LAS VEGAS -- Edgar Berlanga deserves no criticism. He did nothing wrong. The unbeaten super middleweight contender did what every one of us would have done in a similar situation: He took the big money and the opportunity of a lifetime when it was presented.
Berlanga is 22-0 with 17 knockouts, but he's still far from a finished product. He's not ready for a veteran of the skill and the talent of Canelo Alvarez, but how could he say no? Alvarez offered him the biggest payday of his career and a chance at the world championship on one of the biggest cards of the year.
Of course he was going to say yes. And of course, he should have said yes.
To suggest otherwise is naive. Had he passed, this opportunity would never have come his way again.
Where there is criticism for the match, save it for Alvarez. He's the guy on the pound-for-pound lists. Alvarez himself insists he's the best fighter in the world, but he's the one who essentially chose a rookie no-hoper as his opponent, and then opted to ask people to pay premium prices for a low-end product.
For most of his career, which will end with him one day being inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame, Alvarez has sought out the most difficult, toughest challenges he could find. But since losing to Dmitry Bivol in 2022, Alvarez has fought John Ryder, Jermell Charlo and Jaime Munguia. On Saturday, it's Berlanga.
At DraftKings sportsbook, Alvarez is -1800 and Berlanga is +1000. Alvarez is +260 to win by decision and -290 to win by KO or TKO. That's remarkable for a fight of this stature.
Charlo was the undisputed super welterweight champion when he fought Alvarez last year. Charlo was vastly more credentialed and had fought far better opposition than Berlanga. He said all of the right things before the fight, but then meekly went down once the bell range. He showed little spirit or spunk and was intent on survival above all else.
That's not how Berlanga should fight. If he thinks he's going to win a decision, he's delusional. His only shot is to land something big and hurt Alvarez.
Of course, that's made more difficult by the fact that Alvarez has one of the best chins in boxing. He went 36 rounds with Gennadiy Golovkin, arguably the hardest puncher of this era, and never so much as wobbled.
Jim Lampley, the Hall of Fame broadcaster is celebrating his one-year annniversary as a fight analyst for PPV.com. Lampley debuted for PPV last year at Alvarez's fight against Charlo, another underwhelming choice of opponent by Alvarez.
Asked what he thought of the match, Lampley was blunt.
"Maybe there's someone in Berlanga's camp who is excited about the fight," Lampley said. "Maybe Berlanga is excited about the opportunity, as he should be. If he's not, good luck to him, because he's going to need a better-than-expected effort to create any kind of obstacle for Canelo Alvarez. Against a fighter like Canelo Alvarez, at this stage of Alvarez's career, you need to have a certain level of complexity and boxing skills that extend across a broad range. Berlanga is not seen that way. Berlanga is seen as something of a one-note tune.
"Now, that one note is good, because clearly he does punch hard with power when he gets an opportunity for a straight-ahead shot. But how many times does Alvarez give you an opportunity for a straight-ahead shot? And what has happened in the past when guys have touched his chin? Not much. I've made the statement that he has the best punch resistance, the best ability to ward off the effects of power punches of any fighter in the sport."
Berlanga has exuded confidence in the build-up, but that matters little. It's easy to talk big at a news conference. It's how he feels in the 90 seconds it takes to walk to the ring and once the bell rings that matters.
He's saying most of the right things, for sure.
“I’m the type of fighter who comes to fight," he said. "I won’t be running. Canelo was once in my shoes and now it’s my time to make my name and become a legend in the sport of boxing. This is going to be a firefight. It’s going to be different. This is a gladiator sport at the end of the day. We’re looking to take each other out. It’s going to the next level."
Hopefully, that's how Berlanga fights. If he tries to box and stays patient and tries to win rounds, Alvarez will put it on cruise control, pick him apart and win 10 or 11 rounds.
Berlanga needs to say 'Screw it' and throw caution to the wind. Get off his stool and get in Alvarez's face throwing punches. He'll risk being countered and stopped with a massive shot. But if he wants to win, that's his best chance.
Alvarez is quicker. He is a better boxer. He has the better chin. He has fought the more experienced opponents.
Berlanga brings that ability to hit a home run with every punch, though, and so he needs to emphasize that at the risk of eating shots himself.
It's easy, of course, to suggest someone else take punches from any professional boxer, let alone one of Alvarez's skill. But coaches in all sports game plan to win, and there is no other way for Berlanga to do it than by landing that Hail Mary on Alvarez's usually sturdy chin.
At one of the pre-fight news conferences, Berlanga made a statement that is a bit scary. He talked about intelligence. He's nowhere in the same league in regard to fight IQ as Alvarez. He can't rely on that.
"He’s fought everybody and he’s seen it all," Berlanga said, correctly.
His next point, though, is where I disagree, vehemently.
"The difference in this fight isn’t physical," Berlanga said. "It’s about IQ and intelligence in that ring. That’s going to make the difference. You could have all the power in the world, but at this level, it’s about intelligence."
I humbly disagree with that assessment. Instead, his later statement about not being afraid is the one I hope he emphasizes on fight night.
“On [Saturday], it’s fireworks," he said. "He sees it in my eyes. I’m never scared. I’m coming to take his spot in this sport.”
He's not going to do that by outboxing Alvarez.
He's probably not going to do it by out-slugging him, either, quite frankly. It's the best chance he's got, and in this one, he needs to push all his chips to the center and go for it.
Ryan Hafey/Premier Boxing Champions
Edgar Berlanga (L) is 22-0 with 17 KOs but is a +1000 underdog against Canelo Alvarez on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena.