It is common practice to use the level of competition as a yardstick for champions. Edgar Berlanga is a WBA mandatory contender, and unified super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez is getting ready to face him at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on September 14th. Mayweather Promotions’ former CEO Leonard Ellerbe has made an interesting comparison between Canelo and Floyd Mayweather, Canelo’s old rival.
The young Mexican sensation was a huge underdog when he challenged Floyd Mayweather in 2013, despite his remarkable 42-0-1 record and victories over renowned opponents such as Shane Mosley and Austin Trout. Ellerbe, who has been with Mayweather since the beginning, recently acknowledged the fact that Canelo finds himself in a similar position to Mayweather back then in an interview with Fight Hype TV. This occurred nearly ten years ago.
Ellerbe was asked about his thoughts on the impending fight at the Las Vegas interview. The 58-year-old promoter shared the view of many in the boxing community that youth isn’t always better than experience. “Rounds six to eight. In my view, Canelo manages to halt him. A body shot, too, I believe it will be,” Ellerbe declared confidently.
Ellerbe hastily concurred in September 2013 when questioned about Canelo’s situation being comparable to Floyd Mayweather’s. “It will be a highly entertaining fight, I am certain of it because Berlanga will step up,” he continued.
Berlanga, who is playing for Puerto Rico, is ready to have a career-defining performance, as pointed out by Ellerbe. “He’s talked the talk,” Ellerbe remarked, “so now we’ll have to witness the 27-year-old ‘Chosen One’ in action.” Because Berlanga has never faced an opponent of Canelo’s calibre before, this bout will be the greatest challenge of his career.
Still, after his 2013 fight with Mayweather, Canelo Alvarez’s boxing abilities may have taken a leap.
The boxing world saw the rise of Saul “Canelo” Alvarez after his defeat at the hands of Floyd Mayweather on September 14, 2013. Though humiliating, the defeat ignited a fire of purpose within Alvarez, hastening his rise to champion dominance. Instead of letting his defeat by Mayweather’s tactical brilliance depress him, Alvarez turned it into a springboard for improvement.
He worked on his technique, mental toughness, and style. Amir Khan, Miguel Cotto, Billy Joe Saunders, Daniel Jacobs, Callum Smith, Sergey Kovalev, and Alfredo Angulo were among his subsequent victories, which came only months after his loss. He kept his winning streak going with victories over these opponents. His subsequent successes, which included two important wins over Gennady Golovkin, demonstrated how much of an influence that early defeat had on him. As an example of how hardship can spur extraordinary achievement, Alvarez went from being a hopeful contender to becoming one of boxing’s most dominant champions via his tenacity and flexibility.
Canelo Alvarez is in the same position as Floyd Mayweather was in 2013—he is highly favored to defeat Edgar Berlanga—and he is experienced and skilled. Will Berlanga be able to pull off an unexpected upset in September, or will past events repeat themselves? Post your opinions in the space provided.