Berlanga ends KO drought vs. McCrory; could Canelo shot be next?
Hot prospect Cruz batters, shuts out Zamarripa; Giyasov routs Cano in lackluster technical decision; Vargas outlasts Rodriguez in sensational battle
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Super middleweight contender Edgar Berlanga’s knockout power is back.
After a slow start, Berlanga ratcheted up his punch output and knocked out Padraig McCrory in the sixth round of the main event of a Matchroom Boxing card Saturday night on DAZN at the Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando, Florida, where a largely Puerto Rican pro-Berlanga crowd turned out.
The fight took on greater meaning on Friday, when, at the last minute, the WBA sanctioned it as a 168-pound title elimination bout, meaning Berlanga is now the organization’s mandatory challenger.
The knockout was a long time coming for Berlanga, who began his career with 16 consecutive first-round knockouts and became a viral sensation. But then not only was he extended past the first round, his opponents took him the full distance in his next five fights.
Many wondered had the KO power had gone, even though he had been scoring plenty of knockdowns and taking on an increasingly better caliber of opponent, who figured to be more difficult to stop.
But with the possibility of a title shot against undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez, boxing’s biggest star, as soon as May 4, or perhaps in September, when Alvarez plans to have his second fight of the year, there was urgency from Berlanga and Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn for him to score a knockout to help him make his case for the fight.
Berlanga spoke openly about his need for a KO against McCrory and put a lot of pressure on himself, so when he did the job he was quite pleased.
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