Edgar Berlanga looked very exhausted on Thursday ahead of today’s weigh-in for his title fight against WBA, WBC and WBO super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez this Saturday on Mexican Independence Day at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
It’s time for Berlanga to consider moving up to 175 because he’s too big for the 168-lb division. He is in the same boat as David Benavidez. He was also a giant at that weight before moving up to light heavyweight, where he belongs.
It will be interesting to know how much weight Berlanga puts on after he rehydrates for the fight on Saturday night. It wouldn’t be surprising if he weighed 190+ lbs, meaning Canelo would be fighting a small cruiserweight.
Even with Canelo’s far more talent and experience than Berlanga, it will be difficult for him to fight a young cruiserweight on Saturday. If Canelo didn’t include a rehydration limit in the contract for his fight with Berlanga, he dropped the ball because he should have seen how big he is for his fights.
If this fight is all about Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) getting a payday, you can’t blame him for that, but he’s clearly a true 175-pounder and should be fighting where he needs to be. All of those knockouts Berlanga scored at 168 was due to him being a light heavyweight with his frame.
If Berlanga moves up in weight to 175, those knockouts will dry up when he starts fighting guys his size who can take his power. Moving up to 175 would bring Berlanga to these sharks:
–David Morrell
– Arthur Beterbiev
– Dmitry Bivol
– Wily Hutchinson
– David Benavidez
– Anthony Yarde
– Wily Hutchinson
– Joshua Buatsi
– Craig Richards
Berlanga is a good fighter, but a big reason for that is his size. He doesn’t look like he belongs at 168 and probably should have moved up in weight six years ago.
Last updated on 13/09/2024
