First the good news: unbeaten super-middleweight contender Edgar Berlanga is still in possession of a flawless pro ledger, the 24 year old still has some massive future to look forward to, and the Puerto Rican fighter has shown he can take it as well as dish it out. The ability to take it was shown on Saturday night, as Berlanga had to not only go through ten pretty hard rounds with a determined Marcelo Coceres of Argentina, but he also had to rise from a shock (to him) knockdown AND battle through an injury that might keep him out of the ring for a bit of time.
Berlanga suffered a noticeably bruised left elbow and Mike Coppinger has tweeted how Berlanga may have suffered a torn biceps and how his planned December 11 ring return may have to be postponed. Also, in the eyes of some harsh critics, Berlanga’s inability to get the KO or stoppage for two fights back-to-back (in his fight prior to the 96-93 UD over Coceres, Berlanga was taken the distance for the first time, this by Demond Nicholson) has shown he is not the monster puncher he was being made out to be.
Hey, the critics can be a tough bunch. But can Berlanga – who had romped to an eye-catching 16-0 with all 16 wins coming via first-round KO – get back to laying guys out? Or, as some critics suggest, now that he has gone up a level in quality of opposition, has Berlanga, 18-0(16) found out his punching power is not what he thought it was; what we were beginning to think it was? Nicholson had been stopped before his fight with Berlanga (twice), while Coceres had been stopped just once before his duel with Berlanga.
Does the fact that Berlanga failed to get these two fighters out of there “expose” his punching ability as not being all that, or is this claim way too harsh? Berlanga did drop Nicholson multiple times and Coceres is known for having a good chin. But if Berlanga wins his next couple of fights vis decision and not by KO, the critics will, well, they’ll criticise some more.
At one point, it looked as though Berlanga might be a genuine puncher, akin to the wild man that was Edwin Valero. Berlanga may still be the real deal as far as being a genuine puncher, but right now, in the opinion of some, he has it all to prove. Is Berlanga really “The Chosen One?”
Big fan, wish him all the best. My advice is for him to hire a trainer that can teach him boxing skills. Punching power is only one aspect of boxing. He needs to learn other skills to avoid getting hit too much and above all how to cut the ring. Patience is key and with that said his timing will come with precision punching, that will eliminate wild punching and buys you time and stamina.
Good Luck
I agree with the previous comment. He’s going to have to learn to move his head and to be patient. He’s still raw and experience fighters will exploit his weakness. I’m a big fan, but he’s not yet close to being mentioned in with fighters like Canelo and Bernavides. Boxing is a tough sport and relying on pure punching power is just not enough.
Yeah
Mr.Rozier was my trainer as well many years ago. That being said, Andre Rosier is teaching Berlanga not to rely on his KO power. But the problem is Berlanga will ALWAYS rely solely on it. That’s what knockout power punchers do. He is young so hopefully he will learn to move his head more and stop rushing in with his chin up high like most young fighters from this era. He was knocking out C& D level fighters. Once you get into the B level fighters especially those who were once on top, you will NOT treat or dispose of them the way you do with C & D fighters. Also, they are moving him to fast because he can punch. That’s not a good enough reason to move him that fast. I like the kid but I don’t think he is going to change much as time goes by and the blueprint will be there for his future opponents. I wish him the best and hope he makes it to the let’s level of his class but he better make some serious changes and that being said so should his trainer.