By: Hans Themistode
2021 didn’t go exactly the way Edgar Berlanga was expecting.
During the first four years of Berlanga’s career, judges were given the night off. No matter who the New York native entered the ring against, he quickly and violently ended his bouts. Most notably, Berlanga had earned a reputation as being one of boxing’s most deleterious punchers, stopping his first 16 opponents in the first round.
For the first time in his career, however, Berlanga was forced to go the distance against Demond Nicholson in the first half of 2021. At the tail end of the year, Berlanga was faced with even more adversity, eking out a close unanimous decision against fringe contender Marcelo Esteban Coceres.
During the bout, Berlanga hit the deck for the first time in his young career. Also, to make matters worse, the heavy-hitting 168 pound prospect suffered a torn bicep. With the injury healing well, Berlanga is now set to return to the ring against arguably the most difficult opponent of his career.
As first reported by BoxingScene.com, Berlanga will headline at Madison Square Garden’s Hulu Theater in New York against Steve Rolls on March 19th.
Although the Canadian native was thoroughly defeated at the hands of Gennadiy Golovkin, Rolls has brushed off the stoppage defeat to register back-to-back knockout victories of his own. Most recently, Rolls carefully dissected journeymen Christopher Brooker on December 17th, 2021, stopping him in the ninth round.
Should Berlanga return to his destructive ways, Top Rank, the promotional banner in which Berlanga fights under, could place him in position to increase his star power.
On Sunday, June 12th, the streets of Manhattan in New York will be filled with Berlanga’s Puerto Rican countrymen in celebration of the Puerto Rican Day Parade. One day prior, Top Rank could place Berlanga in the main event once again to accentuate his growing audience.