Boxing superstar Canelo Alvarez went face to face with new opponent Edgar Berlanga on Wednesday and things got surprisingly chippy.
Pound-for-pound perennial king, Canelo Alvarez, faced off against Edgar Berlanga Wednesday at their official pre-fight press conference. Their showdown will be featured on Amazon Prime PPV during Mexican Independence Day weekend on September 14th in Las Vegas. Unfortunately, most in the boxing world see this as a step down for Alvarez.
Related: Pair of Reports Offer Huge Update on Potential Terence Crawford vs. Canelo Alvarez Fight
Berlanga is by all accounts an untested contender at the highest level. However, Alvarez’s trash talk at the presser might be the fuel injection needed for this card. The Mexican legend’s former opponent, and Berlanga’s nemesis–Caleb Plant–started the spiral at the presser. Berlanga and Plant exchanged words with Alvarez jumping in to dismiss Berlanga and supporting Plant,
“Caleb, take it easy, I’m gonna take care of him for you,” Alvarez said. He went further and claimed Plant has more boxing IQ than the Puerto Rican challenger. He even added that Plant has more IQ than himself and questioned Berlanga,
“Do you have more IQ than Floyd Mayweather, than Miguel Cotto, than [Erislandy] Lara…come on bro. You’re acting. Take it easy,” said Alvarez.
Berlanga responded by telling Alvarez, “When I talk, shut up!” They continued until both men got in each other’s faces and had to be separated by security. Canelo comedically said, “I don’t want to **** you up because then your money is gone, so take it easy.”
Canelo Alvarez record: 60-2-2 (39 knockouts)
At the face-off, after the presser was done, Canelo asked Berlanga, “You think I’m scared of you?” and finished with “You are nothing,” while dancing and mimicking slapping Berlanga.
Related: Conor McGregor – Canelo Alvarez ‘Doesn’t Sell,’ Claims He Will Run Him Out Of Las Vegas
Canelo in recent years has turned into a smack-talking and hype-generating titan. Fights with Andrade, Plant, and Berlanga were all against highly touted contenders–meaning fighters that passed the eye test but never had a legacy-defining win or run.
Yet, both the former fights were financial successes in the PPV market. Will the consistent trash talk build up this fight to a financial success as well regardless of the quality of the opponent? We shall see in September.