Canelo Alvarez vs. Edgar Berlanga is not the blockbuster matchup some might expect to see Saturday during the festive Mexican Independence Day weekend. Instead of facing David Benavidez in the fight the boxing world wants to see, pitting the unified super middleweight champion against the man who has been his mandatory challenger for two years, Canelo chose Berlanga as his foe in a fight that feels more like a financial move than a competitive one.
While undefeated, Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) is an inexperienced contender who has only a puncher's chance against Canelo. A knockout win for Berlanga seems far-fetched, as Canelo's chin is nothing short of granite. Canelo has never been down as a professional, and the last time he was hurt was in his win against Jose Miguel Cotto in May 2010. In addition, his experience is monumentally far above Berlanga's. Canelo will be fighting in his 42nd 12-rounder and his 25th fight for at least one major world title. He's fought three Hall of Famers and two future first-ballot Hall of Famers.
ESPN ranks Berlanga as the fifth-best super middleweight in the world, coming off the biggest win of his career against Padraig McCrory via sixth-round KO in February. It was Berlanga's first KO in two years, after starting his career with 16 consecutive first-round KO wins. In today's boxing, title shots are often handed out even to fighters coming off losses. In contrast, a fighter can be rated as a No. 1 contender and still not get a title shot. Champions frequently choose low-hanging fruit -- low-risk opponents, prioritizing financial gain over competitive matchups. This trend diminishes the prestige of championship opportunities.
Canelo-Berlanga is definitely about business. I question whether Berlanga could even beat some of the other contenders in his division, fighters such as Caleb Plant, Diego Pacheco, Christian Mbilli and Jamie Munguia. Canelo, even on the tail end of his career, is a tall task for the Puerto Rican. Berlanga will likely be a student, just like Munguia was when he fought Canelo back in May.
Let's look at the Canelo vs. Berlanga matchup, what each fighter does well and their chances to win.