Edgar Berlanga endured stiff resistance from Marcelo Esteban Coceres last October, a fight in which he tore his left biceps in the third of 10 rounds, went down in the ninth and won a unanimous decision.
And he believes he’s a better fighter as a result. Facing obstacles, he said, is how one grows as a fighter.
“It’s about adversity,” said Berlanga, who faces veteran Steve Rolls on Saturday in New York (ESPN, ESPN+). “… I just feel I needed that for my career, especially being this young. I know I was going to come out of that adversity because having a torn biceps in the third round and fighting seven rounds like that, a lot of fighters would have quit because the pain is just ridiculous.
“But I took it as it came. We got the victory.”
Berlanga (18-0, 16 KOs) was a victim of the standards he set for himself. The 24-year-old from Brooklyn became a sensation by stopping each of his first 16 opponents in the first round, which led fans to expect the same even when he stepped up his opposition.
That didn’t happen. Demond Nicholson lost a wide eight-round decision to Berlanga in April but was standing at the final bell. And he received the scare against Coceres, although the Argentine won only three rounds on each of the official cards.
Berlanga had the biceps surgically repaired a few days after the fight and it has healed.
Of course, all of that is behind him. He’s now focused on earning his first opportunity to fight for a major world title. He’s ranked No. 9 by the WBO and No. 13 by the WBA, meaning he’s moving in the right direction.
Indeed, if he can beat Rolls (21-1, 12 KOs) and continue to win, a title shot will come soon. But that doesn’t mean he has forgotten about his fans, who hopped on board the Berlanga Train because of his ability to whack out opponents.
He suggested, in so many words, that you shouldn’t look away once the opening bell rings on Saturday.
“I don’t like to predict nothing,” he said. “He’s a tough veteran. He went in there with the best. And for me, I’m just looking forward to putting on a show. I’m ready to blow the roof off this place.
“I’m just ready to explode. It’ll be fireworks like always.”