Canelo Alvarez will put his WBC, WBO and WBA super middleweight world titles on the line against Edgar Berlanga on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Alvarez (61-2-2, 39 KOs) was the undisputed champion at 168 pounds before the IBF stripped him of the belt in July after Alvarez decided to face Berlanga instead of the organization’s No. 1 mandatory challenger, William Scull.
Alvarez, 34, has won titles in four divisions, and he’s coming off a unanimous decision victory over Jaime Munguia in May. Since his loss to Dmitry Bivol in May 2022 challenging for a light heavyweight title, Alvarez has won four consecutive fights, all by unanimous decisions.
“This is a good fight for the fans,” Alvarez said during an August news conference in New York to officially announce the fight. “I know he’s going to come to bring everything, and I will too. It’s the kind of fight I enjoy a lot. I can’t wait.”
Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs), ranked at No. 5 at super middleweight by ESPN, scored first-round KO wins in his first 16 professional fights. Since then, he has scored only one KO in his past six fights, a sixth-round TKO of Padraig McCrory in February. This is the first title fight for the 27-year-old Berlanga.
“Canelo is definitely going to bring the best out of me,” Berlanga said. “Every time I step up, I step up my abilities. This fight is all about intelligence. We have to make sure we match him there. It’s will versus will. We’re not running. We’re going to stay right there and we’re going to do what we do.”
Stay here for all that’s happening ahead of the fight, plus full coverage by Mike Coppinger with live results and analysis on Saturday night.
