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Edgar Berlanga may have a challenging upcoming fight against Padraig McCrory to focus on, but the unbeaten super-middleweight has already set his sights on Jaime Munguia.
Berlanga (21-0-0 16 KO) aims to continue his climb through the division when he takes on Ireland’s McCrory (18-0-0 9 KO) at the Caribe Royale Orlando, Florida on February 24. A statement victory would lead to bigger fights in the stacked 168lbs division and further enhance the American’s claims for a world title shot in the not-too-distant future.
And there is only one fighter on Berlanga’s mind. Munguia registered the 43rd victory of his unbeaten professional career last month when he stopped experienced British fighter John Ryder in the ninth round. Ryder has since announced his retirement from the sport.
The Mexican is the No 1-ranked challenger to Canelo Alvarez’s WBO title and is second in the WBC list, meaning he should be the leading contender for his first world title fight. Should that fail to materialize, Berlanga said he is ready to take on Munguia and believes it would be one of the biggest fights in global boxing.
“Munguia is a big fight for me on the horizon,” Berlanga, 26, told BoxingScene.com. “We were trying to make that fight happen, but the numbers just weren’t right. We figured we will meet in the future. Everything has to make sense.
“I have never ducked anyone in my life, ever. It just has to be fair. I feel like that fight is one of the biggest fights in boxing. I feel that we should have fair play with the money. We should both be able to eat at the same time. It’s just patience. Hopefully that’s a fight we can make this year for the fans. It would be something crazy for the sport of boxing.”
Berlanga even went as far as to predict how a fight between him and Munguia would play out, insisting that there would be fireworks.
“Oh yeah, for sure [it would be a fight of the year contender]. I don’t see that fight going the distance,” ‘The Chosen One’ said. “I know I would have to bite down on my mouthpiece, stand there and just do my thing. Ain’t no going back, ain’t no running, ain’t no trying to box because I know he’s coming to fight. And I’m coming to fight too. I know I really have bricks in my hand, so I’m not worried. It sounds exciting. I’m excited. I really want to make the fight happen.”
Berlanga’s promoter Eddie Hearn also recently talked up the prospect of his fighter taking on Munguia, believing the winner would earn the right to fight undisputed champion Alvarez.
“That’s an incredible fight,” Hearn said. “Edgar’s got to make a statement on February 24, but also at the same time, that fight sells out any venue on the west coast, particularly down in San Diego. It also sells out Madison Square Garden. That’s a big, big fight.
“But both guys want Canelo. So it will take them not getting Canelo to say, ‘You know what? Let’s fight each other.’ Then the winner will get Canelo.”
There are huge fights elsewhere in the division for Berlanga if a bout with Munguia or a title shot at Canelo is not possible in the near future. The likes of Caleb Plant, Diego Pacheco, Christian Mbilli, and of course David Benavidez would all represent intriguing challenges for the New Yorker.
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