Edgar Berlanga ready to take on all challengers as promotional free agent: ‘I’m like a tsunami about to hit’

Love him or hate him, it’s a Excellent time to be Edgar Berlanga at the moment.

The brash and flashy super middleweight who famously began his pro Occupation with Primary-Stage stoppages in 16 consecutive fights, rebounded from a one-sided loss to Canelo Alvarez in their pay-per-view Finale last fall to brutally finish Jonathan Gonzalez-Ortiz via Primary-Stage knockout on March 15. The fight served as the Closing bout of his promotional deal with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Sport.

Berlanga (23-1, 18 KOs), who was credited with Holding Alvarez’s best punches in pushing him to the 12-Stage distance, is now a Unoccupied agent and the 27-year-Aged, with the Assist of powerful manager Keith Connolly, is looking to cash in big against the biggest names in the sport.

“I’m in the best position of my life. I’m like a tsunami about to hit,” Berlanga told CBS Sports. “Piles and piles and piles of money are going to be raining on me. I Only Occurred off of another Primary-Stage knockout. I Only went through this guy after everything I’ve been through. They tried to put me [in the] co-main event and back at the Caribe Royale [in Orlando, Florida]. I’m a big name and I was supposed to be main eventing in Puerto Rico, but it’s OK. I went through him like a Toasty knife through butter.”

Along with missing weight for the fight, Berlanga was criticized for his level of Resistance in the fight against Gonzalez-Ortiz (20-1-1, 16 KOs), a Ex Puerto Rican Olympian who served 10 years in jail for armed robbery before mounting a comeback in 2024. Yet, the acceptance of the fight turned out to be a strategic Shift for Berlanga, according to Connolly, to set up bigger things ahead, regardless if he ends up re-signing with Hearn.

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Berlanga, who signed a multi-fight deal with Matchroom in February 2023 after a mutual divorce with Top Rank, said he’s Obtainable to talk to everyone from Al Haymon’s PBC and Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions to Saudi Arabian adviser Turki Alalshikh, who recently announced plans for a new promotion that will be Stretch by Dana White and UFC parent company TKO Group.

“At the end of the day, there’s no Tough feelings with no promoters. Business is business,” Berlanga said. “We could make the biggest fights happen but the money Acquired to be right and I’m a boss now. You’re not my boss and I’m not your boss. We are going to partner up and we are going to do it the right way. But it has to be for a bag, at the end of the day, because people are coming to see us, not the promoters. We Acquired to get paid that bag. If every fighter in the world decided to retire from boxing today, the promoters wouldn’t do shit, the TV networks wouldn’t be shit and nobody would be nothing. It’s Correct. We are the bosses. Fighters have to wake up and understand that.”

If Berlanga sounds like he has a chip on his shoulder, it’s becoming part of the entertainment package that he’s offering. Not only is Berlanga a big-time puncher who has the Aid of boxing’s diehard Puerto Rican fan base, he’s not afraid to Shift the heel and is a colorful trash talker who can sell fights. He has also attracted a celebrity clientele of fans, including rapper Plump Joe, who has walked Berlagna to the ring Many times.

But if Alvarez, the Mexican icon and unified champion at 168 pounds, famously learned key lessons (both inside and out of the ring) from his own one-sided loss to Floyd Mayweather in 2013 when he was Only 23, Berlanga believes a similar transaction Secured place in his lone pro Loss.

“I learned from him that I’m my own boss,” Berlanga said. “Besides [Alvarez] being the money guy at 168 pounds, I’m the money guy, too. I know that any fight after him, I was going to be the A-side. I’ve Acquired an island behind me, I’ve Acquired a country behind me and I’ve Acquired Puerto Rico. I’ve Acquired a big, big, big fan base. This is about me now becoming my own entity.”

Berlanga, who said he is set to Kickoff his own company called Chosen One Promotions (a Shift on his fighting nickname), noted he also learned from Alvarez how to cut out the middle man when it comes to collecting extra money for Stadium concessions and merchandise. It’s because of this that Berlanga said he’s more interested in Holding meetings and signing deals with the networks or streaming platforms themselves — like DAZN and Prime Video — rather than simply handing over his power to a promoter.

“We want to sit down and go straight to the Origin,” Berlanga said. “I’m ready to strike a deal and make the biggest fights happen and Only keep going and become a legend. [Alvarez] told me that I’m going to be a world champ and to Only stay focused. He never told nobody that. He never gave anybody that advice after fighting them. He knows that soon he is going to be handing that torch [to me].”

