By: Hans Themistode
Although Edgar Berlanga is still making a name for himself in the super middleweight division, The Athletic’s 2020 prospect of the year appears to be ready to take a humongous leap forward.
In what many expected to be a one-sided affair, IBF titlist Caleb Plant dominated former belt holder Caleb Truax at the Shrine Exposition Center, in Los Angeles California. At no point during their showdown did Plant find himself even remotely in any sort of trouble. Despite winning every single round, Berlanga was seemingly unimpressed with his efforts.
In fact, the hard puncher from New York City even offered to take on Plant whenever he would like.
“That fight was cute,” said Plant via Twitter. “Let me know when you ready to get kissed by these fist.”
For Berlanga, if he were somehow able to skip the line and jump right into a contest with Plant, it would be considered a major step up in competition for the 23-year-old.
At the moment, Berlanga (16-0, 16 KOs) has yet to face anyone in the top 15 of the 168-pound division, let alone someone the caliber of Plant. But while Berlanga is still attempting to build his resume, he has seemingly captured the attention of most of the boxing public. The reason for his growing fanbase is simple, the Puerto Rican native hits unbelievably hard.
Currently, Berlanga has yet to find an opponent who can make it out of the first round. Regardless of the quick outcomes of his contests, Berlanga has stated on numerous occasions that he is more than just a power puncher.
Although he may have called for a showdown with Plant (21-0, 12 KOs), the IBF champion has his eyes set on WBA, WBC and Ring magazine titlist, Canelo Alvarez. With Plant successfully defending his world title last night, and with Alvarez penciled in to take on mandatory challenger Avni Yildirim followed by WBO champion Billy Joe Saunders, the two are seemingly headed towards an undisputed matchup should everything fall into place.
As for what’s next for Berlanga, he has set his sights on a possible showdown with fringe contender Gabe Rosado.