By: Hans Themistode
At one point, fans would sit on the edge of their seats as the opening bell rang to signify the beginning of an Edgar Berlanga contest.
No matter how hard his opponents ultimately tried, they all succumbed to his relentless pressure and concussive knockout power in the very first round. However, as of late, Berlanga’s propensity for knockouts has dissipated. In three consecutive contests, Berlanga has been forced to enlist the help of the three judges sitting ringside, as all three of his opponents have reached the final bell.
This past weekend, Berlanga was confident in his ability to get back to his knockout winning ways. The 24-year-old super middleweight contender took his first step up in competition, matching up against journeymen, Steve Rolls. While Berlanga would ultimately go on to pick up the victory, he failed to either drop Rolls or secure the finish.
Regardless of his somewhat lackluster results, Berlanga has taken notice of one fighter, in particular, David Benavidez. With the newly turned 25-year-old mentioning Berlanga as a possible future opponent, the New York native agrees with his statement. Provided, of course, the financial ramifications meet his requirements.
“That fight is in the near future,” said Berlanga to FightHype.com. “The promotion has to be right, the business has to be right.”
Aside from the monetary reasons, Berlanga believes a matchup against Benavidez is a bit too soon compared to where he is from a developmental standpoint. Benavidez, while only one year older than Berlanga, has undoubtedly fought higher levels of opposition.
In addition to his stellar resume, Benavidez has also wrapped his waist with super middleweight gold on two separate occasions. On May 21st, Benavidez will look to do so once again as he takes on David Lemieux for the WBC interim title.
With Berlanga coming off a closer than expected win against Rolls, the New York native will look to bank a bit more experience before challenging himself against a name such as Berlanga.
“I gotta get a couple more fights in, a couple more rounds in. He already been at that pinnacle plenty of times. For me, I just gotta wiggle my way through, get that experience and the fight can be done.”