‘Disgrace’ – Edgar Berlanga offered Jake Paul reality check over opponent following Canelo Alvarez fight
Edgar Berlanga’s recent choice of opponent has caused a stir. ‘The Chosen One’ returned to the ring last weekend in Florida for the first time since falling to defeat at the hands of Canelo Alvarez in September. Rey Del Rio/PBCBerlanga lost to Canelo in September[/caption] Berlanga landed the fight after building up an unblemished 22-0 record, which included 16 straight first-round knockouts in his first 16 fights. Every single one of those wins came against unheralded opponents but after stepping up to the world level and going the distance with Canelo, the expectation was that the Puerto Rican would face stiffer opposition in his next fight. Instead, he fought Jonathan Gonzalez-Ortiz, who he blasted out with ease in the opening stanza. Gonzalez-Ortiz boasted an undefeated 20-0-1 record, however, he had only recently returned to the ring after serving a 10-year prison sentence and looked very out of shape on the scales. The choice of opponent didn’t go down well with combat sports analyst Ade Oladipo, who lambasted the 27-year-old on DAZN’s Ade and Ariel Show. “This isn’t a dig on Gonzalez by the way, I just want to vent my frustrations towards Edgar Berlanga,” Oladipo told co-host Ariel Helwani. “Gonzalez is who Gonzalez is. But this is a disgrace of an opponent. “It is a disgrace. I don’t know if this is a matchmaker problem. “Should I be pointing the finger at the matchmaker? I don’t know. “But Berlanga is the type of fighter now where you get to choose who you are fighting. YouTube/Matchroon BoxingHe returned against Gonzalez-Ortiz, who had just got out of prison[/caption] YouTube/Matchroon BoxingBerlanga knocked him out in the first round[/caption] “They will put a few names across the table and you and your team will pick who you want to fight. “I genuinely mean this, if Jake Paul picked announced that was one of his opponents he would get stick. “Andre August is better. Andre August is in better shape, Andre August hadn’t been out of the ring for 10 years, part of that being in jail. “This was a disgrace of an opponent. You can’t go from Canelo to that in a 168lbs division that is full of talent. “Even when I saw him on the scales I said ‘What are we doing? What is this? Is this because you have one fight left on your Matchroom deal?’ “I don’t know but that shouldn’t be allowed. Edgar Berlanga would have fought a better opponent in between his first and 10th pro fight.” Oladipo claims Paul would have been blasted for fighting someone like Gonzalez-OrtizMost Valuable Promotions/Esther Lin The Gonzalez-Ortiz clash was the final bout on Berlanga’s four-fight deal with Matchroom Boxing, meaning he is now a free agent. A fight with former IBF super middleweight champion Caleb Plant is seemingly being targeted next. “I think it’s a great fight. Whatever happens between me and Edgar, it’s a good fight for his career,” promoter Eddie Hearn told Fighthype of a possible matchup between Berlanga and Plant. “I think that’s the fight he should do next, hopefully with us [Matchroom Boxing]. We’ll speak to PBC. Maybe His Excellency [Turki Alalahikh] as well, and we’ll go from there.” Follow talkBOXING on social media talkBOXING is now on Twitter and Facebook. Follow us on social media for big breaking boxing news, exclusive interviews and the best bits from our talkBOXING YouTube show. Like our Facebook page HERE Follow us on Twitter HERE Sign up for our WhatsApp channel HERE
Edgar Berlanga’s recent choice of opponent has caused a stir.
‘The Chosen One’ returned to the ring last weekend in Florida for the first time since falling to defeat at the hands of Canelo Alvarez in September.
Berlanga landed the fight after building up an unblemished 22-0 record, which included 16 straight first-round knockouts in his first 16 fights.
Every single one of those wins came against unheralded opponents but after stepping up to the world level and going the distance with Canelo, the expectation was that the Puerto Rican would face stiffer opposition in his next fight.
Instead, he fought Jonathan Gonzalez-Ortiz, who he blasted out with ease in the opening stanza.
Gonzalez-Ortiz boasted an undefeated 20-0-1 record, however, he had only recently returned to the ring after serving a 10-year prison sentence and looked very out of shape on the scales.
The choice of opponent didn’t go down well with combat sports analyst Ade Oladipo, who lambasted the 27-year-old on DAZN’s Ade and Ariel Show.
“This isn’t a dig on Gonzalez by the way, I just want to vent my frustrations towards Edgar Berlanga,” Oladipo told co-host Ariel Helwani.
“Gonzalez is who Gonzalez is. But this is a disgrace of an opponent.
“It is a disgrace. I don’t know if this is a matchmaker problem.
“Should I be pointing the finger at the matchmaker? I don’t know.
“But Berlanga is the type of fighter now where you get to choose who you are fighting.
“They will put a few names across the table and you and your team will pick who you want to fight.
“I genuinely mean this, if Jake Paul picked announced that was one of his opponents he would get stick.
“Andre August is better. Andre August is in better shape, Andre August hadn’t been out of the ring for 10 years, part of that being in jail.
“This was a disgrace of an opponent. You can’t go from Canelo to that in a 168lbs division that is full of talent.
“Even when I saw him on the scales I said ‘What are we doing? What is this? Is this because you have one fight left on your Matchroom deal?’
“I don’t know but that shouldn’t be allowed. Edgar Berlanga would have fought a better opponent in between his first and 10th pro fight.”
The Gonzalez-Ortiz clash was the final bout on Berlanga’s four-fight deal with Matchroom Boxing, meaning he is now a free agent.
A fight with former IBF super middleweight champion Caleb Plant is seemingly being targeted next.
“I think it’s a great fight. Whatever happens between me and Edgar, it’s a good fight for his career,” promoter Eddie Hearn told Fighthype of a possible matchup between Berlanga and Plant.
“I think that’s the fight he should do next, hopefully with us [Matchroom Boxing]. We’ll speak to PBC. Maybe His Excellency [Turki Alalahikh] as well, and we’ll go from there.”
