‘Eyes don’t lie, kid’: Edgar Berlanga predicts 6th round knockout of ‘Canelo’ Alvarez

It’s the first big rodeo for Edgar Berlanga, and he’s digging in his boots and riding high in the saddle as he hopes to take down super-middleweight king Saul “Canelo” Alvarez.

The fight between Alvarez (61-2-2, 39 KOs) and Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) will take place on September 14 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, but a precursor collisionalbeit verbally, it already took place during a controversial pre-fight media tour.

Alvarez gave it to Berlanga pelvic rotations and slapped the air in front of him during a profanity-laced barrage as Berlanga whipped back with combinations of insults, indicating that he would use both brains and brawn to defeat the famous future celebrity.

Berlanga may be biting off more than he can chew for his first world title shot, but ‘The Chosen One’ has no choice but to roll with the punches during a career-defining fight that landed earlier than it should have .

“Trash talk is part of the sport – screw it,” Berlanga said. “There is no more respect for any opponent once the contract is signed. It’s a business. He’s going to try to kill me in front of my family. This is gladiator shit and I’m gonna do the same to him. On my son, let me die – I never fear anyone. I’ll go out on my shield, and he better go out on his.

“I didn’t like it when he smiled at me at the press conference. I felt like he was taking me as a joke. I know his intentions. I’m from the hood of New York. If you smile in my face, it’s disrespectful.”

Berlanga projects a world of confidence despite not having the record to justify it against an opponent of Alvarez’s caliber. After starting his career with 16 consecutive first-round knockouts, the Puerto Rican from Brooklyn has weakened and lost momentum as he stepped up in competition. With only 72 rounds fought compared to Alvarez’s 496, he will have a steep learning curve to account for Alvarez’s incredible experience.

“I train for IQ, intelligence and being smart,” Berlanga said. “Whoever beat Canelo had that.

“At the end of the day, I’m a star, for real; true. He was going to fight either me or David Benavidez or possibly retire and I was going to come in and take his place. I have everything. i can fight i look good I appeal I’m Puerto Rican with an island behind me. I have the whole package, which is what you need in the sport of boxing to become a star.”

Berlanga says he won’t make the same mistakes as Alvarez’s most recent opponent, Jaime Munguia, who suffered a knockdown and unanimous decision loss in May.

“Munguia is long, big and throws a lot of punches, but he fell into a lot of Canelo’s traps,” Berlanga said. “He gave up height and reach and advanced a lot. I thought it would be a much better fight for Munguia.”

Berlanga then took personal jabs at Alvarez as he predicted a sixth-round knockout, a stoppage two rounds earlier than his opponent predicted.

“A lot of Mexicans don’t like (Alvarez),” Berlanga said. “I go to Mexico a lot. They don’t like him. His people are my fans. We like them. Puerto Ricans don’t hate me crazy like that. It’s a person (eats shit). It’s shit. He has money, but money doesn’t make you. It’s about how you treat people. People love me because of it.

“He’s just talking shit (saying the fight will be easy). i don’t care He knows what’s going on. I looked right through it. As Tony Montana said in the movie Scarface, “Eyes don’t lie, kid.” And you can see it in my eyes, I’m not afraid of anyone.”

Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer and broadcast reporter whose work has appeared on ESPN, Fox Sports, USA Today, The Guardian, Newsweek, Men’s Health, NFL.com, Los Angeles Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, Ring Magazine and more. He has been writing for BoxingScene since 2018. Manouk is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the MMA Journalists Association. He can be contacted X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTubeby e-mail at manouk(dot)akopyan(at)gmail.com or by www.ManoukAkopyan.com.