Canelo to defend 168 crown against unbeaten Edgar Berlanga
Alvarez to be stripped of IBF belt so won't be undisputed title fight; Erislandy Lara defends middleweight belt vs. Danny Garcia in co-feature
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Canelo Alvarez, boxing’s No. 1 attraction and one of the pound-for-pound best, will defend his unified super middleweight title against Edgar Berlanga on Sept. 14 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Alvarez and Premier Boxing Champions announced on Thursday.
The fight, which has been expected, is a renewal of the fierce and longstanding Mexico-Puerto Rico boxing rivalry and will headline a PBC on Prime Video pay-per-view. It will also be available via traditional linear television and satellite pay-per-view providers, PPV.com and DAZN PPV, which is the streaming platform of Berlanga promoter Matchroom Boxing.
The fight will take place on Mexican Independence Day weekend, a date on which Mexican superstar Alvarez prefers to fight annually. This year, however, Alvarez will face competition as the card will compete directly with UFC 306, which will be the first sports event at The Sphere Las Vegas.
In the co-feature, WBA middleweight titlist Erislandy Lara will defend against former junior welterweight and welterweight titlist Danny Garcia.
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While Alvarez will defend the lineal title as well as his WBC, WBO and WBA 168-pound belts against Berlanga, who is the WBA’s mandatory challenger, the IBF title will not be on the line.
Alvarez will be stripped of the belt, sources with knowledge of the decision told Fight Freaks Unite, because his IBF mandatory defense against the unknown, unaccomplished William Scull is overdue.
The fight was supposed to go to a purse bid last month, but the sides made a deal under which Scull, who had fought on the undercard of Alvarez-Jaime Munguia in May, would step aside for the time being. Apparently that was not good enough for the IBF, which plans to order Scull against Vladimir Shishkin for the vacant title in the coming days.
The IBF, however, had not yet made the stripping official as of Thursday night, however. IBF president Daryl Peoples told Fight Freaks Unite, “Just got notified about Canelo. Once we notify all parties regarding how we’re going to proceed, we’ll issue a statement. That’s all I have right now. I’m going to let the principles know first what we decide.”
Alvarez (61-2-2, 39 KOs), 34, who has won titles in four divisions from junior middleweight to light heavyweight, will make his eighth overall super middleweight title defense, four of which were of the undisputed title, which is a record for a four-belt champion.
“I am very happy for this fight between Mexico and Puerto Rico,” Alvarez said. “It’s exciting to be part of another great Mexico versus Puerto Rico battle inside the ring because historically we have always offered unforgettable fights full of passion. I am proud to contribute to this legacy and facing an opponent like Edgar Berlanga adds even more excitement and meaning to this event.”
Alvarez has not faced a Puerto Rican opponent since he outpointed Hall of Famer Miguel Cotto to win the lineal/WBC middleweight title in a 2015 mega fight.
“Every day we are preparing,” said Eddy Reynoso, Alvarez’s trainer and manager. “We know that Berlanga is a good fighter, a strong, undefeated fighter. The confrontations within boxing between Mexico and Puerto Rico are always intense fights. Puerto Rico has produced many world champions and Hall of Fame fighters. Mexico has done the same. It is going to be a very attractive fight.”
Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs), 27, a Puerto Rican from Brooklyn, New York, began his career with an eye-catching 16 consecutive first-round knockout. Then he went the distance in five consecutive bouts until he knocked out Padraig McCrory in the sixth round in his most recent fight on Feb. 24. He had always been the favorite to land the fight following Alvarez’s win over Munguia. The other possible opponent was England’s Chris Eubank Jr., but they never got close to a deal.
“This is the opportunity of a lifetime,” Berlanga said. “I deserve to be here, and I'm going to shock the world and silence the critics by delivering a masterful performance and knocking out Canelo Alvarez on Sept. 14. I will prove that my Puerto Rican heritage surpasses Mexican boxing, from (Wilfredo) Gomez to (Felix) Trinidad to Cotto, and now to Berlanga. I will reclaim what is rightfully ours. I'm ready to make this a historic firefight, continuing the greatest rivalry in boxing: Puerto Rico versus Mexico.”
Keith Connolly, Berlanga’s manager, who negotiated the deal, will have one his fighters facing Alvarez for the second time. In 2019, the Connolly-managed Daniel Jacobs lost a decision to Alvarez in a three-belt middleweight unification fight.
“I’m excited for my guy, Edgar Berlanga, to get a shot at the king of boxing, Canelo Alvarez,” Connolly said. “I want to thank all the players involved in helping me get this deal over the line. Canelo versus Berlanga is renewing the Mexico versus Puerto Rico rivalry, which is the best in boxing history.”
When Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn signed Berlanga in early 2023, the aim was to get him a fight with Alvarez, who Hearn promoted at the time but now is working with PBC and TGB Promotions on a fight-by-fight basis.
“Edgar Berlanga’s nickname is the ‘Chosen One’ and I’m so happy he got the golden pick for Sept. 14,” Hearn said. “This is the fight we dreamed about when we signed Edgar last year and he is ready to give everything for himself, his family and for Puerto Rico. You have a young, unbeaten, fearless puncher ready to tackle one of the all-time greats.”
Lara vs. Garcia
Lara (30-3-3, 18 KOs), 41, a Cuban southpaw fighting out of Houston and former junior middleweight titlist, will make his fifth middleweight title defense. He has yet to face a top middleweight and been quite inactive since winning the vacant belt by knocking out Ramon Alvarez (Canelo’s older brother) in August 2019. Canelo beat Lara by split decision in a 2014 nontitle fight at 155 pounds.
Lara will be fighting for the first time since a second-round destruction of Michael Zerafa in March 2024.
“We’ve both faced the best, have impressive resumes and have competed at the top level for a long time,” Lara said. “I’m excited for this fight. I encourage all my Mexican fans to tune in on Mexican Independence Day, bring your flags and support this great event. I will represent not only Cuba, but also Mexico on this day against Puerto Rico. You will witness greatness in the ring throughout the action-packed night of boxing. I look forward to putting on a show and being the first to knock out Danny Garcia.”
Garcia (37-3, 21 KOs), 36, a Puerto Rican from Philadelphia, was a dominating unified junior welterweight champion, who beat top opponents such as Lucas Matthysse, Amir Khan, Zab Judah and an older Erik Morales twice. He won a belt at welterweight but lost to his best opponents: Errol Spence Jr., Keith Thurman and Shawn Porter.
Since a decision loss to Spence in December 2020, Garcia has fought just once, a majority decision in a pedestrian performance against Jose Benavidez Jr. in July 2022 at 152 pounds. Now Garcia is moving up to 160 for the heaviest fight of his career.
“This is a legacy fight and an opportunity to win a championship in my third weight class,” Garcia said. “Lara is a great champion who’s been around for a while, but so have I. On Sept. 14, I’m bringing the Danny Garcia show to Las Vegas and making it a historic night.”
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Ima call it what it is, a straight up 🦤 of the fighter that earned the shot…David Benavidez. And please save the Benavidez is a LHW now defense cause the reason is Cinnamon has shown no inclination to step to the mark in the fight the FANS want. EOS
This kind of reminds me of when Hagler fought John Mugabi. Which makes me wonder if Canelo will meet his Ray Leonard in May 2025….