Edgar Berlanga Wants Gabe Rosado Now, David Benavidez (Much) Later

Knockout specialist Edgar Berlanga is making mince meat of the opponents that have thus far been put in front of him, but he has a potentially more sturdy option for his harried matchmakers to consider: Fellow Puerto Rican and 168-pounder Gabe Rosado.

“Shoutout to Gabe Rosado,” Berlanga said on a recent Instagram Live session. “We could probably make that fight happen for the people, for Puerto Rico. For Puerto Rican Day weekend, we could make something happen.

“There ain’t no harsh feelings or none of that with [Rosado]. At the end of the day it’s about the fans and making good fights happening.”

Berlanga (16-0, 16 KOs) is undefeated as a professional and has knocked out every single one of his opponents. What’s more he has never made it out of the first round – a flashy statistic, no doubt, but it has also been something of an albatross for his matchmakers at Top Rank who have been trying to find more resilient challengers appropriate for him at this stage of his career. Now, in some corners, there is growing demand for Berlanga to face somebody more credible.

Berlanga insisted that this would happen sooner rather than later.

“Everybody always says ‘He ain’t fight nobody,’” Berlanga said. “Listen, relax. I’m stepping up in competition. Next year we stepping up competition. Y’all are so impatient.” 

Berlanga was last seen in the ring knocking out Ulises Sierra in the first round on the Shakur Stevenson-Toka Kahn Clary undercard at the MGM Grand in Las Vegason Dec. 12. Berlanga has been busy during the coronavirus pandemic, going 3-0 since the shutdown. His recent victory had him singing his own praises on social media:

“2.2 million viewers saw my fight on Saturday making it one of the highest rated fights of 2020 and I showed everyone I’m the next big thing. I’m now a main event attraction and I want that money that comes with it.”

Still, Berlanga put the brakes on a potential fight with fellow 168-pounder David Benavidez (23-0, 20 KOs). His priority now is to see what it is like in the second round first.

“That’s an amazing fight, man,” Berlanga said. “Benavidez, a great fight for me.

“But before I get to him I gotta prove myself. I gotta get some rounds in and prove myself to the critics. Not just them but for myself.”