they believe that he still has a long way to go before he meets Canelo Alvarez.

The next user also shared similar sentiments. They pointed out that Edgar Berlanga has yet to demonstrate the merit for a chance to face Canelo Alvarez. Hence, it will be better if he follows up for a fight with either Caleb Plant, Jermall Charlo, or Jaime Munguia.

It’s been eight years since Edgar Berlanga started boxing professionally. However, it’s only during the last two years that he started taking on some recognizable names. A close review shows that out of that, only one Padraig McCrory appears on the official top 15 rankings of the four sanctioned bodies.

So, as some of the followers pointed out, probably it would do ‘The Chosen One’ good to build up a commendable resume. Once done, where he secured wins over top-rank holders, he could probably apply himself to stake a claim at the Canelo Alvarez fight. Let’s not forget that it has taken the Mexican icon 65 fights to reach the place where he stands today.

What do you feel about Edgar Berlanga’s approach? What’s your take on the reactions? Please share your views with us in the comments below.