Promoter Eddie Hearn has put a positive spin on Edgar Berlanga’s loss to Canelo Alvarez, suggesting he is now the second most popular super middleweight contender following his “even” defeat last Saturday night in Las Vegas.
Hearn says Berlanga (22-1, 17 KOs) was “frustrating” unified super middleweight champion Canelo (62-2-2, 39 KOs) with his ring IQ. Canelo was frustrated, but for a different reason than Berlanga’s ring IQ. He was upset by the headbutts, low blows, rabbit punches and illegal straight hands Berlanga was using.
Berlanga seemed to be there just to get through the night and didn’t fight until the 12th round. In the remaining rounds, Berlanga seemed too scared to throw his power punches, fearing he would be countered by Canelo again. After Berlanga was knocked down in the third round, he played it protected, landing mostly jabs.
Hearn and the regular boxing fans celebrated Berlanga afterwards just because he got knocked out, but they didn’t have the insight to see that he was just trying to survive, not win. He was there to fight 12 rounds.
Matchroom promoter Hearn tries to create a false image that Berlanga fought heroically, but that is not true. He was less impressive than Canelo’s previous opponent, Jaime Munguia, who fought harder and won four rounds in May. Munguia was braver.
“He never looked like he was underperforming there. We got beat by a legend, but the rounds were always close,” Eddie Hearn said during press conference after the fightpraising his fighter Edgar Berlanga after his loss to Canelo Alvarez.
The fight was only close because Canelo didn’t have the size or gas tank to finish Berlanga due to his massive 6’1″, 193-pound frame going into the fight. If Canelo’s conditioning had been better, he would have knocked Berlanga out in the fourth round because he was there to stop him if only he could connect instead of just loading up on singles.
“For me, those were the boxes he ticked. The invincible chin. He took every punch from Canelo Alvarez’s artillery. The knockdown was an incredible left hook. It was such a lightning-fast knockdown. He wasn’t really hurt the whole fight,” Hearn said.
Berlanga’s 193-pound weight is the reason he could take Canelo’s punches. When a lithe heavyweight faces a super middleweight, they can withstand punches a lot better than when they’re competing in their natural weight class.
If you put Berlanga with lithe heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev, we’ll see how good his chin is. Of course, Berlanga will never fight Beterbiev because his management is too calculating to risk putting him with someone who would knock him out and cut off the spigot of the oil well that pumps that black gold.
“Even when he got dropped, he came back, he threw punches and people loved it. His ring IQ, we knew, was better than people expected, he was good and he frustrated Canelo Alvarez at times,” Hearn said.
Berlanga got back up from a third-round knockdown and just took the punishment for the rest of the fight, playing it protected. He used a lot of illegal, brutal tactics that enraged Canelo, so he was frustrated with him.
“Like I told him before. He secured his whole life [with millions] and his family’s life forever at such a juvenile age, and that’s just the beginning because right now you have to say he’s number one in the division, outside of Canelo Alvarez, and there are huge fights for him,” Hearn said of Berlanga.
Berlanga is more popular because of his fan base in Modern York than other contenders in the 168-pound division, but he is far from a talent. However, Berlanga is not a true super middleweight. He is a lithe heavyweight who comes down to 168 pounds to compete with smaller fighters.
Berlanga is another David Benavidez type who likes to lose weight, but he’s less about talent and more about self-promotion [Read: out of touch braggart]and has a shorter shelf life. Needs more protection than Benavidez.
“I almost feel like he’s a modern signing because we knew he was a huge star before, but now I feel like we have one of the biggest stars in the division. I think the comeback trail and the comeback plan is going to be really frigid,” Hearn said.
When Hearn says “comeback trail” it’s code for feeble opponents like the ones he was matched up against to build his 22-0 record in order to earn Canelo a payday. Hearn is selling a phony product to the public, trying to make himself look better than he is. Berlanga is the equivalent of fool’s gold and only naive fans believe he is real 24k gold.
Berlanga is not a modern star, and Hearn will not be able to turn him into a steady money maker, like an oil well that pumps out black gold for years. Without protecting Berlanga by matching him with pliable opposition that fans will not get excited about, he will lose if Hearn matches him with good opposition.
