Unbeaten super middleweight contender Edgar Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) ended his five-fight knockout drought with a sixth-round KO over Ireland’s Padraig McCory (18-1, 9 KOs) on Saturday at the Caribe Royale in Orlando, Florida.
Berlanga got McCory out with a right to the head in the sixth after trapping him against the ropes. The punch put McCrory on his knees. Before he could get up, his corner threw in the towel. The official time of the stoppage was at 2:44 of round six.
McCrory’s decision to post up against the ropes was a mistake, as it allowed Berlanga to have a sitting duck to land his hard shots. That was the same mistake that McCrory had made all night, and he really paid for it.
After the contest, Berlanga said, “I want Canelo. Eddie [Hearn] will make it happen.” Hearn agreed and said he would try to make the fight with undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez next on May 4th.
Canelo will take a lot of heat from boxing fans if he chooses Berlanga as his next opponent because there are many more deserving fighters at 168 that deserve the opportunity more than him.
Berlanga’s Dominance
After five consecutive decisions stretching three years, Berlanga finally got a knockout tonight. Berlanga started to wear McCory down with heavy shots in the third and continued to punish him in the fourth.
McCrory’s nose was leaking blood in the fourth, and his corner seemed to be concerned after the round ended. They seemed to know that he was over his head in this fight, and he could do nothing.
McCrory’s accuracy on his power punches was poor, and he was getting countered by Berlanga, which made him gunshy. He was mostly limited to jabbing by the fifth, which wouldn’t be enough to hold off Berlanga.
The Decisive Finish
Berlanga’s pressure on McCrory paid off, as he dropped him hard in the sixth round with a right hand. The referee waved it off at 2:44, giving the 26-year-old Berlanga his first KO since 2020.
Hearn said earlier this week that he would like to have Berlanga get one or two more fights before fighting Canelo. However, it might not matter if he’s going to match Berlanga against guys like McCrory.
He’s not going to improve fighting these guys of fighters and it’s not going to increase his popularity. Berlanga has to fight quality opposition and that’s risky because he’s too flawed to be put in with someone better than the McCrory or Jason Quigley level that Hearn has been matching him against.
