By: Sean Crose
The hard hitting Edgar Berlanga returned to the ring Saturday night to take on veteran Roamer Angulo in a scheduled 10 round affair at the Theater in Madison Square Garden. The super middleweight match was the main event of an ESPN card. The first was a feeling out process for both fighters while the second saw the 19-0 Berlanga employing looks and patience. The 27-2 Angulo pressured his man in the third. Berlanga was cool under fire, but there was no denying Angulo’s aggressive game plan. Angulo landed well in the fourth. Berlanga, however, was hitting and running to some effect (though it was hard not to notice the blood running out his nose).
Things remained somewhat plodding in the fifth. The sixth also saw things remain in their familiar pattern – with Angulo coming forward and Berlanga retreating and tossing off jabs. Angulo was able to catch his man in the seventh, but it wasn’t enough to do serious damage. Berlanga, on the other hand, appeared content to back up and jab. The undefeated fighter also appeared to take a bite out of Angulo’s neck. The eighth was largely uneventful.
Both fighters traded leather in the ninth. The tenth and final round was, like much of the fight, generally a less than thrilling affair. With that in mind, Berlanga did what he had to do to get the win, via a unanimous decision nod of approval from the judges.