Former number one contender Edgar Berlanga believes he is bigger than ever before, his fame wide-reaching and his popularity—enough to get him the sort of fights even his promoter Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing could not. ‘The Chosen One’ is coming off a fight against the real face of boxing Canelo Alvarez, a fight where the Puerto Rican descent took a pretty one-sided beating.
After getting dropped in the third round of the fight and thoroughly embarrassed by Canelo, Berlanga’s claim to fame remains his accomplishment of going the distance. He is currently scheduled to duel with Jonathan Gonzalez-Ortiz, a fighter who once took an 11-year break from boxing. And guess what? He isn’t even headlining the fight, a first for the Brooklyn-born boxer in recent years.
According to his statement in an interview with Tha Boxing Voice, he could have had a main event appearance, but it went against what he wanted. “We could have made a main event fight March 8th, we had the date,” he said. “Right after the Canelo fight, Puerto Rico wanted me to headline but you know how these promoters are. You know how business goes.”
If you didn’t know how the “business goes,” Berlanga revealed it! “They (Matchroom) wanted to extend the contract,” he added. “They wanted to give me a main event fight but they wanted to extend the contract for one more fight and we didn’t want to do it. We didn’t like the deal that they had on the table.” It sounds like there’s a disagreement between the fighter and his promoter, with Berlanga’s actions suggesting he is taking steps toward turning into a free agent.
LONDON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 30: Eddie Hearn, Boxing Promoter and Chairman of Matchroom Sport looks on prior to the WBC, IBF and Ring Magazine World Super-Lightweight title fight between Chantelle Cameron and Mary McGee at The O2 Arena on October 30, 2021 in London, England. (Photo by James Chance/Getty Images)
Amid all this, his promoter Eddie Hearn, who signed Berlanga to his promotion back in February 2023, has revealed Berlanga missed a huge comeback fight following his loss to Canelo while revealing what’s really going on behind the scenes. “When he fought Canelo Alvarez, he wanted a comeback fight… And the comeback fight really was not like a headline event. It was just—if I get beat, I want a chance just to have a quick win and then go into a big fight,” Hearn told Fight Hub TV.
“When he fought Canelo and did well and his profile rose, we then spoke to Edgar Berlanga and Keith Connolly about the possibility of headlining in Puerto Rico to do a different kind of deal, we spoke to DAZN, [but] we [ran] out of time,” Hearn added. He claimed with the new idea for a headlining fight for Berlanga not working out, they reverted back to the deal in their contract.
This means Edgar Berlanga just didn’t want a big fight and instead settled for a fight against an unknown opponent, missing out on a potentially big fight. Regardless, Hearn also reflected on the possibility that Berlanga would go elsewhere or become a free agent after his upcoming fight.
Eddie Hearn is ready to shake hands with Edgar Berlanga and say goodbye
You see, in the previously mentioned interview with Tha Boxing Voice, ‘The Chosen One’ didn’t just imply he wants to head toward being a free agent, he outright said it. “I’m a free agent after this fight,” Berlanga told the host of the show. “I’m free and that’s how I wanna be. I want to be a free agent. I don’t want anybody above me. I want to be right there with all the promoters now because I’m that type of caliber fighter now.”
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – AUGUST 05: Edgar Berlanga attends the Canelo Alvarez and Edgar Berlanga press conference on August 05, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Johnny Nunez/WireImage)
So, responding to this, Hearn clarified that if Berlanga wants to walk, “we’ve done the most incredible job for him. I’ll shake his hand and I’ll say good luck.” While Hearn hoped Berlanga would stay with Matchroom after the upcoming fight, he is choosing to honor their contract “instead of not giving him a fight at all.” If Berlanga chooses to stay with Matchroom, Hearn claimed after Berlanga defeats Jonathan Gonzalez-Ortiz, he will pit Berlanga against the likes of “Caleb Plant [and] Charlo.”
Having said that, it appears Edgar Berlanga’s days with Matchroom Boxing are numbered, with his upcoming bout being the last one in the deal. Berlanga seems to think he alone can land all the big fights and doesn’t need any help from Hearn. What is your opinion on that?
The post “[Ran] Out of Time”: Edgar Berlanga Missed a Huge Comeback Fight After Canelo Alvarez Loss as Contract Details Left Exposed appeared first on EssentiallySports.
