Speaker 1: Well, it's my great pleasure to welcome into our podcast.
This week it's the super middleweight undefeated contender Edgar Berlanga
and Edgar, we're here to talk about you have the
biggest fight of your career coming up September fourteenth. It's
the main event on the PBC on Prime kay per
View at the T Mobile Arena and you'll be taking
on the superstar unified super middleweight world champion Canelo Alvarez.
It's a huge fight for you for your career. Welcome
to the show. Thank you very much for doing this.
Speaker 2: Thank you, thank you.
Speaker 1: I appreciated that you bet Edgar. So listen, you know
I was I was thinking back when, way back when.
Not way back, but in twenty twenty three. You know,
you had become a free agent from top rank and
you and your manager at Keith Connelly, we're talking to
different promoters about, you know, your future career path. You
wound up signing with Eddie Hearn and Mattroom Boxing, and
this was always the fight wherever you signed. This was
the fight that was on your mind, was on Keith's
mind thinking that they could make this happen. That Canelo
at that moment was with with Mattroom not anymore, but
they still do plenty of business with all the different promoters.
So my question is, back then this was like a
dream to get this kind of fight. Now that it's
here and it's happening, like, how surreal is it that
you actually got it?
Speaker 2: It feels good, man.
Speaker 3: You know, I'm just living my dream of what we've
been doing for for for the the past twenty years.
You know, we got to the point, we got to
the pinnacle of the boxing. You know, were at the
mountain now and it's about it's about defeeing the life now,
you know, and taking his spot and becoming the new
superstar of you know, of boxing in the face of boxing.
You know, I know I got what it takes to
become that, you know, the skills, the will to stardom,
the charisma, the look, ticket sales. I got the whole package,
you know. So I feel like now, you know, he
already did his time. You know, for me, his time
is done. You know, I think he's already going out
that doorway. You know, he has his millions already, he
don't got none to prove them on the squorter box,
and he's going to go down in history as one
of the greatest Mexican champions, you know.
Speaker 2: So with that being said, you know I'm young, I'm
the young line coming in now.
Speaker 3: You know I'm the young blood coming in, and you know,
I gotta make my mom, you know, and mark my
tell till in the quarter boxing.
Speaker 1: So I know. I mentioned that this was the talk
when you became a free agent, that you guys were
looking for this fight. But I've heard you say that
even way back when you first turned professional, all the
way back in twenty sixteen, that at that time Canello
was middleweight champion. He was already an established star, but
you were just turning pro. But even all the way
back then, in your mind you thought, you know what,
maybe someday I can line up with Canelo Alvarez and
get that kind of fight, which you've got now. So
I'm actually interested when you found out that you finally
got to fight. Whenether either Eddie called you or Keith
called you, and you found out, you know what you
got Canelo, We're good, that deal's done. September fourteenth, What
was your reaction? What was your thought after all those
years of thinking this might happen someday, hoping it would
happen day.
Speaker 2: My first thing was that we did it. You know,
I've been talking.
Speaker 3: About this fight for years, for about five years now,
you know, even when I first turned pro and I
say and I was like, Dan, that's gonna be a
that could be a mega fight, you know if I
keep going. While I'm keep doing what I'm doing, you know,
winning and spectacular fashion. I was knocking people out in
the first round, I was like, that's gonna be a
mega fight for the Sporter Box in Mexico, support of Reco.
And you know, we got it, man, Like, It's an
amazing feeling of be in this position.
Speaker 2: You know. Now it's just we got it. You know,
the job is not over here. You know, it's a
difference when you got it. A lot of fighters are
just happy with.
Speaker 3: Just getting in the fight, you know, because they're getting
paid and they getting a little fame. You know, if
this but I'm trying to I'll look at the long
run like I'm trying to do what he's doing.
Speaker 2: You know, I want to do thirty more of these,
you know, these rodeos.
Speaker 3: You know where we're going to. I'm flying my next
fight up. We're doing the same thing we having different
press con call. I'm ready for it, man, like you know,
ready to sell a fight, ready to fight, ready to
get the fans what they want, ready to entertainment. You know,
I'm a guy that that brings us a tainment to
the sport. So you know, I'm just I'm happy, man.
Like you know, just getting that call was just amazing
and it was like, Yo, we really did it, man,
you know, and Oz's got to take the opportunity and
make the best of it and you know, become a
lessond in the sport now.
Speaker 1: I know that in the in the in the time
trying to get the deal done, which making these types
of fights is never easy. And I keep in touch
with Keith, your manager, Keith Connley, and we talked about it,
and you know, he was saying that they're working hard
to get it done. I know how how hard he
worked to make this deal happen. He does that for
all of us fighters. But I wonder what is what
is he meant to your career in terms of being
able to not just guide you from the early days
of your pro career, but to get you to this
point where you know, you ended up getting the biggest
fight you could possibly.
