Gervonta Davis didn’t hold back when he saw Edgar Berlanga celebrating in Puerto Rico after his September 2024 unanimous decision loss to Canelo Alvarez. “N***a celebrating failure… lol, yo, congrats on getting ya a** beat,” Davis posted on X, targeting a video Edgar Berlanga shared of himself atop an open vehicle, music blaring, with supporters on motorcycles and scooters trailing behind. The jab was one in a series of heated back-and-forths between the two boxers that’s been simmering for months now. However, it seems their fortunes have changed since then.

At the moment Edgar Berlanga is riding high on the heels of his first-round TKO victory over Jonathan González Ortiz last month while Tank is left dealing with the ramifications of his controversial majority draw against Lamont Roach Jr. Berlanga’s fight on March 15 was not only his last under Matchroom and Eddie Hearn, it also heralded his return to top form since his loss to the super middleweight king last year.

As a result, The Chosen One has taken the time to make an appearance on some of the popular podcasts around, one of which was Cigar Talks. While speaking to the host Naji Chill recently, the 27-year-old decided to address the criticism from people like Gervonta Davis who felt he was celebrating a loss in the aftermath of the defeat to Canelo Alvarez.

Berlanga argued that surviving 12 rounds against a legend like Canelo, with no comparable experience and a booing crowd of 20,000 at T-Mobile Arena, was a victory in itself. “People don’t understand. I was a double win, bro. Not saying that I was celebrating the loss—I wasn’t. But that ride out that I had? Puerto Rico wanted that. They called for that,” he told Naji, referring to the warm welcome he received from fans after facing Alvarez. So what about the post from Gervonta Davis who saw it as him celebrating a loss?

“It’s just n****s is hating. You know what I’m saying? N****s like Tank, n****s like Gabe Rosado, hating a** n****s, bro. Cuz n****s don’t have that in their hood. They not doing nothing for them in their hood,” he said, defending his bond with Puerto Rico. So what about the clip of what looked like him atop a moving vehicle while blaring music for all to hear? Was that just the community showing out? According to Berlanga, yes.

“They called me and told me, ‘Yo, they want to do a ride out for you.’ You feel me? Like they want to. They want to bring you in, because what you did with that fight, they never seen it before.’ You feel me? Like the only person they seen go toe to toe like that with a legend, like that bro, is Triple G (Gennady Golovkin),” he asserted proudly.

In Berlanga’s eyes, the fingers that point to him in a negative light are just haters hating. And one of them is of course Tank. If Gervonta Davis is generous in his criticism, Berlanga is no less. This might be the reason why, after the rebuke back in September, when an opportunity presented itself for him to get back at the Baltimore native, he wasted no time in getting back at the man who ridiculed him.

After Gervonta Davis’ misfortune, Edgar Berlanga returned the favor in kind

By now you probably know how the Tank-Roach fight went down. After an unscored knee in the ninth round, the boxing world erupted when the Lamont Roach Jr. fight ended in a majority decision draw. Gervonta Davis tried to explain that hair grease entering his eye was the reason why he could not find a way to connect his punches with Roach. This invited even more ridicule with many conveying that Roach should have won the decision. One of them was Edgar Berlanaga.

Berlanga, watching from home, didn’t miss a beat. He jumped on Instagram immediately after to salute Roach’s effort, writing, “Shoutout to my f****ing brother @oneof1x 🤞❤️,” while taking a swipe at Davis. The post was a direct counterpunch, mirroring the shade Davis threw after Berlanga’s Canelo loss. This wasn’t all. In a subsequent video shared on Instagram, the 27-year-old could be heard ranting at the TV screen watching the decision being read out. “P**sy a** n**ga. You s**t the bed. We from New York, f**k you talking about me,” shouted Berlanga, in his expletive-laden diatribe at the WBA lightweight champion. It seemed Berlanga relished in returning the favor when he got the chance.

For all his fiery words, Edgar Berlanga’s Puerto Rico homecoming wasn’t about basking in defeat, but about answering his community’s call, a gesture rooted in pride. Yet, as he told Chill he’s gunning to match legends like Gennady Golovkin, the road ahead demands more than verbal victories. With his Matchroom contract behind him and big names like Diego Pacheco on his radar, Berlanga needs marquee wins to silence doubters like Gervonta Davis. As their feud burns on, what’s your take—can Berlanga back up his talk in the ring?