Edgar Looks For The Bigger Fight
Photo: Special to the NY Beacon
By Joshua Garcia
A true New York City kid, Edgar Berlanga entered the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden like it was his living room in the Lower East Side. Saturday was his day, in his playground, transporting you from affluent Midtown Manhattan to a schoolyard in Bushwick, Brooklyn.
Edgar Berlanga has it, the power, the looks, the support of his island of Puerto Rico and a great trainer in Andre Rozier. What Berlanga doesn’t have however may be the determining factor in his future success.
Manny Pacquaio, who lost the 12th fight of his illustrious career often credits that battle and shortcoming against a fellow Filipino prospect with the motivation to become one of the greatest to ever step in the ring. On the flip side, Edgar Berlanga shot to the top of the rankings among up-and-comers with a streak talked about throughout Boxing.
16 consecutive knockouts in the first 16 bouts of his career put Edgar Berlanga on the map, sold tickets and garnered support among Caribbean Boxing fans. But, as commentators Andre Ward and Timothy Bradley debated the benefit and harm of the streak, visible evidence sprang forward as Berlanga stepped in the ring with the Canadian Steve Rolls.
In fact, the evidence has been there to support the fact Berlanga may benefit from stiffer competition and a touch of adversity. To become a champion a fighter must endure hundreds and thousands of rounds against various types of styles, however Edgar Berlanga’s team set up potential first round knockout after knockout to propel the streak. Without realizing the negative that came with all the positives, the Berlanga training team stunted his growth as a potential championship contender.
Following the amazing streak, Edgar Berlanga has gone the distance in his last three fights against competition below his talent level. It is a concerning development in that Berlanga wants to ascend in his division to the level of David Benavidez, Caleb Plant, and Boxing King Canelo Alvarez. If Berlanga believes he can beat boxers on that level with this current career trajectory, he is mistaken.
The aforementioned Canelo Alvarez stood toe-to-toe with Floyd Mayweather at the age of 23, pushing himself to the highest level and ultimately losing the first fight of his career but gaining a master’s degree in the fight game. That fight and loss lit the fire under a kid from Guadalajara to climb up the ladder to the current king of Boxing, and maybe team Berlanga should explore the same path.
Edgar Berlanga has power, skill, and the mentality to endure harsh training, but has yet to capture the will to power through adversity. June 11th is a big day for Puerto Rican Boxing fans, and his fans hope to see their young phenom against bigger name fighters at Madison Square Garden sooner than later. Especially if they hope to see Edgar Berlanga with a belt on his shoulder in the future.
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