Canelo Alvarez and Edgar Berlanga Face Off at the September 14 Fight Press Conference

WBA, WBC, and WBO super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez met his opponent today at their first press conference for their September 14 fight on DAZN and PBC on Prime Video PPV at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Eddie Hearn’s promoted Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) crowded Canelo (61-2-2, 39 KOs) when they faced each other, but showed no hostility.

At the press conference Berlanga sounded angry talking about David Benavidez whose fans pushed Canelo to fight. He doesn’t like the fans dismissing him, seeing him as a fake champion with a made-up record, full of tomato cans, preferring Canelo to fight Benavidez who was mandatory in the WBC.

Berlanga’s Anger For Benavidez Fans

Edgar Berlaga: “I don’t want to hear Benavidez. They keep talking about Crawford. He wrestled a 154-pounder [WBA junior middleweight champion Israil Madrimov]. It was a tough fight. We have business to take care of on September 14. A lot of people keep talking about Benavidez and all these guys. I know it won’t happen. That’s all. September 14, Berlanga-Canelo, Puerto Rico vs. Mexico.

You have to go back to 2021 to find a worse opponent for Canelo than Berlanga. Canelo’s fight with Avni Yıldırım was equal to Berlanga’s. Those two are good even in the talent department.

Berlanga, 27, looked grateful for being allowed to fight Canelo for his three titles and the chance to “get that purse,” as he put it. Without this fight, it’s unclear how long Berlanga would have been able to keep winning without being beaten by one of the lower-ranked fighters his promoters have been sticking with him on a regular basis.

No one outside of NYC has asked Canelo to fight Berlanga, and it’s bad on paper. I would have preferred Canelo to fight one of these talents:

1. David Benavidez
2. Christian Mbili
3. David Morrell
4. Artur Beterbiev

Berlanga’s Questionable Credentials

He’s never fought anyone of real value for a title, his #1 ranking in the World Boxing Association, and obviously he’s getting this opportunity because of his popularity in New York City and his Puerto Rican fans there, but that’s not the case. somewhere else. He’s not famous outside of NYC, and no one is giving him a chance in this fight.

“This is the fight you have been chasing since you signed Edgar Berlanga’s contract about a year ago. Why was this the right time and how was this deal made,” said analyst Chris Mannix on DAZN Boxing about the fight between Canelo Alvarez and Edgar Berlanga on September 14.

FIRST FACE 👀@Canelo vs @EdgarBerlangaJr

👑 WBC, WBA and WBO World Super Middleweight titles #CaneloBerlanga | @DAZNBoxing PPV pic.twitter.com/rceqIeLpOk

– Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) August 5, 2024

“13 months ago, we signed Edgar Berlanga, and the promise was, we will win the Canelo Alvarez fight,” said Eddie Hearn. “At that time, we were working with Canelo Alvarez as his promoter, and I expected it to be straightforward.”

Hearn should have at least made an effort to put Berlanga in a physical position after signing him to give him some credibility that Canelo should fight for. In the two fights Hearn has had with Berlanga, he has compared him to the following low-hanging fruit: Padraig McCrory and Jason Quigley.

“He was given a contract by the PBC, and he took that contract; “I started to think that Edgar Berlanga’s fight was not for us,” said Hearn. “It’s great that promoters are working together so much these days and it’s a dream come true. Willy Wonka’s golden ticket.

“You win the lottery if you get this fight. If you look at the position and the commercial side, Edgar Berlanga is the one who has to compete with the WBA. He’s 22-0, he’s a big puncher, he’s Puerto Rican, and he’s got all the love for a big fight.

“I think people are ignoring Edgar Berlanga in this fight. If you look at Canelo Alvarez’s options, other than David Benavidez, this is the biggest fight for him.