CANADA – Edgar Berlanga is aiming to beat Alexis Angulo before moving onto a title shot.
The Puerto Rican super middleweight is preparing for a fight at the Madison Square Garden on 11 June with the WBO NABO title on the line, but he hopes 2023 brings with it a shot at a world championship.
The 25-year-old is seeking out plenty of advice, and BoxingScene.com reported that a recent run he shared with the legendary Felix ‘Tito’ Trinidad brought with it some guidance.
“He was just breaking a lot of things down to me,” he explained. “And one of the things he said that opened up my eyes was ‘Stay here and train. You got the Puerto Rican Day weekend coming up and it’s best for you to be out here on the island so that people can see you. They’re gonna support you and if they love you now, they’re gonna love you twice as much.’ So, I took his advice.”
The fight takes place on the day before the National Puerto Rican Day parade, with the unbeaten fighter looking for his 20th straight victory to mark the occasion.
“Yeah, I’m ready for it,” Berlanga continued. “I know it’s not easy to fill those shoes with what [Miguel] Cotto did and Trinidad did. All I want to do is bring back boxing to Puerto Rico, that fire, that light, that thing that people wanted for the Puerto Rican Day weekend. I’m blessed to be in this position.
“He [Trinidad] told me that night I’m gonna turn into a different type of monster that night, for sure,” said Berlanga. “With him, he grew off the energy in the arena with the people, and he said that night is gonna be the same thing for me. He said he knows I’m gonna show out that night.”
