Legendary coach Teddy Atlas is weighing in on the upcoming showdown between Canelo Alvarez and Edgar Berlanga, a fight that has fans talking, even though many were hoping to see the Mexican face David Benavidez instead.
As he does before all major fights, Atlas broke down the matchup and gave his prediction.
Fans are eager to see if Canelo will continue to dominate or if Berlanga can pull off a massive upset this weekend.
Firstly, Atlas started off by saying that he feels this was a very tactical pick by Alvarez.
The 68-year-old believes that Berlanga is still too young and not ready for a big challenge such as Alvarez. It’s basically history repeating itself as all of this is rather similar to what happened with Canelo against Floyd Mayweather.
Speaking more about the fight, Atlas went on to add that he felt Alvarez was just too powerful and precise with his punches. He also added that Berlanga because of his age might be able to endure the punishment but will fall short at some point during the fight.
“I am taking Canelo… I would take Canelo by knockout. I would take a bet on that. I would also take a shot on the over because I think the younger Berlanga has the ability to survive or potentially survive into the eighth or into the later rounds. Would I be shocked if Canelo got him out of there in four, five, six? No”
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Atlas is often right in his predictions given the wealth of experience he has in the sport. However, it will be interesting to see if at 33, Alvarez still has what it takes to face and beat the young guns.
Keys to victory for Canelo Alvarez
To secure a win against Edgar Berlanga, Canelo Alvarez will need to start by making early deposits to the body. This tactic could force Berlanga to lower his arms just enough for Canelo to land a big shot upstairs later in the fight.
So, with far more title fights under his belt than Berlanga has actual fights, Alvarez’s experience will be crucial.
He should use his counterpunching skills to capitalise on Berlanga’s aggression, possibly luring him in with lighter activity before turning on the heat with sharp combinations.
If Berlanga gets too eager and veers away from his jab to chase power shots, Alvarez can exploit this by using his counterpunching to turn the fight in his favor, potentially leading to a knockout just as predicted.
No offense to Berlanga here but it seems he has been dealt a bad hand with Canelo. While the money he will make from this fight could set up most UFC fighters for life, it’s just about alright by boxing standards. What’s not alright is being fed to Canelo Alvarez.
