While Saul “Canelo” Alvarez’s last opponent, his fellow countryman Jaime Munguia, adopted a highly respectful attitude towards the unified super middleweight champion, his next challenger, Edgar “The Chosen One” Berlanga, has taken a completely opposite approach ahead of their fight.
The Puerto Rican puncher, still undefeated after twenty-two professional fights, has been engaged in heated and persistent trash-talking in the months leading up to the big fight. When asked by journalists about Berlanga’s disrespectful behavior, Canelo fired back:
“I like them like that. I like them to be confident and do a lot of talking. I like breaking their face when they play like that. I’m eagerly awaiting that day. It’ll be the beatdown of his life.”
The comment about “smashing their face” is likely a reference to what happened in May 2021 to the unlucky Billy Joe Saunders, who, after a pre-match filled with endless verbal provocations, was brutally defeated inside the distance, leaving the ring with a fractured cheekbone.
The fight between Canelo and Berlanga will take place this Saturday at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and will be broadcast live on DAZN. Bookmakers and experts alike expect an uneven contest, with the challenger’s victory paying out 10.5 times the stake. We’ll see if “The Chosen One” can shock the world or if he will prove to be the inadequate challenger many observers predict.