By: Hans Themistode
Edgar Berlanga is attempting to keep his focus in one singular direction.
The New York born knockout artist is continuing his climb up the super middleweight ranks. With not one but two fight dates already placed on his schedule, the 24-year-old knows good and well that if he doesn’t take care of business against Marcelo Esteban Coceres on October 9th, then his second date two months later will be a moot point.
“Obviously we’re focused on October 9th,” said Berlanga during an interview with Cornerman Boxing. “If I don’t get the job done October 9th, then there’s then there’s no December 11th.”
Seemingly overnight, Berlanga went from your typical highly touted boxing prospect to a well-known superstar. Berlanga’s rise to fame stems from his propensity to not just register stoppage wins but to do so in the first round.
Berlanga came within shouting distance of record holder Tyrone Brunson who registered 19 consecutive first-round stoppage victories. Ultimately, Berlanga saw his streak come to an end at 16 in his last ring appearance against Demond Nicholson. While the heavy-handed New Yorker was forced to go the distance for the first time in his career, he believes that if he didn’t go head hunting and switched up his game plan, he would’ve had an early night.
“I know I could’ve got him out of there,” continued Berlanga. “I just didn’t go to the body, I didn’t utilize my jab more. If I went to the body early on, I think the body would’ve fallen.”
Berlanga’s first-round knockout streak may have fast-tracked him to the boxing spotlight, but he’s somewhat relieved that the pressure to keep it going is now off his shoulders.
“I always said you got a little weight on your shoulders because of the first-round knockout thing. Now, it’s out of the way, we ended the streak. I’m happy I went the distance and I showed that I have power in the later rounds.”
In Coceres, Berlanga faces one of his more durable opponents. In 33 professional fights, the Argentinian has been stopped just once. That would come in November of 2019 against former WBO titleholder, Billy Joe Saunders.
Although Berlanga admitted that he has a sense of relief that his unprecedented streak came to an end, the super middleweight prospect is looking forward to starting things back up all over again.
“Now I got those rounds in, I’m not looking to go rounds October 9th. No scorecards October 9th, or December 11th. I’m looking to start the streak over.”
