At 26, Edgar Berlanga has slowly been taking the world of boxing by storm. The undefeated fighter has won 16 of his 20 wins via knockout and is appropriately named “The Chosen One.” He continues to grow in the sport but is looking to step up his game.
Berlanga would face the ultimate test in boxing great Canelo Alvarez if he had a say.
Berlanga will face former world title challenge Jason Quigley inside the Hulu Theater in Madison Square Garden on June 24. Making his Matchroom Boxing debut, Berlanga teamed with Eddie Hearn to face the best in the sport. Like him, Hearn likes the idea of Berlanga vs. Canelo, the undisputed super middleweight champion.
"We wanna push for that Canelo Alvarez fight next May," Hearn told Ak and Barak via DAZN. "I also love Berlanga against Jaime Munguia. Berlanga against Gennadiy Golovkin. Berlanga against John Ryder. There’s so many fights out there for him to prove he’s worthy of the Canelos’ and the [David] Benavidez’."
WATCH: Edgar Berlanga vs. Jason Quigley, live on DAZN
Berlanga, who has won his last four bouts via unanimous decision, will wait to see what happens on Saturday night. With a win and a mic in his hand, he may call out Canelo.
Will Edgar Berlanga fight Canelo Alvarez?
Canelo has been looking at offers from all fronts, as he wants to fight by Mexican Independence Day in September. He has teased bouts with the likes of Badou Jack and Jermall Charlo.
The realistic fights on the cards for Canelo are against David Benavidez and Dmitry Bivol.
Benavidez, the interim WBC super middleweight champion, just beat former Canelo opponent Caleb Plant and has called out Canelo’s name whenever he gets the chance. He could also fight Bivol, the WBA light heavyweight champion. It would be a rematch; Canelo lost against Bivol in May 2022 in decisive fashion. Bivol would want the fight to be at 168, while Canelo insists he can claim Bivol’s light heavyweight gold.
The only issue with Bivol is the WBC's refusal to sanction Bivol fights due to his Russian background. The WBC has held a firm stance against the country during its conflict with Ukraine, which has created issues when attempting to plan a potential clash against Artur Beterbiev.
MORE: The Sporting News' Top-12 pound-for-pound fighters
When looking ahead towards this potential fight, The Sporting News' Tom Gray believes a fight with Canelo is too soon, with claims of Berlanga being too green for the Mexican warrior. The level of competition for Berlanga is just starting to increase, while Canelo has faced some of the best the sport has to offer.
However, while he respects Canelo, Berlanga believes the 32-year-old, just coming off wrist surgery, can be taken down.
"I think he’s (Canelo) declining," Berlanga told Boxing Scene. "I don’t think he’s at where he was before… "He’s still a beast, man. You can’t sleep on that guy."
If Berlanga can impressively get past Quigley, the opportunities at super middleweight are endless. Do those opportunities include one against Canelo?
