As Mexican Independence Day weekend nears, there's only one elite-level world champion that fight fans expect to see.
Canelo Alvarez will defend WBA, WBC, WBO and Ring Magazine titles against unbeaten knockout artist Edgar Berlanga at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on September 14. The 12-round bout, plus undercard action, will be broadcast by DAZN PPV and Prime Video in the U.S.
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Canelo (61-2-2, 39 KOs) lost his undisputed status ahead of this fight for refusing a mandatory assignment. Mexico's pound-for-pound star was stripped of the IBF version of the crown for not facing William Scull, who is expected to contest the vacant title against Vladimir Shishkin later in the year. However, despite the political intervention, the unified champ remains focused on the task at hand.
"I am very happy for this fight between Mexico and Puerto Rico," said Canelo in a PBC press release when the fight was announced.
"It's exciting to be part of another great Mexico versus Puerto Rico battle inside the ring because historically we have always offered unforgettable fights full of passion."
Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) is the beneficiary of Canelo's decision. The Puerto Rican power puncher is rated No. 7 by The Ring and No. 8 by the WBC at 168 pounds. His main claim to fame is a string of 16 consecutive first-round knockouts to begin his career, but since taking a step up in class, the challenger has been forced to go the distance in five of his last six fights.
The Sporting News reveals the pre-fight odds and predicts the outcome of the main event as well as the undercard bouts.
Canelo Alvarez vs. Edgar Berlanga odds, betting
Per DraftKings , Canelo is the -1800 favorite while Berlanga is the +1000 underdog. The draw is +2500.
Canelo Alvarez vs. Edgar Berlanga prediction
This looks like good matchmaking from Team Canelo.
Despite his unbeaten record and fearsome reputation as a puncher, Berlanga tends to swing wild and can become frustrated when the big bombs don't have the desired effect. He's an excellent fighter but far from the finished article.
Canelo is defensively adept and he's still one of the best counterpunchers in world boxing. The champ excels against heavy hitters and always has done, so it's difficult to foresee Berlanga having success here. History tells us that you have to outbox Canelo (Mayweather, Bivol, Golovkin 1) and take control of the fight. No one expects Berlanga to finesse the Mexican icon and win on points.
The odds suggest that Berlanga has no more than a puncher's chance, but even that's remote. Canelo has a concrete chin as evidenced by the fact that he's rarely been shaken and has never been down in a 65-fight career. Is Berlanga really the guy to smoke his boots?
Canelo hasn't scored a stoppage win in almost four years, so the pick is a thoroughly dominant 12-round unanimous decision win.
Prediction: Canelo UD 12
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Canelo Alvarez vs. Edgar Berlanga undercard predictions
Erislandy Lara vs. Danny Garcia
- WBA middleweight championship bout
Garcia is 3-1 over the past five years and he's the much smaller man in this fight.
Inactivity is a boxer's biggest enemy and southpaw Lara has the type of style that is made for exploiting ring rust and indecisiveness.
Garcia will do well to hear the final bell.
Prediction: Lara TKO 10
Caleb Plant vs. Trevor McCumby
- Super middleweight non-title bout
McCumby has an eye-popping 28-0 record, but he's never mixed with anyone in Plant's class.
Plant has been out of the ring for 18 months since his thrashing at the hands of David Benavidez, but he should be sharp enough to find a rhythm and outpoint his man over 12 rounds.
Prediction: Plant UD 12
Stephen Fulton vs. Carlos Castro
- Featherweight non-title bout
The comeback has been a long time coming for Fulton, who suffered the first loss of his career and surrendered two super bantamweight title belts to Naoya Inoue in July 2023.
Up at featherweight, the American slickster returns against Castro, who has fallen short against both Luis Nery and Brandon Figueroa in his only career setbacks.
Chances are that Fulton has too much talent for Castro and will run away with a wide decision win.
Prediction: Fulton UD 12
Rolando Romero vs. Manuel Jaimes
- Super lightweight non-title bout
Following a one-sided beatdown at the hands of Isaac Cruz in March, one could have forgiven Romero for taking the rest of 2024 out. However, the former WBA champ is back in action and looking for a title fight.
Jaimes is an unknown quantity and Romero is the big favorite on paper. The thing is, you never know what version of "Rolly" is going to turn up. If he's on, then he can win this fight inside the distance, but if he's distracted, that's a recipe for disaster.
I'll take Romero for the win, but if I was going to call an upset on this card, it would be for this fight.
Prediction: Romero TKO 8
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