Promoter Eddie Hearn is interested in Diego Pacheco vs. the recently beaten Edgar Berlanga. The winner of a Berlanga-Pacheco fight will be in prime position to challenge for a world title against superstar Canelo Alvarez. This is the fight Berlanga wants after losing to Canelo via a 12-round unanimous decision last Saturday night at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
(Credit: Rey Del Rio/Premier Boxing Champions)
Hearn states that Berlanga (22-1, 17 KOs) is now the second most popular fighter in the 168-lb division. However, to continue to be the #2 fighter in the super middleweight division, he needs to keep the momentum going by fighting a talented top shelf contender like Diego Pacheco (22-0, 18 KOs).
Berlanga has never beaten a true top-five contender during his eight-year professional career, and fighting Pacheco would give him that opportunity.
Pacheco is ranked #1 WBO, #4 IBF, and #4 WBC. He scored a sixth-round knockout victory over veteran Maciej Sulecki on August 31 and looked impressive in that fight. Pacheco’s power, size and hitting combination make him a formidable presence for anyone in the division.
With his tremendous cruiserweight-sized frame, Berlanga would have a huge weight advantage over the lanky Pacheco. Assuming Berlanga enters the ring weighing around 193 pounds on fight night, Pacheco will have to figure out how to handle that size for 12 rounds. Diego couldn’t rely on knocking out Berlanga as he showed in his fight against Canelo last weekend that he can take even the biggest punches of a super middleweight.
“Diego (Pacheco) is a young fighter with something to prove, but Edgar (Berlanga) just fought Canelo Alvarez, and his stock has really risen. I think Diego will chase Berlanga. All young fighters should be chasing Edgar Berlanga,” said Eddie Hearn at the post-fight press conference last Saturday night.
Hearn also mentioned that he wants to play Berlanga against Caleb Plant and Jaime Munguia. It’s unclear how soon Hearn would want Berlanga to fight either of those two, but neither is likely in his plans for his next fight. Ideally, Berlanga needs some sort of confidence-boosting opponent for his next fight to bring him back and get the fans used to seeing him win again.
Hearn needs to pick a contender the fans have heard of and is not considered a soft touch for Berlanga’s next fight.
Options for Berlanga’s next fight:
– Trevor McCumby
– Sergiy Derevyanchenko
– Bektemir Melikuziev
– Demetrius Andrade
– Kevin Lele Sadjo
Eddie Hear about what’s next for Edgar Berlanga#CaneloBerlanga pic.twitter.com/L2g0aV5moD
— Sal Arteaga (@sal__arteaga) September 15, 2024
