Power puncher Edgar Berlanga was stunned in his bid to become mandatory for Canelo Alvarez after learning of a WBA mix-up.
Berlanga had informed his fans that he deserved to face Canelo on May 4 after his stoppage victory over Padraig McCrory. The Puerto Rican said: “The boxing world has to stop taking words out of context, especially on my team. I’m tired of you all [talking]. We have been ready for Canelo, and we are now mandatory. Puerto Rico vs Mexico is the biggest fight to be made this year!”
Edgar Berlanga mandatory
What Berlanga didn’t was that he was made mandatory for the regular title held by David Morrell, not for Canelo.
According to former World Boxing News writer Dan Rafael, he spoke directly to Gilberto Mendoza and heard it from the horse’s mouth.
There is one ray of light for Berlanga, though. He remains eligible to fight Canelo for the full WBA super middleweight title in a voluntary capacity. So far, none of the four sanctioning bodies has officially named a stipulated challenger for the Mexican superstar. Therefore, he can choose any of those fighters rated in the top fifteen of any rating system.
Canelo is linked to facing Jaime Munguia or Berlanga after fights with Jermall Charlo and David Benavidez didn’t get off the starting grid.
McCrory win
Berlanga knocked out McCrory in six rounds last weekend, winning a World Boxing Association [WBA] super middleweight title eliminator in Orlando, Florida. He put on a dominant display and responded to the expectations that he should return to knockout ways. Berlanga pushed the attacking throughout the fight. He was aggressive and got the stoppage he expected in the end.
The knockout was important for Berlanga as he was coming off a five-fight winning streak by decision. He had not been able to knock out an opponent since 2020, having scored all first-round KOs.
On this occasion, he was pretty tidy and accurate, which resulted in this victory before the final bell. The triumph brings him closer to a world title fight.
Although McCrory was brave and went toe-to-toe in the ring, there was little he could do against his opponent’s strength. He was outclassed at almost every turn to lose in his debut on US soil.
Furthermore, Berlanga’s victory extends his undefeated record to 22 wins and 17 knockouts. For his part, McCrory left his record at 18 wins, one loss, and nine knockouts.
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