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Mike CoppingerESPN
Edgar Berlanga is being suspended by the New York State Athletic Commission for attempting to bite Alexis Angulo on Saturday, sources tell ESPN.
The length of the suspension has yet to be finalized, sources said. Berlanga is also facing a fine for his actions.
The 25-year-old won a 10-round unanimous decision against his stiffest opposition yet, but in Round 7 of the Top Rank Boxing on ESPN main event, he attempted to bite the left side of Angulo’s neck/shoulder.
Berlanga wasn’t penalized by the referee for the foul, which the boxer said was retaliation for repeated elbows from Angulo.
A member of the state athletic commission, who requested anonymity to speak on the matter because there isn’t yet an official decision, confirmed to ESPN that the incident is being reviewed. An official decision on the particulars of the discipline is expected by Friday.
“I want to apologize for my actions and what I said yesterday about the Mike Tyson bite,” Berlanga tweeted Sunday, referencing the joke he made earlier about Tyson’s infamous bite of Evander Holyfield’s ear.
“I was in the moment and got a little ahead of myself. It doesn’t take away from the embarrassment that I have caused upon myself, my team, [Top Rank] and many others. I reacted poorly and take full responsibility. Moving forward, I am going to be more mindful and encouraging in my behavior.”
“Top Rank will abide by the New York State Athletic Commission’s ruling,” Top Rank spokesperson Evan Korn told ESPN.
Berlanga (20-0, 16 KOs) began his career with 16 first-round KOs in 16 fights. The competition was raised in his past four fights, all of which he won via unanimous decision.
The fight Saturday was Berlanga’s second consecutive headline appearance on ESPN at Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden. The fighter, who is from Brooklyn and of Puerto Rican descent, has proved to be a reliable ticket-seller in New York, where there’s a large Puerto Rican population.
Angulo (27-3, 23 KOs), who fights out of Colombia, suffered his other two losses in title bouts vs. David Benavidez and Gilberto Ramirez.