Edgar Berlanga says he plans to speak with Turki Alalshikh and “work something out” for him to fight Canelo Alvarez in 2026 if he’s victorious against Hamzah Sheeraz on Saturday, July 12th.
Canelo Rematch: Pipe Dream?
Berlanga (23-1, 18 KOs) believes he can convince Turki to make the rematch with Alvarez. Unfortunately for Edgar, it sounds like a deluded pipe dream. Fans are unlikely to be interested in watching Berlanga fight the Mexican superstar again anytime soon without him doing the impossible by beating someone like David Benavidez. Good luck with that.
Sheeraz isn’t a good enough fighter for Berlanga to redeem himself in the eyes of the public. At this point, he needs to beat someone excellent that few fans would ever believe him capable of defeating, like Benavidez, David Morrell, Christian Mbilli, Osleys Iglesias, or Janibek Alimkhanuly.
A Red Flag for Fear
“I’m locked in on [Sheeraz]. I know the odds are against me. I know I’m the chosen one. I know my skill, and I know what I’m capable of doing,” said Edgar Berlanga to Fight Hub TV about his fight against Hamzah Sheeraz. “I’m not afraid of going to war against a thousand. I’m a killer.”
In listening to Berlanga talk, it’s clear that he’s lost his confidence and the swagger he once had. Something that caused him to doubt himself. He’s not boasting like he’d been doing, and it’s a red flag for fear. He’s studied Sheeraz’s past fights and understands that this guy is better than he initially thought.
Plant Fight: A Bad Move?
“I’m going in there and handle my business and come out victorious. Of course, I want to fight him. He’s still a name in the sport,” said Berlanga when asked if he’d like to fight Caleb Plant despite his recent loss. “If he still got it in him. He’s got to do a rematch, and he has to beat that dude [Jose Armando Resendiz]. He has to look good doing it.”
It would be a bad idea for Berlanga to fight Caleb Plant next if he’s victorious on Saturday night against Hamzah. Boxing fans would expect a lot more than Plant, especially with the 32-year-old coming off an embarrassing loss against Resendiz last May.
That was supposed to be a tune-up for ‘Sweethands’ Plant, but he messed that up by fighting the wrong style of brawling on the inside. Berlanga should aim higher than him if he can’t get the rematch against Canelo Alvarez.
“A lot of people. That’s why I was pushing for it because a lot of people,” said Berlanga about fans wanting to see him and Canelo fight a rematch. “Even the Mexicans. They’re like, ‘Yo, I need that rematch. The second one, you’re going to beat him. You just need that experience.’”
The fans are probably humoring Berlanga or blowing smoke up his backside by saying they want to see him fight Canelo again. Overall, there’s very little interest from people in seeing a rematch between Edgar and Canelo. He had his chance and blew it. The one victory Berlanga has had since then was against a 35-year-old scrub, Jonathan Gonzalez-Ortiz.
If Turki wants to continue to use Berlanga after Saturday, he needs to match him against one of these fighters:
– Diego Pacheco
– Christian Mbilli
– Osleys Iglesias
– David Morrell
– Janibek Alimkhanuly
– David Benavidez
Turki’s Berlanga Ultimatum
Berlanga has the size to fight at light heavyweight or cruiserweight. So Morrell and Benavidez would be good options for him. It’s doubtful that Edgar’s manager would ever agree to those fights, but either of those guys would be excellent for Turki to offer him. If he makes it a take-it-or-leave-it offer, Berlanga might accept. If he says no to the offer, Turki should wash his hands of him.
“I’m the only guy in my generation that fought a legend. If I win this fight on July 12th, I can work something out with Turki. We can probably make it happen next year,” said Berlanga about a rematch with Canelo.
Berlanga is kidding himself if he thinks Turki is going to finance a fight between him and Canelo next year. Even if Edgar looks like pure gold beating Hamzah on Saturday, there still wouldn’t be enough interest for a rematch with Canelo to be viable.
Last Updated on 07/07/2025
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