Berlanga to face Quigley in first fight since signing with Matchroom

Unbeaten super middleweight and promoter Eddie Hearn envision two fights, then shot at undisputed champion Canelo Alvarez

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Super middleweight Edgar Berlanga, who signed a multi-fight deal with Matchroom Boxing in mid-February after working out a separation agreement from Top Rank and attracting heavy interest from other promoters as a free agent, is set for his first fight since signing with Eddie Hearn’s company.

Fight Freaks Unite reported last week that the first fight of the his new agreement would take place on June 24 (DAZN) as the main event at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York and over the weekend that was made official.

Also made official is that Berlanga, a Puerto Rican from Brooklyn, New York, will face Ireland’s Jason Quigley, a former middleweight title challenger.

“Puerto Rico against Ireland. It’s very similar to Katie Taylor-(Amanda) Serrano,” Hearn said while standing with Berlanga during the Matchroom Boxing card on Saturday in San Antonio. “The atmosphere was unbelievable. This guy’s back after a year out of the ring. It’s Jason Quigley first. Then we want another big fight in the autumn/winter and then a world championship fight in early 2024.

“Edgar Berlanga in my opinion is a superstar. He’s gonna fill the place up, Madison Square Garden (Theater). It will be electric in there. The Irish will be out and this man wants to march on toward the world title.”

If Berlanga and Hearn have their way, Berlanga will two fights and then get a shot at undisputed champion Canelo Alvarez, who Hearn works with on a fight-by-fight basis.

“If he wants to start calling out Canelo Alvarez, he’s got to steamroll through the likes of Jason Quigley and start making noise for those fights,” Hearn said. “There’s a couple of levels Edgar’s got to get to for Canelo Alvarez and we want to do that over the two fights. Quigley has boxed at world level. He fought Demetrius Andrade. He just had a win, his first at 168.

“He’s the perfect opponent for (Berlanga) being out for a year. And then we want a big name later on in the year. And then I want him to fight Canelo Alvarez. But he’s got to prove that. We know he’s a superstar. He’s got to steamroll these guys and then start banging the drum for those big fights.”

Berlanga (20-0, 16 KOs), 25, began his career with 16 consecutive first-round KOs and was all the rage. Then he went the distance in his next four fights and took a six-month suspension and $10,000 fine from the New York commission because during his win over former title challenger Roamer Alexis Angulo, also at the Hulu Theater last June, Berlanga tried to bite and then joked about it during his post-fight interview.

With that incident behind him, signing with a new promoter and returning to original trainer Marc Farrait, Berlanga said he anxious to get back in the ring.

“Super anxious,” Berlanga said. “We took this step by step. It’s been a year layoff. I’m ready, man. I want to thank Eddie for believing in me, being in my corner. I feel like I’m in the stage of my career where I needed to go the distance. In order for me to be in there with the best I had to experience going those rounds.

“God aligned the stars the right way. He got me back with old trainer, Marc Farrait, the guy who made ‘The Monster.’ I’m back with him and now. I’m with the best in Eddie Hearn and I’m just excited. June 24 is a huge day for me.”

Quigley (20-2, 14 KOs), 31, notched his biggest win via 10-round majority decision over Shane Mosley Jr. in May 2021 and followed with a shot at then-WBO middleweight titlist Andrade, who knocked him out in the second round in November 2021. Quigley moved up to super middleweight and fought for the first time since the Andrade fight on April 1, winning a shutout decision over journeyman Gabor Gorbics in Dublin, Ireland.

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Berlanga photos: Mikey Williams'/Top Rank

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