Promoter Eddie Hearn is interested in Diego Pacheco vs. recently beaten Edgar Berlanga. The winner of a Berlanga-Pacheco fight would be in a great position to challenge for a world title against superstar Canelo Alvarez. It’s the fight Berlanga wants after losing to Canelo via a 12-round unanimous decision on Saturday night at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
(Credit: Rey Del Rio/Premier Boxing Champions)
Hearn claims that Berlanga (22-1, 17 KOs) is now the second most popular fighter in the 168-lb division. However, for him to continue to be the No. 2 fighter in the super middleweight division, he needs to keep the momentum going by fighting a talented top-shelf contender like Diego Pacheco (22-0, 18 KOs).
Berlanga has never beaten a true top-50 contender during his eight-year professional career, and fighting Pacheco would give him that opportunity.
Pacheco is ranked #1 WBO, #4 IBF, and #4 WBC. He is coming off a sixth round knockout win over veteran Maciej Sulecki on August 31st and looked impressive in that fight. Pacheco’s power, size and punching combination make him a formidable presence for anyone in the division.
With his tremendous cruiserweight-sized frame, Berlanga would have a huge weight advantage over the slender Pacheco. Assuming Berlanga enters the ring weighing around 193 lbs on fight night, Pacheco would have to figure out how to handle that size for 12 rounds. Diego couldn’t count on knocking out Berlanga as he showed he could take even the biggest punches from a super middleweight in his fight against Canelo last weekend.
“Diego (Pacheco) is a young fighter with something to prove, but Edgar (Berlanga) just fought Canelo Alvarez, and his stock has really risen. I think Diego will chase Berlanga. All young fighters should chase Edgar Berlanga,” he said Eddie Hearn at the post-fight press conference on Saturday night.
Hearn also said he wants Berlanga to fight against Caleb Plant and Jaime Munguia. It’s unclear how soon Hearn would want Berlanga to fight either of those two, but it’s not likely in his plans for his next fight. Ideally, Berlanga needs a confidence-boosting type of opponent for his next fight to bring him back and get the fans used to seeing him win again.
Hearn should pick a contender that fans have heard of and isn’t seen as a soft touch for Berlanga’s next fight.
Options for Berlanga’s next fight:
– Trevor McCumby
– Sergiy Derevyanchenko
– Bektemir Melikuziev
– Demetrius Andrade
– Kevin Lele Sadjo
Eddie Hearn on what’s next for Edgar Berlanga#CaneloBerlanga pic.twitter.com/L2g0aV5moD
— Sal Arteaga (@sal__arteaga) September 15, 2024