Speaker 2: Get say it again the last question.
Speaker 1: Just in terms of what Keith meant to you getting
you to this point where you're doing your job by
winning your fights. But he had to do all the
a lot of the hard heavy lifting in the in
the deal making to make this happen. I know how
hard he worked for it to get it for you.
Speaker 2: Yeah, you know, I mean yeah, man.
Speaker 3: You know, Keith is the goal bro Keith is Keith
is the best, not one of the best. For me,
He's the best manager in the boxing game right now.
Speaker 2: Shout out to Keith Conley.
Speaker 1: Man.
Speaker 2: You know, he did his groundwork obviously. You know, it
takes a team to be successful in the sport of boxing.
Speaker 3: You know, I did my work, but he did his work,
you know, and he put in his label and I
think that he did a tremendous job. You know, he
didn't stop fighting, you know, as much as probably people
gave up because you know, probably that they thought he
was going to kind of was going in a different
route of different directions. You know, he kept he kept
his foot on the guys. You know, he kept his
foot on the next you know, in the boxing world,
and just kept pushing his fighting pushing the fus. You know,
obviously I did what I had to do my last fight.
You know, I knocked Patrick mc koree out in a
spectacular fashion, you know, and then he went in and
he did his little ground work and you know, everything.
Speaker 2: Just we just put the puzzles together. Man. And you
know you.
Speaker 1: Mentioned the McCrory fight. I wanted to ask you about
that because that had been a fight where you hadn't
had you had on that great knockout streak in the
first round at the beginning of your professional career that
lasted for a while, knocking everybody out, and then you
went on a little bit of a stretch there where
for five fights in a row there was no knockout.
A lot of people sorted to question you about where's
the power and you know, where's the spectacular knockouts that
he was scoring. And so when you got the McCrory fight,
a lot of the conversation was, if you're going to
land this fight with Canelo, we need to see a
knockout from Edgar Berlanga. I think Mattroom and Eddie they
kind of put that pressure on you a little bit.
Did How was it going into that fight did you
feel the pressure like I got this potential huge fight
that I might get, but I got to really shine
against McRory. Did you feel that pressure and feel like
you needed to impress with a knockout in that fight.
Speaker 2: I didn't care about the knockout. I wasn't thinking about
I got to knock this guy out. I just was
thinking about I.
Speaker 3: Just got to go out there and just look my best,
you know, and do and do my best and out
there and just shocked the world, you.
Speaker 2: Know, and just really go out there and really show
people I still got power. You know. I was away
from my coach Mark for right for four and.
Speaker 3: A half years, So that's why I went on that little,
that little.
Speaker 2: That little drought way.
Speaker 3: I wasn't knocking nobody out, you know, because Mark is
a guy that knows me. He's the one that built me.
He built the monsters. So obviously, you see what happened
once I got with him.
Speaker 2: Even through the injuries, he fought quickly, and I dropped
quickly like four or five times, you know.
Speaker 3: And then I came and I fought mccorey and fucking
blasted mc kobe out in five rounds.
Speaker 1: That uh, that quickly. Fight probably could have been stopped
if you ask me, but that's that's yeah.
Speaker 2: And we was facing a lot of injuries. That was
my first fight back with.
Speaker 3: Mark, for right, only had like three months to train
with Mark, and that was me four years without being
with him.
Speaker 2: So Mark was.
Speaker 3: Trying to like take a lot of bad habits that
I built over the years without being with him, you know,
And he was trying to get me back into sort.
Speaker 2: Of where he wanted me to. And you've seen the results.
You know, I grabbed freaking quickly. I busted him up nasty,
you know.
Speaker 3: Plus I was facing a lot of injuries that camp,
you know, like I had like two big major injuries
that I could have pulled out from the fight if
I wanted to.
Speaker 2: You know. And I was like, nowh fucking the fighters sold,
they're ready to tickets. It sold. We got to fight,
you know. So and you see what happened with that.
Speaker 3: And then I came and you staid right back in
the gym at work and can't working a grab for me,
and I blasted.
Speaker 2: Him out, all right.
Speaker 1: So and so now you got the big one. You
got to fight with Canelo Alvarez, and I just was
curious because one of the big selling points in terms
of the way they're marketing the fight and the way
that you guys spoke about it during the press tour
that you had, uh is it's Mexico versus Puerto Rico,
and that's obviously one of the great rivalries in boxing.
There's been great fights between people from those places. And
I wonder, what is it like for you to be
part of now this great rivalry to fight. You're the
Puerto Rican, You're fighting the number one Mexican. How is
it for you to follow in the footsteps of so
many of the great fights that have taken place between
the top Puerto Rican fighters and the top Mexican fighters.
