Berlanga Decisions Quigley, Gradually Finding His Own
Photo: ALAMY
By: ShreyIt’s rare to see a prospect with such an interesting career as Edgar Berlanga, who at age 26 is still very much discovering himself in the ring. After a yearlong layoff, Berlanga (21 – 0) made his debut with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom boxing at Madison Square Garden, securing a decision win against Jason Quigley (20 – 3) in his attempt to build a case for himself as a serious contender at 168lbs.
While Berlanga won the bout comfortably on the cards, his performance was inconsistent as he gave Quigley far too many chances before the final round, where his gears clicked and he nearly earned a stoppage victory.
A New Beginning for A Rising Contender
Formerly one of Top Rank’s most exciting young faces, Berlanga started his career 16 first round KO wins in 4 years – a feat rarely seen in boxing at all. Most of these successful bouts were in New York, where Berlanga is a native and quickly built his name. Coming from a Puerto Rican family, Berlanga easily clicked with New York’s boxing fanbase and set high expectations all around him.
It was then all too suddenly that Berlanga’s streak not only broke in his 17th fight, but instead switched to a 4 fight decision streak that extended to 5 after this Saturday’s bout against Quigley. Berlanga even suffered a knockdown in his bout against Coceres, a fringe contender, in a strange reversal of roles from his usual. Strangest of all was his last bout about Romer Angulo, where he admittedly attempted to bite his opponent during the match. He joked about it after the fact, though his commission fines and suspensions likely weren’t as funny.
All to say, Berlanga’s switch away to a new promoter and one year break may have been a much needed cleanser before starting again. His opponent Quigley had struggled in fights against top opponents and came into the fight a sizeable underdog.
Photo: Ed Mulholland//Matchroom Boxing
Identity Crisis In The Ring
The fight started as one would expect, with the crisp Quigley landing jabs from the outside and getting stalked by Berlanga, who has been the consistent come-forward side of the equation in every match of his career. Berlanga was clearly exploring his range and timing, keeping his volume low and watching for openings. The strategy looked to payoff in the 3rd Round when he punished Quigley’s ducking, dropping him with a short right hand.
The pressure stayed on from Rounds 4 to 6, where Quigley’s occasional crisp and accurate jabs were not enough to slow down Berlanga, who kept coming forward with occasional volume (and earning a questionable knockdown in Round 5). Though it seemed like Berlanga was exploring the persona of a Marvin Hagler-type stalker, starting slow and then upping his volume as he mastered his range and angles, this was anything but the case during the middle rounds.
From Rounds 7 to 11, as stated best by promoter Eddie Hearn, Berlanga “didn’t really do a lot”. While it was clear that Quigley’s shots had no power, the Irishman had no trouble fending off his challenger through a repeated holding pattern of duck, move, jab, repeat. Berlanga was getting hit by counters more and more, sometimes simply due to his lack of volume.
Though it looked like he would allow the fight to end as a snooze, Berlanga came into Round 12 with renewed vigor. Pushing the action, he began to swing more wildly and finally hurt Quigley, knocking him down twice and having him hold on for dear life. Though Quigley survived the round, it left no question about who the winner would be.
Photo: ALAMY
More Questions Than Answers
What exactly is Edgar Berlanga growing into? In this bout it looked like he was seeking a new level, perhaps realizing that the elites of the sport will need more than his usual brutality that earned him his imposing KO streak. If so, it is unfortunate that his brutality more than his adjustments left the strongest impression on viewers. Berlanga is still young and has talent – perhaps the long layoff and different headspace affected him more than anything. However, if he truly wishes to face the likes of Jaime Mungaia or even Canelo Alvarez, he will need to answer these questions about the fighter he is aiming to become.
Kownacki Fades Against Challenger Cusumano
In the undercard bout leading up to the main event, Adam Kownacki attempted a comeback in front of a large and devoted crowd of fans. Despite his 3 consecutive losses, Kownacki still proved to be the most popular fight of the evening with droves coming to support him. He was looking to rebuild with his first fight in Madison Square Garden in over 10 years – but things did not according to plan.
His opponent Joe Cusumano, a Virginia native who had never boxed in front of such a crowd before, rose to the occasion splendidly. Unbothered by boos of the crowd, he started the bout strong by knocking Kownacki down promptly. The fight continued with give and take, both men connecting shots and often choosing aggression over defense. The crowd was in awe of the action in front of them, and round 7 may be this writer’s Round of The Year, where the two heavyweights slugged at each other relentlessly by trading flurries and uppercuts.
Throughout, it was hard not to notice Kownacki being simply unable to take a punch like before. He never had the best head movement, and the KO losses to Robert Helenius (as well as a rough career to date) have clearly left an impression. His bout with Cusumano ended the same way, as Kownacki simply could not respond to one last flurry in the 8th round and had the towel thrown in while he was failing to respond against the ropes.
Cusumano has earned another follow-up fight, while Kownacki should take the time needs to recover. He should still be proud for the grit he showed, in a fight Eddie Hearn acknowledged as adding “to the heavyweight history of heart”.
Photo: Ed Mulholland/Matchroom Boxing