Information filtered by midweek that Canelo Alvarez will put his Ring, WBA, WBC and WBO tremendous middleweight titles on the road in opposition to Edgar Berlanga on the Mexican Independence Day weekend date of September 14 at T-Cellular Enviornment in Las Vegas.
It was nearly universally met with derision. Most understand The Ring’s No. 9-rated tremendous middleweight (although will transfer up as soon as David Benavidez and David Morrell exit for the sunshine heavyweight division) to be wholly undeserving and, nicely, they’re not incorrect.
I stay within the UK and ask myself would I watch for this combat? No. Would I set the alarm to stand up and watch within the wee hours? No. I’ll watch the following day, and even then, it’s as a result of I can’t swerve it altogether with boxing-writing being my job. Hopefully the undercard has a matchup or two of significance. The co-feature, Erislandy Lara-Danny Garcia, could also be a enjoyable combat, but it surely appears a number of years too late.
Berlanga (22-0, 17 knockouts) enters with a pristine file and Puerto Rican heritage, which can doubtlessly be performed up. Berlanga, who received his first 16 fights all inside the primary spherical, obtained some actual consideration earlier than going the gap in 4 consecutive fights and searching determined much less so. Nonetheless, it must be famous he hasn’t fought in Puerto Rico and isn’t a lot of a draw.
Awhile again Berlanga created one thing of a buzz, however since his prospect days he’s regarded extra like a manufactured product.
He’d been so fastidiously dealt with by his administration that High Rank determined to chop him from their roster after he confirmed reticence to stepping up and was coming off a six-month ban for biting opponent Roamer Alexis Angulo throughout their June 2022 bout.
It felt like a slam dunk for Eddie Hearn to brush in and signal the free agent given his shut working relationship with Canelo. Signal Berlanga, test, put him in in opposition to a handpicked opponent, test, after which enter the Canelo sweepstakes, test.
It’s believed to have come all the way down to a combat between Canelo and Berlanga or Chris Eubank Jr., a middleweight contender who has beforehand dabbled at tremendous middleweight. Fact be instructed, Eubank Jr. was no extra deserving than Berlanga. In the end, Berlanga received out.
🇲🇽⚔️🇵🇷 Fin de semana de independencia, fin de semana de pelea 🥊 Regresamos al @TMobileArena de Las Vegas este 14 de septiembre #CaneloBerlanga #MexicovsPuertoRico pic.twitter.com/6os7vM4Gtd
— Canelo Alvarez (@Canelo) July 25, 2024
Canelo has the deepest resume in boxing however the lately turned 34-year-old is dealing with some low hanging fruit. This isn’t Gennadiy Golovkin, Billy Joe Saunders, Dmitry Bivol, and so forth. That is way more Rocky Fielding or Avni Yildirim.
Will Berlanga get blown out as Anvi Yildirim was in 2021? Photograph by Ed Mulholland/Matchroom.
David Benavidez has lengthy been the followers selection, however he obtained fed up ready for his deserved shot at Canelo and introduced final week that he’d be staying completely at mild heavyweight. It’s the same story for the damaging however unheralded David Morrell. If Canelo wasn’t dealing with Benavidez, then to paraphrase Muhammad Ali, “Morrell’s obtained two possibilities: Slim, and none, and Slim simply left city.”
There are different candidates for Canelo, however until you get significantly inventive 160 or 175 (and after dropping to Bivol we all know Canelo isn’t going again to mild heavyweight in a rush). Fact be instructed, the choices are skinny on the bottom. He already holds wins over the respectable Caleb Plant and Jaime Munguia.
With Benavidez and Morrell leaping ship, probably the most deserving is The Ring’s No. 2-rated tremendous middleweight, Christian Mbilli, who has been making loads of noise in Canada. He’ll face Sergey Derevyanchenko in what guarantees to be a possible combat of the yr on August 17.
In the meantime, Mbilli’s promotional stablemate Osleys Iglesias has caught the attention with two devastating knockouts this yr however is at present within the big-risk versus low-reward class. The Cuban will face former Morrell sufferer Sena Agbeko and is doing all he can to advance his personal claims by staying energetic and catching the attention when he fights.
William Scull is an undeserving IBF necessary and had hoped to play that card however as soon as it turned clear Canelo was dealing with Berlanga the IBF stripped the Mexican star of their title. Scull will possible face the equally unknown Vladimir Shishkin.
I do suppose if Terence Crawford is profitable in opposition to Israil Madrimov at junior middleweight this Saturday that may go an extended approach to making Canelo-Crawford doable subsequent yr.
Terence Crawford vs Canelo Alvarez is the most important combat in boxing proper now. Prefer it or not it’s simply information.
— Terence Crawford (@terencecrawford) February 4, 2024
Canelo earned his proper to name the photographs way back. He’s very cussed and likes to remind us of that now and again and I do suppose that’s a part of the rationale he hasn’t proven a willingness to face Benavidez. He was slighted by the youthful, greater fighter and doesn’t need to give him the pay day (coupled with the extra individuals ask him in regards to the combat the extra he’s unwilling to bow to look stress).
His PPV numbers would possibly begin to steeply decline if he stays on his present path (which may probably final only a few extra fights earlier than he calls it a profession).
Possibly Berlanga can be a little bit higher than I’ve him tabbed however Canelo should have bodily fallen off a cliff after 65 fights and numerous rounds sparring to be in actual hazard.
The longer term corridor of famer hasn’t scored a stoppage in 5 fights going again three years. That has to alter, in any other case the jeers will develop louder as will ideas Canelo has suitably slowed down.
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