Edgar Luis Berlanga Jr. (born May 18, 1997) is an American professional boxer who challenged for the unified super middleweight championship in 2024.[4][5]
Berlanga was born to the large Nuyorican community of Brooklyn, to parents from Puerto Rico.[5] He started boxing at the age of 7, As a child, he was a fan of Félix Trinidad, a former world champion who frequently fought at Madison Square Garden.[5] When queried about his heritage, Berlanga responded “I feel a hundred percent Puerto Rican [...] I was born over there, but belong here. I am very Puerto Rican”.[5] He also emphasized that most of his family still resides on the islands, and that when he boxes he represents them and its "beautiful flag."[5][6][7]
Berlanga began boxing at the age of seven, gathering an amateur record of 162–17.[5]
Berlanga made his professional debut on April 29, 2016, scoring a first-round knockout (KO) victory against Jorge Pedroza at Isla San Marcos in Aguascalientes City, Mexico.[8] He has gone on to compile a record of 23–2, with 18 knockouts, 16 coming by first-round stoppage.[9]
By late 2020, Berlanga's record had improved to 16–0, with all of his victories coming in the 1st round, although some critics would consider his previous opponents, "tin cans", catching the attention of media as he was closing in on the official world record for consecutive 1st-round KOs held by Ali Raymi.[10] On December 12, 2020, Berlanga equalled Young Otto's record when he knocked out Ulises Sierra in the first round.[11] Berlanga attempt to capture the world record for consecutive 1st-round KOs ended on April 24, 2021 when he was taken the full distance in his unanimous decision victory against Demond Nicholson in his 17th pro fight.[12]
On October 9, 2021 on the undercard of Tyson Fury vs. Deontay Wilder III, Berlanga overcame a knockdown in the ninth round against former WBO title challenger Marcelo Cóceres to attain his eighteenth successive professional victory. He won via unanimous decision with all three scorecards reading 96–93.[13]
Berlanga attracted controversy due to an incident during his June 11, 2022 fight against Roamer Alexis Angulo, during which a frustrated Berlanga attempted to bite Angulo on the shoulder. The incident was not noticed at the time by referee Ricky Gonzales. Berlanga went on to win the fight by unanimous decision. The following day Berlanga joked about the incident saying "I was about to do a Mike Tyson on him". Berlanga received criticism for this comment and later apologized. The New York State Athletic Commission later fined Berlanga $10,000 and suspended him from professional boxing for a period of six months for the incident.[14]
On February 24, 2024 in Orlando, Florida, Berlanga faced Padraig McCrory in a 12-round bout at super middleweight.[15] He won the fight by TKO in the sixth round.[16]
Berlanga challenged Canelo Álvarez for his WBA, WBC and WBO super middleweight titles at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on September 14, 2024. He lost the fight by unanimous decision.[17][18][19]
Berlanga returned to the ring in on March 15, 2025, in Orlando, Florida against Jonathan González Ortiz. Berlanga won by TKO in the first round, securing two knockdowns along the way.[20][21] Berlanga missed the super middleweight limit by 1.6 lbs, but was still eligible to win the title.[22]
After Berlanga's comeback win in March 2025, Berlanga wanted the hardest fight possible and thus accepted a fight with 6'3" undefeated Hamzah Sheeraz immediately. [23] Sheeraz vs. Berlanga would headline the Riyadh Season fight night. Berlanga was confident coming into the fight despite all sports books marking him as the underdog.[24] Both weighed the same 167.6 pounds.[25]
