Canelo Alvarez has established himself as one of the most prominent figures in today’s sports and boxing history. Undoubtedly, the Mexican boxer creates the biggest hype today, and all of his matches are record-breaking PPV events. The next one is against Edgar Berlanga, a 27-year-old undefeated American who wants to take Canelo’s scalp and propel his name to the boxing elite.
Edgar Berlanga vs. Canelo Alvarez Preview
Berlanga
Many have wondered if Berlanga deserved this bout. According to many boxing pundits, he had to go through several more tests before getting a chance to meet arguably the best guy in the division. His progression through the ranks appears to have been a bit accelerated. After he had 16 consecutive first-round stoppages, Berlanga faced a series of five battles from 2021 to 2023 against varied opposition, during which he showed signs of vulnerability. But he won all, to be honest, and challenges were necessary for Berlanga to gain invaluable experience.
In his latest appearance in February, Berlanga achieved his first stoppage victory since 2020, defeating Padraig McCrory in the sixth round. Riding the momentum of his knockout win, Berlanga was swiftly propelled into a high-stakes fight with Alvarez. Now, this is where those critics suggest that he should have battled Caleb Plant, Diego Pacheco, or Jaime Munguia. And they aren’t just saying because of other contenders, but Berlanga himself, as he definitely needs to have stronger challenges before Canelo.
Nonetheless, the spirit of boxing is sometimes putting yourself at risk but, in return, chasing the big award. Just imagine what people would say if Berlanga declined this opportunity to compete with Canelo and, additionally, earn the fattest paycheck in his career—the one that can secure him and his family.
Canelo
Alvarez’s last notable stoppage came against Caleb Plant in 2021, during the peak of his dominance. His last big-time knockout was against the seasoned Sergey Kovalev in 2019, and that one truly epitomized his punching power, presenting everything this guy has to offer.
In the next fight, he lost to Dimitry Bivol via unanimous decision, completely outboxed by the stronger and bigger rival, who is, by the way, technically more gifted. Alvarez had four more battles after that, having four wins, but all via decisions, which, for many, is a sign that he isn’t as dominant as before. One by one, Gennady Golovkin, John Ryder, Jermell Charlo, and Jaime Munguia all lost to the Mexican, but after all, they all lost, so we can’t be so sure about his decline.
Berlanga vs. Canelo Predictons
Berlanga must stay focused and calm to restrain Canelo early on. Alvarez is known for his patience, but in this one, he will most definitely try to crush the “inexperienced” rival in the opening rounds and score a strong KO. If Berlanga opts for an aggressive strategy, expect Alvarez to finish the fight within the first half, leveraging Berlanga’s potential overzealousness to his advantage.
Berlanga must elevate his performance to unprecedented levels to compete with Canelo, and even that might not suffice. All in all, our pick here is Canelo to win, and we are taking him to do that via stoppage. The odds for this fight are here.
