Saúl Álvarez vs. Edgar Berlanga: Stats and Fight Prediction
On September 14, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, USA, a classic Mexico vs. Puerto Rico battle will unfold in professional boxing. WBC, WBO, and WBA Super Middleweight Champion (up to 76.2 kg) Saúl Álvarez (61-2-2, 39 KOs) from Mexico will defend his titles against the undefeated Puerto Rican fighter Edgar Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs).
Ready To Fight presents the statistics of the matchup and key facts about this fight, which has faced the most criticism among Canelo’s recent bouts.
Saúl Álvarez
Country: Mexico
Age: 34 years
Weight Class: Super Middleweight (up to 76.2 kg)
Height: 171 cm
Reach: 179 cm
Stance: Orthodox
Record: 61 wins (39 by KO), 2 losses, 2 draws
KO Percentage: 63.93%
Total Career Rounds: 496
Recent Fights:
- Loss by unanimous decision (UD 12) – Dmitry Bivol
- Win by unanimous decision (UD 12) – Gennady Golovkin
- Win by unanimous decision (UD 12) – John Ryder
- Win by unanimous decision (UD 12) – Jermell Charlo
- Win by unanimous decision (UD 12) – Jaime Munguía
Total Rounds in Recent Fights: 60
Average Rounds in Recent Fights: 12 rounds
Longest and Shortest Recent Fights: Each fight lasted 12 rounds
Win Rate in Recent Fights: 80%
KO Rate in Recent Fights: 0%
Ring Activity in Recent Fights: 1.66 fights per year
Combined Record of Opponents at the Time of the Fight: 171 wins, 7 losses, 2 draws
Best Opponent Record in Recent Fights: Jaime Munguía (43 wins, 0 losses at the time of the fight)
Worst Opponent Record in Recent Fights: John Ryder (32 wins, 5 losses, 1 draw at the time of the fight)
Edgar Berlanga
Country: Puerto Rico
Age: 27 years
Weight Class: Super Middleweight (up to 76.2 kg)
Height: 185 cm
Reach: 185 cm
Stance: Orthodox
Record: 22 wins (17 by KO), 0 losses
KO Percentage: 77.27%
Total Career Rounds: 72
Recent Fights:
- Win by unanimous decision (UD 10) – Marcelo Cóceres
- Win by unanimous decision (UD 10) – Steve Rolls
- Win by unanimous decision (UD 10) – Roamer Alexis Angulo
- Win by unanimous decision (UD 12) – Jason Quigley
- Win by knockout (KO in Round 6) – Padraig McCrory
Total Rounds in Recent Fights: 48
Average Rounds in Recent Fights: 9.6 rounds
Longest and Shortest Recent Fights: Longest – 12 rounds (UD win) / Shortest – 6 rounds (KO win)
Win Rate in Recent Fights: 100%
KO Rate in Recent Fights: 20%
Ring Activity in Recent Fights: 1.25 fights per year
Combined Record of Opponents at the Time of the Fight: 116 wins, 7 losses, 1 draw
Best Opponent Record in Recent Fights: Padraig McCrory (18 wins, 0 losses at the time of the fight)
Worst Opponent Record in Recent Fights: Marcelo Cóceres (30 wins, 2 losses, 1 draw at the time of the fight)
Background of the Saúl Álvarez vs. Edgar Berlanga Fight
Saúl Álvarez is receiving substantial criticism for his upcoming fight against Edgar Berlanga. Thousands of fans, along with some boxing insiders—most notably Álvarez's former promoter, Oscar De La Hoya—claim that this is an unnecessary bout. Even the classic rivalry between Mexico and Puerto Rico, typically one of boxing's most exciting matchups, doesn't seem to add much appeal in this case.
The problem is that Saúl has a long list of opponents the fans have been eager to see him fight, but those showdowns have yet to materialize. At the top of that list is David Benavidez. Currently, the Mexican-American is the interim light heavyweight champion, having moved up from super middleweight when it became clear he might never get his shot at Álvarez.
Another name that’s recently been thrown into the mix is Terence Crawford. What once seemed like a fantasy fight is now being taken seriously, especially after two significant developments: Terence made his debut in the junior middleweight division, closing the gap between him and Canelo, and Turki Al-Sheikh got involved in the fight's negotiations.
