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Edgar Berlanga: Get Ready For The Comeback | Zuffa Boxing 09
Former World Title Challenger Is Looking To Bounce Back On Home Soil As He Continues His Quest For World Title Glory.
After suffering the first stoppage loss of his career last time out, Edgar Berlanga has returned home to New York City for his Zuffa Boxing debut, and plans on delivering a statement performance to put him right back where he wants to be. Berlanga lost out to England’s Hamzah Sheeraz in the fifth round in Queens last summer in a fight he had started well in. But now, after going back to the gym, “The Chosen One” is ready to come back and put things right.
Berlanga has signed with Zuffa Boxing and will headline Sunday night’s Zuffa Boxing 09 event at Infosys Theater at Madison Square Garden, where he’ll take on Canadian knockout artist Steven Butler.
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It feels like a fresh start for Berlanga, who is still chasing his world championship dream, but as part of a new organization.
“I'm feeling amazing,” he told UFC.com during fight week in New York. “I want to give a huge shout out to Dana White, Paramount, Zuffa Boxing, all the staff, everybody. It’ll be a big weekend for us come the 26th. I’m excited, man. I’m pumped up. The city deserves this. The Knicks just won the [NBA] championship, and we’re headlining back at Madison Square Garden, so it’s gonna be a fun night.”
It’s Berlanga’s first fight week as a Zuffa Boxing athlete, and he said he’s already experienced the difference in how the organization looks after its athletes to help ensure they get to the ring in the best possible condition for fight night.
“Fight week has been very good. It’s a tad different, in a good way, and I like it,” Berlanga explained. “They’re providing a lot of different things for athletes, which is dope. [Things] that usually promotions don't really provide for weight cuts – food preparation, vitamins, nutrition, nutritionists. They even have physical therapy. There’s a lot of different things, that are different with Zuffa Boxing and what Dana’s doing, and it’s amazing. I love it.
“Even just yesterday, when I came in, they were providing sauna suits, Sweet Sweat and sauna boxes to help cut weight. I get text messages from nutritionists at Zuffa. They have meals ready to go. They have Heather [Linden] here, they have a couple of PTs here from the UFC PI to work on athletes if they have any little injuries or whatnot. It’s pretty dope.”
Berlanga’s career record stands at 23 wins, two defeats, with 18 knockouts to his name. His career got off to a remarkable start, as he claimed first-round knockout victories in each of his first 16 professional contests. It saw plenty of attention come his way, and he still remembers that time in his career fondly.
“It was a pretty cool run,” he admitted. “There was a lot of anticipation in every fight, just being able to go out there and just knock people out in the first round… From celebrities, from fight fans and stuff, it was like a big thing. I loved the run that I had. And then I had to go to distance, and people were saying that I'm trash!
“It’s like in baseball, right? You’re always hitting home runs, and then you go five, six games cold turkey, not hitting home runs, and especially with New York fans you’re gonna expect the worst from us, ‘cause they’re hard on these superstars. But it comes with it… I’m growing and evolving in the sport. I’m becoming more of a man, more dedicated and just getting better, each and every day. That’s my plan. That’s my goal.”
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Berlanga’s upcoming meeting with Butler sees him pitched in against a dangerous, if perhaps underestimated, talent, who has hit knockout form since moving up to 168 pounds from middleweight. The Montreal native has a 38-5-1 (32 KOs) record, with each of his four bouts at super middleweight ending via knockout.
He’s the sort of opponent who could pose some real difficulties for Berlanga, and the New Yorker wouldn’t want it any other way.
“Butler's a strong guy. He's gonna come to fight. He's gonna come and try to win, and that's what we wanted. That's why we picked him as an opponent,” he said. “I didn't want nobody that hits soft, or a soft touch. This guy’s coming to fight. He’s coming off big KO wins. It’s good for the fight fans. He has power – high power. So people are expecting a firefight, and that’s what’s to be expected come Sunday.”
And if he gets the win he’s aiming for this weekend, there’s no doubt over what Berlanga wants next. There’s unfinished business with Sheeraz to deal with, and he’ll be calling for the pair to run it back.
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“I just want my rematch,” he stated. “I was winning that fight. I was up on the scorecards, and Hamzah knows what's up. Right now we're just focusing on Butler, but I want my get-back with that dude. So eventually, we gonna get it.”
For Berlanga, Sunday night’s fight with Butler is the next step in a journey he believes will culminate in a world championship belt being wrapped around his waist.
“It’s a championship mindset, you know? Just chasing the world title, becoming a world champion. That's all I want,” he said. “I want to make the biggest fights happen as much as possible. I think the sport deserves that, and I'm with the best now, you know what I mean? I'm with Zuffa, I’m with Dana. We're gonna make it happen. I just gotta lock in on this guy on the 26th, this Sunday, get a big win, and we're gonna get those world titles.”
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And Berlanga knows exactly what he wants to hear about himself when the fight is done on Sunday night.
“‘He's back.’ That's all I want to hear,” he said. “’He's back,’ and I want to see my name back in the 168 column. ‘That's one of the top 168s,’ which I deserve. I just want everybody to know I'm back to take over the division.”