Berlanga showed heart by surviving a clean knockout punch that affected him for the rest of the fight, he was down twice in the fourth round with a series of combinations, leaving the latter visibly shaken and struggling to survive until the end of the round. As the fifth round commenced, Sheeraz concluded the bout decisively with a right-left combination, sending Berlanga to the canvas for the third time. The referee, David Fields, promptly stopped the fight just 17 seconds into the round.[26][27][28] According to CompuBox, Sheeraz landed 62 of 162 punches thrown (38.3%) and Berlanga landed 46 of his 119 thrown (38.7%).[29][30]
| 25 fights | 23 wins | 2 losses |
|---|---|---|
| By knockout | 18 | 1 |
| By decision | 5 | 1 |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | Loss | 23–2 | Hamzah Sheeraz | KO | 5 (12), 0:17 | Jul 12, 2025 | Louis Armstrong Stadium, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| 24 | Win | 23–1 | Jonathan González Ortiz | KO | 1 (10) 2:31 | Mar 15, 2025 | Caribe Royale, Orlando, Florida, U.S. | Won vacant NABO super middleweight title |
| 23 | Loss | 22–1 | Canelo Álvarez | UD | 12 | Sep 14, 2024 | T-Mobile Arena, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. | For WBA (Super), WBC, WBO, and The Ring super middleweight titles |
| 22 | Win | 22–0 | Padraig McCrory | TKO | 6 (12), 2:44 | Feb 24, 2024 | Caribe Royale, Orlando, Florida, U.S. | |
| 21 | Win | 21–0 | Jason Quigley | UD | 12 | Jun 24, 2023 | Hulu Theater, New York City, New York, U.S. | Retained NABO super middleweight title |
| 20 | Win | 20–0 | Roamer Alexis Angulo | UD | 10 | Jun 11, 2022 | Hulu Theater, New York City, New York, U.S. | Retained NABO super middleweight title |
| 19 | Win | 19–0 | Steve Rolls | UD | 10 | Mar 19, 2022 | Hulu Theater, New York City, New York, U.S. | Retained NABO super middleweight title |
| 18 | Win | 18–0 | Marcelo Cóceres | UD | 10 | Oct 9, 2021 | T-Mobile Arena, Paradise, Las Vegas, Nevada, US | Won vacant NABO super middleweight title |
| 17 | Win | 17–0 | Demond Nicholson | UD | 8 | Apr 24, 2021 | Silver Spurs Arena, Kissimmee, Florida, U.S. | |
| 16 | Win | 16–0 | Ulises Sierra | TKO | 1 (8), 2:41 | Dec 12, 2020 | MGM Grand Conference Center, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. | |
| 15 | Win | 15–0 | Lanell Bellows | TKO | 1 (8), 1:29 | Oct 17, 2020 | MGM Grand Conference Center, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. | |
| 14 | Win | 14–0 | Eric Moon | KO | 1 (8), 1:02 | Jul 21, 2020 | MGM Grand Conference Center, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. | |
| 13 | Win | 13–0 | Cesar Nunez | TKO | 1 (8), 2:45 | Dec 14, 2019 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| 12 | Win | 12–0 | Gregory Trenel | TKO | 1 (8), 2:24 | Aug 10, 2019 | Liacouras Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
| 11 | Win | 11–0 | Gyorgy Varju | KO | 1 (8), 0:43 | May 25, 2019 | Osceola Heritage Park, Kissimmee, Florida, U.S. | |
| 10 | Win | 10–0 | Samir dos Santos Barbosa | TKO | 1 (8), 0:46 | Apr 20, 2019 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| 9 | Win | 9–0 | Gregory Clark | TKO | 1 (6), 2:29 | Sep 29, 2018 | Kings Theatre, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| 8 | Win | 8–0 | Aaron Garcia | TKO | 1 (6), 1:24 | Jun 9, 2018 | Kings Theatre, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| 7 | Win | 7–0 | Jaime Barboza | TKO | 1 (6), 2:42 | Jan 26, 2018 | SugarHouse Casino, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
| 6 | Win | 6–0 | Enrique Gallegos | TKO | 1 (6), 1:42 | Nov 18, 2017 | Resorts World Casino, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| 5 | Win | 5–0 | Saadiq Muhammad | KO | 1 (4), 0:41 | Sep 9, 2017 | Resorts World Casino, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| 4 | Win | 4–0 | Christopher Salerno | TKO | 1 (4), 1:14 | Mar 24, 2017 | Orlando Live Event Center, Orlando, Florida, U.S. | |
| 3 | Win | 3–0 | Jose Alberto Leal | TKO | 1 (4), 2:40 | Nov 18, 2016 | Cancha IV Centenario, Aguascalientes City, Mexico | |
| 2 | Win | 2–0 | Jose Antonio Leos Nery | KO | 1 (4), 0:49 | Jun 16, 2016 | Auditorio Hermanos Carréon, Aguascalientes City, Mexico | |
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | Jorge Pedroza | KO | 1 (4), 1:02 | Apr 29, 2016 | Isla San Marcos, Aguascalientes City, Mexico |
