Last September, Edgar Berlanga suffered a tough loss to a boxing superstar: Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez. So ideally, his next move should have been securing a major fight against a top 168-pound contender. Instead, he faced the relatively unknown Jonathan Gonzalez-Ortiz. Unsurprisingly, the fight ended exactly as most expected—in the very first round, with Berlanga knocking out Gonzalez-Ortiz with thirty seconds left on the clock. Brushing off the embarrassment of being on the undercard, Berlanga now basks in his newfound momentum – perhaps the boost he had been desperately seeking. Or it’s too soon to say whether Berlanga has truly bounced back.

With his confidence restored, he is now setting his sights on a bigger challenge. During his post-fight interview with Chris Mannix, Berlanga outlined his hit list. At the top remains a longed-for rematch with Canelo. However, there is one fight he craves even more. It’s the showdown with his archrival, Caleb Plant. The two have exchanged heated words both in person and online. Choosing the finest of expletives, Berlanga issued a bold callout to Plant during the post-fight interview. One would have expected an equally fiery response from ‘Sweethands.’ But no. The Tennessean seemed barely fazed.

A measuring stick for ‘The Chosen One’

After Berlanga mentioned his rematch ambitions with Canelo Alvarez, promoter Eddie Hearn, who was standing nearby, chimed in, “I like the Caleb Plant fight. I think that’s a brilliant fight. You know, two guys that are going to really spice it up at the press conference, two great fighters, two great 168-pounders.” Berlanga then took things a step further, repeatedly shouting, “F**k Plant. F**k Plant. F**k Plant. F**k Plant. F**k Plant.” The crowd erupted with loud cheers. But Caleb Plant saw it as an embarrassment. The former super middleweight titleholder later posted a tweet: “And the crowd goes MILD!!!! Nobody even pitched in on the chant @EdgarBerlangaJr -1000 aura on that one….”

Later, as Berlanga walked back from the ring with his team, he spoke to the media in the corridors. Confidently, ‘The Chosen One’ vowed to bring the same fate that befell Gonzalez-Ortiz to Plant, Jaime Munguia, and Jermall Charlo. “I’m on a different level now. Imma do the same thing to Plant, Munguia, Charlo…,” he said.

A fight within reach and worth making

‘Sweethands’ didn’t stop there. Tipping the scales at 169.6 pounds during the final weigh-in, Berlanga entered the fight overweight. Plant didn’t miss the opportunity to take a jab at him: “And then had the nerve to hold that NABO belt after the fight even though he can’t have it because it missed weight 🤦🏻‍♂️ disgrace….smh…” Strictly speaking, Plant’s claims remain unconfirmed. Reports suggest that Berlanga is indeed the new NABO super middleweight champion.

Fans got a taste of the Berlanga-Plant rivalry last year. Ahead of the Canelo-Munguia fight, the two had a heated exchange. Over a year after his fight with David Benavidez, Plant returned to face Trevor McCumby on the Canelo-Berlanga undercard. During the press conference, Berlanga and Plant traded verbal jabs. Arguing on social media, Plant criticized Berlanga for acting like a matchmaker instead of fighting him.

With Plant currently holding the interim WBA title, a showdown between him and Berlanga seems highly plausible. Their heated rivalry only adds to the intrigue. Most notably, both fighters suffered their first career losses to Canelo Alvarez. However, with the super middleweight king showing little interest in granting either a rematch – at least not anytime soon – a fight between Plant and Berlanga could be the perfect opportunity for both to elevate their standing in the division.

What’s your take on a Caleb Plant vs. Edgar Berlanga fight?