Just like Jake Paul will forever name-drop Mike Tyson as the fight that flipped his script, Edgar Berlanga’s Canelo Alvarez clash is his crown jewel, even in defeat. He might’ve lost the bout, but not the moment. That night in Vegas, Edgar Berlanga didn’t just fight for titles; he earned respect. A unanimous decision loss on paper, but for him, it’s the one that kept his name glowing in the super middleweight scene.

Fast forward to now, Berlanga knocked out Jonathan Gonzalez-Ortiz in March, picked up the WBO NABO strap, and is set to meet the unbeaten Hamzah Sheeraz in Queens this July. But let’s be honest, he’s still living in that Canelo bubble. And before he even steps back through the ropes, The Chosen One is already plotting his rematch. Turns out, he’s finally talking about what really went down that night at the T-Mobile Arena.

50% Berlanga, 100% Confidence against Canelo Alvarez

While speaking to reporters a few days ago, Edgar Berlanga decided to address the contention from Canelo Alvarez as well as many fans that he was merely trying to survive against Canelo and not win. “Surviving? You know who’s surviving? [Jermell] Charlo was surviving,” he shot right back. He threw shade at Jermell Charlo’s 12-round stroll with Canelo Alvarez in September 2023. But when it comes to Berlanga himself? He’d brushed off any comparisons to his own performance. The 27-year-old took fans back to that third-round knockdown, but insisted he bounced back sharper. “For me, to be out there surviving and get hit with a shot in the third round, get up, look at my coach, shake it off, and take it to him. I was talking sh-t to him the whole fight,” he recalled.

“So it was kind of disrespect. [But] We had the fans going crazy. The 12th round was insane. So for him to say I was trying to survive is crazy,” he stated. So when Canelo Alvarez suggested Berlanga was just hanging on, The Chosen One wasn’t having it. “He just can’t fu– with me,” he continued. And here’s the twist.

Berlanga claimed, “I was at 50%” that night. “And I never used that as an excuse or nothing. I went in there and I performed. I think that we gotta run that back,” he declared, with the confidence of someone who left more in the tank. But until that door reopens, Berlanga’s focus shifts to July 12, where the Hamzah Sheeraz fight awaits.

“You know, whoever we up against,” he said. If Sheeraz is next, Berlanga’s plan is simple: “knock him down” and move on. And after that? It’s Jaime Munguia in his sights. “I want to knock Munguia the fu– out,” he added, keeping his intentions crystal clear.

And if Berlanga gets past Sheeraz, we might just see him put that knockout promise to the test. As for the Canelo Alvarez sequel? Unless Canelo Alvarez has a change of heart and adds him to the two-fight deal lined up for 2026, that rematch isn’t happening—the decision’s already made.

With Canelo Alvarez, boredom’s a bigger sin than losing

Last month, Canelo Alvarez got candid with Ring Magazine’s Mike Coppinger. And he didn’t sugarcoat a thing. The Mexican champion admitted he’s been left underwhelmed lately, calling the John Ryder bout of 2023 the only one that felt remotely satisfying. As for Jermell Charlo, Jaime Munguia and Edgar Berlanga? According to Canelo Alvarez, they weren’t fighting. They were just surviving. “To have a good fight, you need the both fighters. Have the same, ‘Okay let’s go’ and go and fight, not try to survive,” he said.

Coppinger, echoing the frustration, chimed in: “It’s like you always say. If the other guy runs around, then you get blamed.” The 63-2 boxer nodded and shot back at critics, stating, “‘Oh, Canelo made a boring fight.’ No right. I need, we are two fighters there, not just me.” Point taken. He’s tired of carrying all 12 rounds on his own while the opponent plays defense.

And whether Edgar Berlanga likes it or not, Canelo Alvarez already feels the case is closed. He dropped him in round 3, cruised to a smooth unanimous decision, and walked away without a scratch. So, a rematch? For Canelo Alvarez, that ship’s already sailed. But what do you think? Should he give Berlanga another shot? Or is that chapter better left on the shelf?