Notebook: Berlanga, possible Canelo foe, aims to find KO punch
Matias goes off on Teofimo, Haney, Rolly; Ngannou headed back to cage after fighting Joshua; Quick hits; Show and tell
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Super middleweight contender Edgar Berlanga made his name with a string of first-round knockouts, many of the highlight-reel variety, to begin his pro career in 2016.
There were 16 quick endings in a row in all as Top Rank, his former promoter, tried to find opponents who would extend him at least a few rounds. But one after another they fell and Berlanga’s profile grew with every big KO.
And then the knockouts stopped when Demond Nicholson got dropped but managed to go the eight-round distance in 2021.
Four more distance fights in a row have followed as Berlanga remains in a knockout drought, even though in his last fight against Jason Quigley in June he scored four knockdowns, including two in the 12th round, but could not finish him off.
Berlanga returns to action hoping to find his power once again when he squares off with Padraig McCrory in the 12-round main event of a Matchroom Boxing card on Saturday (DAZN, 7 p.m. ET) at the Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando, Florida.
“I know I have got the power to hurt anybody, and I feel different as a fighter, mentally, physically and spiritually,” Berlanga said this week. “I know that there’s going to be fireworks coming from me, that’s a fact. I’m coming for the KO. He can say whatever he wants, but at the end of the day we have to go in there and tussle.
“Me at my best, nobody is fucking with me. When I am 100 percent, which you’ll see on (Saturday), I am unstoppable.”
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Besides aiming to regain his KO mojo there has been much chatter about the possibility that if Berlanga looks good and comes away from the bout with no injuries that he has a chance to land a shot at undisputed super middleweight champion and No. 1 star Canelo Alvarez on May 4.
Alvarez is set to return on that date in Las Vegas but does not have an opponent yet as he and PBC boss Al Haymon attempt to get on the same page. Will it be David Benavidez or Jermall Charlo or Jaime Munguia? Or might Alvarez look Berlanga’s way to set up a Mexico-Puerto Rico rivalry fight?
“Canelo Alvarez is without an opponent on May 4 currently and we will put Edgar’s name into the hat with an impressive performance on Saturday night, but Padraig has other ideas,” Matchroom Boxing’s Eddie Hearn said.
Berlanga (21-0, 16 KOs), 26, a Puerto Rican from Brooklyn, New York, would, of course, love to challenge Alvarez or even face Munguia, a fight Hearn, Munguia promoter Golden Boy and DAZN have had serious discussions about.
“I think that after this fight my name is going to be buzzing again, and people will be talking about me and Canelo in September,” Berlanga said, noting the planned month for Alvarez’s second fight of the year. “I feel those fights are there to be made and it’s time to go capture a belt. … I’m getting better and better.”
But first he must deal with McCrory (18-0, 9 KOs), 35, of Northern Ireland, who will box in the United States for the first time.
“At this time, Saturday is my focus, Padraig McCrory,” Berlanga said. “I don’t give a fuck about Canelo, Munguia. It’s this man across from me that’s trying to take my ‘0’, so I have to put my focus on him and handle my business and then eventually, we can focus on those guys.”
Berlanga said he believes McCrory will be his toughest opponent so far, McCrory’s resume is very thin and Berlanga has beaten experienced world title challengers Quigley, Roamer Alexis Angulo and Marcelo Coceres
“(McCrory is) my hardest test so far for sure. He’s undefeated, so he’s coming with a different mentality. He’s going to do anything to protect that ‘0’. I never overlook any opponent. I know he’s coming to fight. He has something to prove, and that’s what I like. Every fight we’re stepping up and he is highly ranked, he’s unbeaten, he’s got the same number of fights as me and I think it’s going to be a good test.
“Once he gets touched, I think he’s going to get on his bike. I don’t think he’s going to stay there and want to exchange with me. But we are prepping for anything and everything. So, if he tries to run and move around, box, try to lure me in and throw a sneaky shot, we see that coming. And if he wants to stay there and trade, well, they call him ‘The Hammer’ so he’s supposed to be displaying that, so we’ll see.