Speaker 2: It feels amazing.
Speaker 3: I mean for me, you know, this fight for shows
going down in the history books, you know, So I'm excited.
Speaker 2: Man. You know, we already made history. And you know
that dreams when you know we.
Speaker 3: Spoke about in the drind that me and him was
going to be history. Who's gonna make history? You get
what I'm saying. And for the history books at boxing,
I feel.
Speaker 2: Like it's going to be up there with with with
when when When.
Speaker 3: Trinidad for Oscar de La Joy and when Trinidad for bargains,
you know, when Manto.
Speaker 2: Camanto for jul Java is you know, that type of
magnet who fight. This is what is bringing you know,
I'm excited, man.
Speaker 3: You know, we gotta win September fourteenth, you know, so
that's really what's all my mind, you know, regardless of
you know me, you know, the Mexican WIST supported recal thing.
Speaker 2: You know, my main thing right now is is getting out.
Speaker 1: With w Now, a lot of folks say, you know what,
Edgar Berlanga, he's a he's a good young fighter, got
a hell of a record, but he really hasn't earned
the title shot. I'm not saying that, but a lot
of people sort of look at it like that, and
they say that Canelo, who's fought everybody through his you know,
his career, has maybe taken his foot off the gas
a little bit in terms of his opposition. And then
he's picking Edgar Berlanga because he sees you as maybe
a chance for you know, an easier win, and to
do so against a Puerto Rican and he hasn't fought
in Puerto Rican in quite a while. What is your
response a sort of that mentality that some people look
at his fight like.
Speaker 3: He doesn't look at me like an heasy opponent, because
if he looked at me as he's an opponent, he
would it never took the fight.
Speaker 2: What he does think is that I lack i Q.
Speaker 3: He knows I'm a big puncher. He knows that I'm dangerous.
He knows that that any punch I throw him that
if he's not if he's if he's not alert, I
could put him out. But his main thing that and
and I've seen him through the pest with the press
too and having you know, interviews with him in the
same room. He thinks I lack i Q and experience,
you know, because of everything that he's been through. But
you know, I got the believe it or not, I
got one of the best coaches in boxing right now
that all he that all he teaches is i Q
and mental literally like it's not about physical. But and
I'm told him, I said, it's not physical about this fight, bro,
It's not about physical or who's strong or who hard.
Speaker 2: It's about this, you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 3: Fighters go up and wait and collect titles and fight
bigger fighters and big heavier guys, and they went wide
because it is because it ain't mind. So once your
mind is connected, once your mind is connected to your
hands and to your feet and to your heart and
to your balls, good to go.
Speaker 2: You could be anybody. You know what I'm saying. So
that's what I kept saying. It's all about the mentality,
It's all about the IQ, and I know that's what
you like. Well he thinks I like. Is that that's
why he he he really took the opportunity. He said,
you know, let me catch his young kid. Now he
knows I'm gonna be a star. He knows. He's not dumb.
Renoso's not dumb. They know I'm gonna be a mega
star and a squarter box. And he's on his way out.
You get what I'm saying.
Speaker 3: I'm Puerto Rican, I got a country behind me, and
I sell a lot of fucking tickets and I bring knockouts,
so they know.
Speaker 2: So he's trying to do somewhere. He's like, let me
catch this guy young. So he does blow up. I
got him on my on my on my resume, like,
oh we beat him ready.
Speaker 1: Now before this, you guys spoke, you spoke respectfully to him.
Uh he did to you. And then you've got front
of each other at the press conference, and because you
know you guys are going to fight each other, it
starts to ratch it up the intensity. You know, you
had your say, He had his say. You know, he
said something like, you know twenty of you wouldn't give
him a problem. What was it like to be face
to face with the guy at the press tour, looking
him in his eye, knowing you guys are gonna throw
down for real on September fourteenth, And.
Speaker 2: Man, I see right through him, Dan, I see right
through him.
Speaker 3: Look at these eyes, right through that man, Bro, I
see right through him.
Speaker 2: I don't care. I don't give a fuck about all that,
all that.
Speaker 3: You know, you know what crazy he was in my city,
he was like this. He was quiet, didn't choke much,
he ain't he had that same energy, just like with
fact Joe say a sucker.
Speaker 2: Because then New York he was like this, and he.
Speaker 3: Ran out of it quick because I had one hundred
guys outside. You know what I'm say, ran out of
it quick, La, He's hit town.
Speaker 2: I'm by my that me and I have five lines
with me. I don't need one hundred guys. I got
five lines.
