By: Hans Themistode
The opening act of Edgar Berlanga’s career went better than expected. The Puerto Rican native hollered loudly following 16 consecutive first-round knockouts, before screaming, “I’m a monster.”
Yet, with each concussive victory, Berlanga was slowly but assuredly placing more pressure on his broad shoulders. Admittedly, Berlanga responded well. Against Demond Nicholson, although Berlanga was pushed past the first round for the first time in his career, he knocked his man down multiple times, en route to a lopsided win. However, against Marcelo Esteban Coceres, Berlanga was sent crashing down to the canvas before scoring the win.
Several months later, Berlanga picked up a sloppy, yet clear, unanimous decision against Steve Rolls. With the 25-year-old anxious to not only maintain his undefeated record but do so in violent fashion, he was given an unwilling participant in Alexis Angulo.
Berlanga couldn’t help but smile as he made his way through his fellow Puerto Ricans at Madison Square Garden’s Hulu Theater. Moments later, Berlanga’s joyous attitude turned demonic as he stepped to the middle of the ring for the opening round. Angulo, undeterred by the roaring crowd, happily traded blows with the overly eager 25-year-old.
As Anuglo pushed the pace of the fight, Berlanga attempted to hold his ground, uncorking several wide-winging right hands. At the tail end of the first, he seemed to buzz Angulo with a stinging left hand. Aching to pick up where he left off, Berlanga came out aggressive to start the second. However, while he found a home for his right hand, Angulo made him pay, landing numerous uppercuts on the inside.
Berlanga, to his credit, seemed unfazed by the offensive onslaught of Angulo and baited him to move in. With the former title holder lunging forward, Berlanga landed a near picture-perfect right hand. Still, despite his precision, Angulo continued to march full steam ahead.
In the fifth, a visibly weary Berlanga plodded to the center of the ring. A clear pep in the step of Angulo was evident as he roughed up his much younger man on the inside. The 38-year-old pinned Berlanga up against the ropes and teed off, much to the chagrin of the pro-Berlanga crowd.
As the up-and-coming 168-pound prospect began tiring, he looked cautiously at the referee as Angulo buried his head into his chest in an attempt to make it a rough and rugged fight.
A seemingly exasperated Berlanga sauntered out of his corner in the seventh. With Angulo once again landing pernicious blows on his man, Berlanga did his best to box on the back foot. At times, the normally aggressive 168-pound prospect tagged Angulo with a head-snapping jab, forcing his loyal fans to rise to their feet and cheer him on vehemently.
In the eighth, Angulo was consistent in his attack. He placed his hands up high and smiled as Berlanga’s blows bounced innocuously off his gloves. When given the opportunity, Angulo found his range and pounded Berlanga against the ropes. It was much of the same in the ninth and 10th, as Berlanga tried desperately to change the momentum of the fight.
In the waning seconds of the final round, Berlanga angled out of Angulo’s way on numerous occasions, opting to play it safe. But, as the final bell rang, Berlanga stepped directly in front of Angulo, mouthing off while attempting to head butt his man. The two were then separated by their opposing corners and led to the center of the ring.
Both Berlanga and Angulo waited patiently for the final tally. During the protracted delay, Berlanga rose his hands confidently while flexing at the crowd. Moments later, he was given a reason to smile as he handed a lopsided unanimous decision victory.