“My hands will do the talking when I am pounding on his face. I hope he’s ready because I am coming with fireworks. I’m coming for blood. There’s going to be a lot of heat on him, and he better be prepared, because I’m looking to hurt him and knock him the fuck out.”
Also on the main card:
Lightweight Andy Cruz (2-0, 1 KO), 28, a 2020 Cuban Olympic gold medalist on the fast track, will face Brayan Zamarripa (14-2, 5 KOs), 26, a southpaw from Mexico, in a 10-rounder.
Shakhram Giyasov (14-0, 9 KOs), 30, a 2016 Olympic silver medalist from Uzbekistan, and Pablo Cesar Cano (35-8-1, 25 KOs), 34, of Mexico, square off in a WBA welterweight title eliminator.
Antonio Vargas (17-1, 9 KOs), 27, a 2016 U.S. Olympian from nearby Kissimmee, Florida, and Puerto Rican Jonathan Rodriguez (17-1-1, 7 KOs), 25, who retired former world titlist Kal Yafai with a first-round knockout in November, will meet in a WBA bantamweight title eliminator.
Matias wants everybody
IBF junior welterweight titlist Subriel Matias, one of boxing’s most crushing punchers and exciting fighters, laid down the gauntlet to the division Friday during a news conference to discuss his recent signing with Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn.
“My security and confidence in myself might be considered arrogant at times, but if we're talking about other fighters like (lineal/WBO champion) Teofimo Lopez, (WBC titlist) Devin Haney, and I won't even talk about (WBA titlist) Rolly (Romero) because he's a comedian, I will face any opponent that is put in front of me,” Matias said through an interpreter at the media event just prior to the Edgar Berlanga-Padraig McCrory card weigh-in in Orlando, Florida. “If I face Teofimo Lopez and I will knock him out. I will retire him. And Haney? Well, I don't know, because he runs like a chicken.”
Matias’ first fight under his new deal with Matchroom Boxing, which will co-promote him with his longtime promoter Juan Orengo of Fresh Productions, is due to take place this summer in his native Puerto Rico in a main event on DAZN. The fight, which will be Matias’ second title defense, was targeted to be against fellow Matchroom fighter Liam Paro (24-0, 15 KOs), 27, an Australian southpaw, but he probably won’t end up with the fight over a money dispute, a source with knowledge of the issue told Fight Freaks Unite.
Matias (20-1, 20 KOs), 31, who recently split with PBC, however, is looking for much higher profile opponents anyway after the summer return.
“I’m here. You’re watching the best 140-pounder in the world,” Matias said. “I feel I’m able to go in and destroy my opponents and that’s what I want to do in the future. I’m really confident in my ability. All I need is the opportunity and I think people are going to see me get that opportunity now.”
Hearn said he has watched Matias in recent years and long wanted to sign him.
“We’ve wanted to sign Subriel for a long time and now the time has come,” Hearn said. “In my opinion, he's one of the most exciting and dangerous pound-for-pound fighters on the planet. He’s already a world champion, so people don’t have an excuse not to fight him. He wants all the smoke, and all of the big names in the division.”
Ngannou returning to MMA
Although Francis Ngannou is two weeks away from his second boxing match, a high-profile 10-rounder against former two-time unified heavyweight titlist Anthony Joshua on March 8 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the former UFC heavyweight champion’s return to MMA has been announced.
Ngannou, who crossed over to boxing in October, when he dropped, cut and roughed up lineal/WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury in a disputed split decision loss in Riyadh, will make his Professional Fighters League debut against the winner of the title fight between PFL champion Renan Ferreira and Bellator champion Ryan Bader, who meet on Saturday at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh.
Ngannou (0-1 in boxing, 17-3, 12 KOs, 4 submissions in MMA), 37, of Cameroon, is training for the Joshua fight in Riyadh and plans to be ringside for the PFL fight.
“The PFL is excited to announce Francis Ngannou’s return to MMA in the PFL PPV Division will be against the winner of (Saturday’s fight), PFL CEO Peter Murray said. “Francis is a true combat sports icon with a global fan base and appeal. We, along with the rest of the MMA world, will be watching to see who his first opponent will be, Ferreira or Bader.”