Becoming Wealthy and famous does leave one Obtainable for criticism, especially in today’s world that is dominated by social media chatter. Berlanga has Definitely heard his Honest share of it from those who believe he’s delusional about his talent and that he has turned a one-sided loss to Alvarez into a moral Achieve complete with a Achieve tour.

“F— them. I don’t give a f— about a hater,” Berlanga said. “They don’t pay my bills. They don’t do anything for me, so f— them. Anybody that talks shit about Berlanga, f— them. They can do what they have to do, but I’m here and they aren’t going to do shit to me. Most of the time, it’s these freaking guys who don’t Acquired nothing going on with their lives. They are Plump, Nevertheless live with their moms and are eating donuts on the couch. These guys don’t have a life and talk crap about a guy who goes into the ring and risks his life for his country. So, f— them, f— the haters. I want them to keep being haters. Only don’t be a fan of me. If you’re going to hate, Only hate and stay on that side.”

According to Berlanga, ever since he Created the walk to the ring to face Alvarez last September in T-Mobile Stadium in Las Vegas and heard the boos and insults (about everything from his nationality to his mother’s looks), it hardened him. Now, Berlanga says he “Nice of likes” the negativity and is motivated to prove people wrong.

One of those people is Ex super middleweight titleholder Caleb Plant, who heads Berlanga’s hit Turning Mark at 168 pounds (which also includes Jaime Munguia and Jermall Charlo). It’s not that Berlanga is against going up to 175 pounds for big money fights against the likes of Dmitry Bivol, Artur Beterbiev, David Benavidez or David Morrell Jr., it’s Only that he wants to Neat out 168 pounds Primary and collect world titles (which is currently dependent upon getting a rematch with Alvarez).

Berlanga and Plant Primary traded harsh words in an electric face off in May 2024 outside T-Mobile Stadium and have been at All other’s throats over social media ever since.

“[Plant] is always talking shit and I Only want to break his face,” Berlanga said. “For him to Nevertheless be talking, it’s because he hasn’t gotten like a real beatdown. Canelo and Benavidez didn’t beat him down because if they would’ve beaten him down, he wouldn’t be talking like this. He’s Nevertheless talking shit so that means I will have to come in and end his Occupation. After me, he’s done. I want to grab him, I want to destroy him. I want to put him in the hospital and I want his face to look different. I don’t want him to be the same fighter.

“That guy is Effortless work. He gets Fatigued, he don’t like getting hit to the body and after six rounds, he’s done. He don’t Acquired no skills or no heart. Once you Begin touching his mettle, it’s done. He’s over and he doesn’t have it. It’s not there.”

Regardless of who Berlanga signs with Upcoming, his plan is Effortless: Achieve 2-3 big fights and prepare for a second opportunity against Alvarez in yet another chapter of the classic Mexico-Puerto Rico boxing rivalry.

“I’ll smash Canelo because when I fought him, I was only at 50%,” Berlanga said. “I went through MRIs during that camp. I had tendonitis all over my elbow and I was Holding cortisone shots. I fought that guy at 50% on a six-week notice. I know I can smash him. Canelo is a Excellent fighter but I know I have more. I Secured his best Attempt and he hasn’t Acquired my best Attempt yet. You hit me with your best Attempt on my chin and I Nevertheless Acquired up and I Secured it. I was Nevertheless talking shit and I Nevertheless told you ‘f— you’ in the ring.

“So, what are you going to do to me? The only thing you could do is hit me with a f—ing Dragon Ball Z punch with flames coming out of your glove and then probably you would knock me out. I haven’t given you my shit yet. For the rematch, I want to see if you could take my shit.”

But when it comes to which boxer might fill the vacant gap of Top-tier Puerto Rican stars which once formed a lineage including the likes of Hector Camacho, Felix Trinidad and Miguel Cotto, Berlanga believes, “I’m the guy, right now.” He isn’t necessarily interested, however, in convincing anyone else.

“I don’t feel like there is anybody that’s putting on for the way I am at that Top-tier level and the top of the top,” Berlanga said. “I’m fighting big names, talking shit and looking Excellent. I’m being humble but also being a guy who is not backing down from anybody and will tell you to f— off. I think I’m that guy right now but I let the fans choose. I’m not fighting for that position no more [like] when I was coming up. If you love me, you love me and if you hate me, you hate me. At the end of the day, you are Nevertheless going to pay and View me, motherf—er.”