When I say “Good”, I don’t mean Caleb Plant, Diego Pacheco, Jaime Munguia and Christian Mbilla. Berlanga will lose to those guys. If Hearn puts Berlanga in a fight with a high-caliber fighter like David Benavidez, David Morrell or Osleys Inglesias, he’ll get knocked out.
Former unified lightweight champion George Kambosos approached promoter Eddie Hearn asking for more massive fights.
Kambosos has signed a co-promotional deal with Eddie Hearn, under which the Greek-Australian slugger will continue his association with DiBella Entertainment Inc. and his own company, Ferocious Promotions.
The 21-3 star will move up to the super lightweight division of Matchroom Boxing’s lively division. He aims to become a two-weight world champion in early 2025, and as part of the deal, a title fight is promised as long as he continues to win.
Since his stunning victory over Teofimo Lopez, Kambosos has never shied away from competing against the best. Those three losses on his resume came to Devin Haney [twice] and Vasily Lomachenko, all at home and all for world titles.
The 31-year-old is now set to face compatriot Liam Paro after defending his IBF title against Richardson Hitchins in December in Puerto Rico.
“I am thrilled to be working with Matchroom Boxing. I am excited to have signed a three-way promotional cooperation agreement with my long-time promoter DiBella Entertainment Inc. and Ferocious Promotions,” Kambosos said.
“I made great success and history when I moved up the Matchroom shows by winning my UK elimination fight against Lee Selby. The most noteworthy and unforgettable is my victory against Teofimo at Madison Square Garden in Up-to-date York to become the 135-pound world champion.
“I am officially announcing that I will be moving up to 140 pounds and signing with Matchroom will ensure my continued success and the legacy I want to leave in the sport of boxing.”
Hearn, who adds an experienced campaigner to his stable, added: “I am delighted to welcome George to the team. George’s victory over Teofimo tore up the script and showed that George was the man for the massive time. He has proven to be a huge attraction in Australia and one of the real driving forces behind the rapid growth of boxing Down Under.
“The 140-pound division is full of massive names and massive potential fights. Adding George to the mix only elevates the level, and a possible fight with Liam Paro is a truly appetizing prospect. If Liam manages to win in a great fight against Richardson on December 7th [the fight could be on].
Lou DiBella, who has worked with Kambosos for years, said: “I’m glad I was able to make a deal with my antique buddy Eddie to work with George Kambosos Jr. and Ferocious Promotions.
“Throughout his career, George has been a fighter who has never shied away from a challenge, and now he wants to test himself against top junior welterweights.
Matchroom works with top 140-pounders, including George’s compatriot Liam Paro, and, like DiBella Entertainment, is heavily invested in Australia.
“It’s a natural partnership,” added the Up-to-date Yorker.
One of the hottest topics surrounding Mike Tyson’s return at the age of 58 was the possibility of the boxing legend scoring a knockout of Jake Paul.
WBN has weighed in on this topic several times, questioning the validity of five-second training clips that revealed nothing about Tyson’s abilities at this overdue age. One of the most intriguing observations during the preparations was the opinion of UFC commentator Daniel Cormier.
Speaking on his show “Funky and the Champ,” Cormier reflected on Tyson’s social media videos and offered an informed opinion on the meaning of the clips.
“I understand that [he is in amazing shape at 58]and I understand what he is saying [he feels as though he can compete]– Cormier said. “And I agree that when he hits the pads with Rafael Cordeiro, it looks like there’s still something left in him.
“But then I watch Jake Paul fight Mike Perry. I saw Jake Paul get overwhelmed to the point where he started to feel uncomfortable. It looked like Mike Perry had a chance. But Jake has a reserve tank he can go to and benefit from because he’s 28 years ancient. Then he comes back and finally finishes Mike Perry.
“At the beginning of the fight, Mike Perry gets beaten up and dropped. He looks trained and unmatched. This worries me because what if it looks like a 58-year-old man fighting a 28-year-old man while Mike can’t employ the backup tank to stay and compete with this newborn kid? I think it’s a failure for Jake Paul because if you beat Mike Tyson, everyone will love him.
