“Obviously, we came up with a good strategy, good game plan. Dana [White] and Zuffa, Nick Khan, they didn’t give us no issues or nothing. They’re excited.”
Berlanga says he told Dana White that he wants to capture a world title at super middleweight. In other words, he’s not just focused on winning a Zuffa belt.
“I told Dana, ‘Listen, I want to win a world title at 168,’” said Berlanga. “That’s my goal. That’s why I’m super locked in right now, especially after this last fight, it woke me up.”
It’s going to be difficult for Berlanga to win a world title at 168 without careful matchmaking by Zuffa. Interestingly, he says he wanted to fight the winner of the clash between WBA 168-lb champion Jose Armando Resendiz and Jaime Munguia. Many fans believe Resendiz is the weakest link among the current champions at super middleweight.
“I’m interested in the Resendiz and Munguia, who’s going to be fighting in a couple of weeks,” said Berlanga. “That’s a dope fight that I think we could stir something up real nice. You know, the winner of that.”
That’s a realistic fight for Berlanga, as long as Zuffa offers the winner enough money to make it tempting. Munguia would obviously prefer a rematch with Canelo Alvarez if that option is offered.
“I want that Eubank fight, that Chris Eubank fight,” said Berlanga. “I’m interested in that.”
Naming Eubank Jr. as a target is the definition of a “business-level” fight. Eubank Jr. is 36, coming off a loss to Conor Benn late last year, and is clearly on the decline. For Berlanga, this is a low-risk, high-reward payday. He gets to headline a “big ass arena” in the UK against a name that is popular with casual fans but poses very little threat to a younger, naturally larger super middleweight.
“There’s way more money out there,” said Berlanga about fighting Eubank Jr. in the UK. “Then we’re going to fight in that big ass arena. And you know me, I fought Canelo. Thousands of Mexicans. So I don’t care about going out there.”
The move to Zuffa Boxing looks like an attempt reset his image. It’s actually quite smart for Berlanga if his goal is to make as much money as possible before the wheels completely fall off. But if he thinks beating a 36-year-old Eubank Jr. or a champion like Resendiz makes him the “King of New York,” it’ll likely be fruitless. Beating Eubank Jr. or Resendiz won’t change the fans’ perception of Berlanga.
After being stopped by Hamzah Sheeraz last July and losing to Canelo before that, Berlanga’s stock as an elite fighter is at an all-time low.
The Brooklyn, New York native, Berlanga, says Dana White told him he should be a superstar in New York. It’s unclear why that would be the case, given that Berlanga has never won a world title and is mostly known for losing to Canelo and Hamzah Sheeraz. His best wins were over UK fighters, Jason Quigley and Padraig McCrory. Those are not high-level fighters.
“Dana was like, ‘Yo, bro, I know how big you are in New York, but you shouldn’t even be able to walk right now in the city,’” said Berlanga. “You should have 100 thousand people trying to take pictures with you. No, it’s the branding. Building your brand up. Putting you in the right position where to make you that much of a star. That’s why I like him.”
It sounds like Berlanga is talking a massive game while looking for the path of least resistance. It feels more like a survival strategy wrapped in Dana White’s marketing paper.
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