Why You Should Watch Canelo vs Berlanga Saturday Night

Canelo Alvarez is fighting Edgar Berlange on Saturday night in Las Vegas… And before someone wearing a size MEDIUM AFFLICTION t-shirt says it, I am fully aware that the UFC is also hosting a card that night, and that their event will take place inside the new planetarium on the strip.

Perhaps there's a way to watch both if you're a combat sports junkie, but in this blog, I am talking to just the boxing fans who might be wondering whether this fight is worth whatever the PPV might be where you live.

I think it is, and here's why…

First off, the undercard has a shitload of familiar names for boxing fans- Erislandy Lara, Danny Garcia, Rolly Romero, and Caleb Plant, to be more specific. I've watched all of these guys fight in the past and they typically can put on a show. But the undercard is rarely the reason for people to tune in, so let's chat about the Main Event.

Edgar Berlanga is a young Puerto Rican kid who started his career with SIXTEEN FIRST-ROUND KNOCKOUTS but has since come back down to Earth, scoring Unanimous Decisions in his next 5 fights, then another KO in February of this year to bring his record to 22-0 with 17 KOs.

Rich Schultz. Getty Images.

So Edgar is a 27-year-old undefeated Super-Middleweight who knocks out his opponents 77% of the times he steps into a ring. And, physically, he's a fucking monster at nearly 6'1"… That's not bad.

HOWEVER!

Edgar has only gone a full 12 rounds only once in his career AND he's never been in the ring with a generational talent like Canelo, so this fight is being seen as lopsided as the height difference between Edgar and Alvarez.

Kaelin Mendez. Getty Images.

("I can see your brain, Edgar.")

HOWEVER AGAIN!

After speaking to Edgar in training camp, and then again at this week's press conference, he and his team seem determined to bring the fight to Alvarez early.

WHICH MEANS!

We are (hopefully) going to see some fireworks right from that opening bell. And Edgar Berlanga is most entertaining when he's throwing bombs while Canelo is at his best when he becomes a deadly accurate counter-puncher against taller fighters.

Don't believe me?… Then ask Billy Joe Saunders' broken eye socket…

Al Bello. Getty Images.

Or Caleb Plant's broken sunglasses…

"Styles makes fights"… And although his style might not give him the best chance to pull off an upset of Canelo, it will certainly make Staurday's bout fun to watch.

I haven't decided how to bet this one just yet… I'm going to do some promo work for DraftKings pre-fight, so I will save my picks until then. But the fact that Canelo hasn't knocked anyone out in nearly 3 years (Caleb Plant in '21) has me leaning towards the over, but stay tuned.

And you can catch all the action Saturday night on DAZN PPV.

Enjoy the fights and take a report.

-Large