Despite this, Álvarez has ignored both potential matchups. According to Terence Crawford, Álvarez has asked for around $200 million to fight Benavidez. As for facing Crawford, Canelo isn't particularly interested. He has openly stated that the fight would put him in a no-win situation: if he wins, people will say he beat a smaller opponent; if he loses, it could severely damage his reputation.
Berlanga emerged as an opponent through two avenues. First, he holds the top spot in the WBA rankings, where Álvarez is the reigning champion. Second, Berlanga’s promoters have positioned him as a marketable contender, following his most recent win, as a worthy continuation of the historic Mexico vs. Puerto Rico rivalry in professional boxing.
It would be unwise to count Berlanga out. He's young, highly motivated, and a massive fighter. Edgar stands 14 cm taller than Álvarez, with a 6 cm reach advantage. He's also determined and confident going into this matchup. Berlanga has knockout power, uses his jab effectively, and understands that a win here could send his stock soaring.
On the flip side, although Álvarez may not be at his absolute peak, as shown in his recent performances, he's still a force to be reckoned with. In his last fight against Jaime Munguía, Álvarez seemed to hold back against his young countryman. The knockdown in that fight was telling—Canelo knew exactly where to land his punch, sent Munguía to the canvas, but chose not to finish him off, instead relying on his superior skillset to dominate the bout.
Berlanga, however, is not on the same level as Munguía. Edgar hasn’t faced the same level of challenges that Jaime has, such as his war with Sergiy Derevyanchenko. Moreover, Berlanga has some defensive flaws—he often leaves himself open to left hooks, a punch Álvarez is particularly adept at throwing. No one has tested the Puerto Rican’s body quite the way Canelo can.
This fight encapsulates several key dynamics: Mexico vs. Puerto Rico, experience vs. youth, cold calculation vs. enthusiasm and motivation. But unlike his fight with Munguía, Álvarez has no reason to hold back against Berlanga.
Key Facts You Need to Know Before the Álvarez vs. Berlanga Fight
- For the first time since 2022, Álvarez will not be defending his status as the undisputed world champion while competing in his weight class. In 2021, Saúl became the undisputed super middleweight world champion after defeating Caleb Plant.
Following that, he moved up to light heavyweight for one bout, a loss to Dmitry Bivol. He then returned to super middleweight and successfully defended his undisputed title four times, defeating Gennady Golovkin, John Ryder, Jermell Charlo, and Jaime Munguía.
Next, the IBF ordered Álvarez to fight William Scull (22-0, 9 KOs), but the Mexican champion declared his lack of interest in that fight and vacated the title. Álvarez now holds the WBO, WBA, and WBC belts, while the IBF title remains vacant.
- The WBC has prepared a special commemorative prize for the winner of the fight, named Tamaulipas II, crafted in a traditional Mexican style.
- Berlanga will be Álvarez's most physically imposing opponent in his last five fights. He stands taller and has a longer reach than Jaime Munguía (both measurements are 2 cm greater) and Dmitry Bivol, who defeated Álvarez (also 2 cm taller with a 2 cm longer reach).
- Edgar is the third largest opponent among Álvarez’s last ten rivals. Callum Smith (191 cm tall with a 198 cm reach) was taller and had a longer reach than Berlanga (185/185 cm). Caleb Plant is the same height as Berlanga but has a longer reach—188 cm.
- Puerto Rican fighters are rare opponents for Álvarez. He has faced Mexican fighters most frequently, fighting them 24 times (24 wins). American fighters come next with 15 bouts (14 wins). In third place are British fighters, against whom he has fought eight times (8 wins).
- Canelo is among the top three smallest opponents Berlanga has faced. Meanwhile, Edgar ranks among the top three largest opponents in Álvarez’s career.
- Out of Álvarez's 496 professional rounds, 259 have been fought in championship bouts.
- Álvarez has handed seven of his 26 opponents in championship fights their first career loss. Berlanga remains undefeated thus far.
- The bout against Berlanga will be Álvarez's 10th championship fight at the T-Mobile Arena and his 27th title fight overall.