No date was announced for Ngannou’s fight against the Ferreira-Bader winner.
Even though Ngannou always wanted to try his hand at professional boxing, he always maintained that he planned to return to MMA after he split with UFC and signed with PFL.
BetUS Boxing Show
If you missed the BetUS Boxing Show live at 1 p.m. ET on Friday on YouTube, please check out the replay (and also subscribe to the YouTube channel). We previewed and picked three fights that take place Saturday: Takuma Inoue’s WBA bantamweight title defense against Jerwin Ancajas and WBC bantamweight titlist Alexandro Santiago’s defense against dangerous Junto Nakatani, which are on the same card in Japan, and super middleweight contender Edgar Berlanga against Padraig McCrory in the main event in Orlando, Florida. We also took viewer questions and comments and discussed the latest boxing news! Please check out the show here:
Quick hits
Weights from Tokyo for the Teiken Promotions card Friday on ESPN+ (4 a.m. ET): Takuma Inoue 117.75 pounds, Jerwin Ancajas 117.75 (for Inoue’s WBA bantamweight title); Alexandro Santiago 117.75, Junto Nakatani 117.5 (for Santiago’s WBC bantamweight title; Kosei Tanaka 114.75, Christian Bacasegua 114.75 (for vacant WBO junior bantamweight title).
Weights from Orlando, Florida, for Matchroom Boxing’s card Saturday on DAZN (7 p.m. ET): Edgar Berlanga 167.8 pounds, Padraig McCrory 167.8; Andy Cruz 135, Brayan Zamarripa 135; Shakhram Giyasov 146.8, Pablo Cesar Cano 146.2 (WBA welterweight eliminator); Antonio Vargas 117.6, Jonathan Rodriguez 118 (WBA bantamweight eliminator); Yankiel Rivera 111.8, Andy Dominguez 111.6; Aaron Aponte 141, Joseph Fernandez 140.4; Herich Ruiz 223.4, Joshua Brice TBA.
Matchroom Boxing announced Friday that the bitter grudge rematch between former undisputed junior welterweight champion Josh Taylor and Jack Catterall, who lost by tremendously controversial decision to Taylor in February 2022, sold out less than a day after tickets went on sale for the fight on April 27 (ESPN+ in U.S., DAZN rest of world) at the First Direct Arena in Leeds, England. “The First Direct Arena in Leeds is completely sold out. The controversy of the first fight will be settled in an unbelievable night,” Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn said.
Overtime, which bills itself as a “builder of disruptive new sports leagues,” announced it will kick off is second year of OTX boxing events with the first of eight cards on March 29 (DAZN and Overtime social channels) at OTE Arena in Atlanta. In the main event of the six-fight card, bantamweight Elijah Pierce (18-2, 15 KOs), 27, of Oklahoma City, will face former world title challenger Arthur Villanueva (35-4-1, 20s KO), 35, of the Philippines, in an eight-rounder. In the co-feature, junior lightweight Haven Brady (11-0, 4 KOs), 22, of Albany, Georgia, meets Waldemir Areizaga (8-0, 4 KOs), 25, of Puerto Rico, in an eight-rounder.
Show and tell
After Jim Jeffries retired as heavyweight champion Marvin Hart stopped Jack Root in the 12th round to win the vacant title in a fight Jeffries refereed. Seven months later Hart, weighing 192 pounds, made his first defense against Canadian Tommy Burns, who was only 175 pounds, in Los Angeles. Hart was the favorite but Burns won a 20-round decision in bout judged only by referee Charles Eyton. According to newspaper reports, Hart showed the wear of a hard fight afterward with both eyes swollen, a bruised nose and a bloody mouth as the much smaller Burns dominated. The fight took place on Feb. 23, 1906 — 118 years ago on Friday. Here are cards of both (Burns on top, Hart underneath, names and bios are on the back) from the 1956 Adventure set in my collection.
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Photos: Berlanga-McCrory and Matias: Ed Mulholland/Matchroom Boxing; Santiago-Nakatani: Naoki Fukuda
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