Canelo Alvarez, the face of boxing, is in the process of finalizing a deal for a super middleweight championship defense vs. Edgar Berlanga on Sept. 14 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The fight will be a traditional Mexican vs Puerto Rican rivalry match.
Canelo Alvarez is in the process of finalizing a deal for a super middleweight championship defense vs. Edgar Berlanga on Sept. 14 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, sources tell @MikeCoppinger. pic.twitter.com/UllLWUJ6T9
— ESPN Ringside (@ESPNRingside) July 23, 2024
Mexico’s Alvarez (61-2-2, 39 KOs) is the undisputed champion at 168 pounds, looks to increase his fight win streak to 5 wins in a row against Berlanga.
Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) is a 27-year-old from Brooklyn, New York, of Puerto Rican descent. He is coming off a sixth-round KO of Padraig McCrory in February. The brash fighter started his career with 16 first-round KOs, but his next five opponents lasted the distance as his competition stiffened.
Mexican Independence Day weekend has long been one of two holidays reserved for Alvarez as well as Cinco De Mayo weekend, a tradition that was held by Floyd Mayweather and Oscar De La Hoya before him. That’s a date that he missed last year fighting Jermell Charlo
No blockbuster fight
Despite Berlanga being undefeated, most boxing fans aren’t familiar with him. Expect the Brooklyn based fighter to be a massive underdog in this fight. Boxing fans wanted to see a blockbuster fight between Canelo vs Benavidez but this fight should come as a reminder that the champion doesn’t have interest in fighting ‘The Mexican Monster’. The big still seems to be with Benavidez rehydrating after making weight. There’s been times when he’s gained over 20 pounds which makes him walk around as a cruiserweight on fight night. Unless a rehydration clause can be met this fight most likely will never happen.
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Robert LaMar is a writer for Dice City Sports. You can follow him on X via @RobertLaMar26