Speaker 3: Yeah, and I still ten toes down to the floor
and I shot at tailor and I sat at the.
Speaker 2: Start of school.
Speaker 3: I was on the right side, and I shot right
at him in front of his face, and I take
my eyes over him. You get what I'm saying. Then,
I'm not a sucker. I could have violated him. In
New York, I had no shirt on. I'll give a fuck.
Speaker 2: I could have violated him.
Speaker 3: Send him, yo, fuck out of here, go back, go
back to Mexico, bro, like the fuck you. In my city,
I could have violated him and not call him you're
my respect. But in the LA when he feelings so walking,
oh yeah, thinking, yoh yeah, you know.
Speaker 2: What I'm saying, Like, nah, fuck out of here. Bro.
You you bleed just like I bleed.
Speaker 3: Bro, you belied, you believe me, and you bleed the
same way me and you breathe the same air cool.
Speaker 2: And it's about this about heart and about how big
your balls are.
Speaker 3: You know, he could talk about all Its different when
you get in there with me eighteen thousand people and people.
Speaker 2: Standing in front. It's different too, when you get in
there with me. And I told him that you're gonna
see two I don't give a fuck about eight. They
could be one hundred million people watching this shit in
in the arena.
Speaker 3: Give a fuck, you know why, because I'm I'm gonna
have the blinders on that night and it's gonna be
just him, because that's what it is.
Speaker 2: That's what it is. I'm not fighting the fans.
Speaker 1: I'm fighting him, of course. So let me wrap up
with this. And that's all the stuff that was going
on outside the ring. So just in terms of the
fight itself, you know, he hasn't you know, people got
on your case because you hadn't scored a knockout for
five fights in a row. He hasn't had a knockout
on a bunch of fights either, and he took a
loss to beevile in that group of fights. Also, he
hasn't had a knockout since twenty twenty one when he
stopped Caleb Plant to become the undisputed champion.
Speaker 2: Uh.
Speaker 1: He's getting older, like you mentioned. Uh, And so my
question for you is, how do you then approach him
in the ring. Do you have to make him respect
the power he goes? He's showing a great chin. Whatever
you want to say about him in his career great chin.
Can you out box him if necessary? How do you
approach that when the bell rings?
Speaker 2: Yeah, I gotta first round. I gotta be you gotta
got a respect, I.
Speaker 3: Mean, first round, I gotta I gotta put it on him.
Speaker 2: You know what I'm saying. I gotta make him feel
so you can see, you know.
Speaker 3: Because if if he doesn't, he's gonna try to walk
He's gonna try to walk me down like I hate
did Charlo, like I hate.
Speaker 2: Did mo Gea. He's not gonna respect the power. You know.
Speaker 3: He's a guy that if he sees any weaknesses, he's.
Speaker 2: Gonna he's gonna take it to you. You get what
I'm saying.
Speaker 3: So with that being said, you gotta make him think,
you know, in the first round, I gotta make him
respect me, you know. And that's the first that's the
first thing because right now he's no there's no respect.
Speaker 2: But to me and him, it's no respect. Like the
respect is a throwing that he invited me to his
ship down here. I invited him him to a hundred
of this ship down there. You get what I'm saying.
So it's no.
Speaker 3: Respect now, like the respect is out the door. So
now is about this and when this land, he's gonna know,
oh ship, Yeah.
Speaker 2: I can't walk into that. You get what I'm saying.
Speaker 3: Okay, he's gonna try to come, but I like the difference.
I respect and I respect this game, so I'm not
gonna go in there like how Bargus went in there
with with Trinidad and Brodcas took it to Trinidad.
Speaker 2: You know what I'm saying. Yeah, I was a great
bright Vargus dropped them, got back up and got dropped fool.
But I know Vargus bargains had that. You know, his
nuts was on to the floor. You get what I'm saying.
And we can't think like that. You get what I'm saying.
Speaker 1: I remember that.
Speaker 3: Well, my nuts could be like how Bargus was when
he brought Tnida nuts to the But then you know,
you get hit with shots because you know it's not
about it's not a tough man sport.
Speaker 2: You know it's about this.
Speaker 1: Well, I'll wrap up and say I was ringside for
Trinidad versus Fargus. That was one of my first really
big fights I covered in my career, and we all turned.
Speaker 2: Fugus.
Speaker 3: I left that barkat when I flew that it's all
to the floor.
Speaker 2: It all. It was funny, like a lion. You're well.
Speaker 1: We thought it was over in the first round, and
he showed a lot of heart to go on and
make it in one of the all time great fights.
So hopefully we'll see a great fight between you and
Canelo on September fourteenth. Edgar, I wish you. I wish
you the best of luck in the fight. Thank you
very much for the time.
Speaker 2: Thank you will