He added: “What if Mike knocks him out? It’s over. Everything is ready. This would be the backfire of all time. If he gets knocked out, nothing like that has ever happened in the history of the sport.”
Unfortunately for Tyson, this revenge backfired spectacularly, as the former heavyweight champion’s return was the only event that bombed. Tyson had nothing left twenty years after he had nothing left in his tank and no desire to box in his mind.
Paul parlayed this into a money-making scheme that would forever be a success for him and his company, but would be poorly received by the die-hard boxing fraternity.
Cormier’s words resonate, especially after what happened in the ring when Mike Tyson struggled to shift into first gear, warning former fighters thinking about returning after 50.
Lauren Price MBE will defend her world title for the first time on Saturday, December 14 at the Exhibition Center in Liverpool, while the Welsh champion plans to stage an all-British unification clash with welterweight rival Natasha Jonas, which will headline the Collision Course that night.
Price defends her WBA welterweight title against undefeated Colombian challenger Bexcy Mateus on the same night as Jonas attempts to unify the IBF and WBC titles with Ivana Habazin as part of BOXXER’s ‘Collision Course’ fight night, which can be seen live and exclusively on Sky Sports in the UK UK and Ireland and Peacock in the US.
Price MBE (7-0, 1 KO) made history with an excellent performance, defeating former undisputed welterweight world ruler Jessica McCaskill in front of her fans in Cardiff in May.
Price, the first Welsh boxer to win Olympic gold, once again entered the record books by becoming the country’s first world champion in just her seventh professional fight. The 30-year-old from Ystrad Mynach, who has yet to lose a round as a professional, will now defend her world titles for the first time as she focuses on dominating the welterweight division.
Mateus (7-0, 6 KO), ranked No. 5 in the WBA rankings, is undefeated in the professional ranks and has won all but one of her seven fights by knockout. The 29-year-old from Bogota, fighting outside her native Colombia for the first time, will now have her first chance at global fame, with her goal to dethrone Price and take the top spot in the welterweight division.
Lauren Price said: “I’m excited to defend my belts and complete what has been an crucial year for me. I have full respect for Mateusz. I will prove that I am the best in the division and I will not let anything or anyone stand in my way of being undisputed.”
BOXXER Founder and CEO Ben Shalom said: “It’s a massive night for the women’s welterweight division with three world champions competing. Natasha Jonas returns to her hometown for a mandatory unification fight against Ivana Habazin, and Lauren Price defends her world titles against undefeated challenger Bexcy Mateus. The fight for the undisputed continues. If Natasha and Lauren win on December 14, it will set the stage for a massive “Battle Of Britain” world title unification fight next year.
There’s reason to celebrate as BOXXER delivers a Christmas cracker to end the year. In addition to the world championship fights between Natasha Jonas and Lauren Price, fight fans can expect a gala full of drama and entertainment.
Undefeated Irishman Stephen McKenna (15-0, 14 KO) will face English champion Lee Cutler (14-1, 7 KO) in an invigorating super welterweight fight for the silver WBC International title.
McKenna impressed fans in his three-round fight against Joe Laws last August at Oakwell Stadium in Barnsley. The two struck out in the first round, then McKenna began to apply the pressure, losing Laws three more times and maintaining his undefeated record after a third-round stoppage.
English cruiserweight champion Viddal Riley (11-0, 6 KO) returns to action from a rib injury that has kept him out of the ring since a career-best victory over Mikael Lawal in March. Riley will be looking to shake off the ring rust as he takes on high-profile opponents in the recent year.
Undefeated Chorley super middleweight Mark Jeffers (18-0, 5 KO) scored an explosive fifth-round knockout victory over Darren Johnston in May and will be looking to bring more drama to Liverpool’s Exhibition Center as he goes in search of his 19th professional win.
Mason Cartwright (20-4-1, 8 KO) from Cheshire, a former two-time British title challenger from Ellesmere Port, will be counting on local support as he returns to the title track.
After signing a promotional contract with BOXXER, local star Frankie Stringer (8-0, 1 KO) can achieve his third victory in 2024, when he returns in front of his fans in Liverpool. The 23-year-old lightweight fighter is a player of the notable city team Rotunda ABC, and his manager is former world champion Liam Smith.
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