Eddie Hearn's Risky Gambit: GGG vs Berlanga - The Epic Showdown to Crown MSG
Following his fighter victory over Jason Quigley on Saturday night at the Hula Theatre in New York, Eddie Hearn says he wants unbeaten super middleweight challenger Edgar Berlanga to face Gennadiy Golovkin next. Hearn's desire for Golovkin vs Berlanga shows that he believes Edgar can win this bout. Hearn may have made a mistake because Berlanga looked terrible not just against Quigley but also in the previous bouts against Roamer Alexis Angulo and Marcelo Esteban Coceres. You have to believe that the fighter is just having luck when he continuously performs poorly during the fights. We can't say it's just a bad night, surely there is a lack of talent which no experience can change. Eddie wants a big name for his fighter to sell out the grand arena of MSG (Madison Square Garden) for Berlanga's fight on DAZN, and he sees GGG (42-2-1, 37 KOs) as the perfect candidate. Berlanga needs to add big names to his 26-0 winning streak. That's the only way he can have a piece of Canelo in 2024. Eddie knows that Quigley (20-3, 14 KOs) was not a big name to get Canelo to face Berlanga. So, he is currently relying on a 41-year-old GGG to accept the offer of a fight against Berlanga. Hearn will have to make an impressive offer to convince Gennady to agree to the match because he won't take bait against massive-sized Berlanga for chicken feed. If Hearn makes a $15 million offer, he might be able to get Gennady to fight the unbeaten Berlanga. Triple G ruined a winnable battle against the faded-looking Canelo in September by fighting quietly over the first six rounds. For the first six rounds, it looked like an over-hyped sparring match until midway when GGG’s spirit kicked in and he dominated the remaining fight. When talking to the media at the post-fight press conference Eddie talked about GGG as a potential next fight for Berlanga. “Yeah, GGG is a much bigger name. It’s just whether he fights again” “He (GGG) punches harder (than Jaime Munguia). I think he’s a better fighter. It’s just that he’s an older fighter. I think he’s not a prime GGG anymore, but he’s still a tremendous fighter,” If Hearn throws enough money at Golovkin, he could agree to fight Berlanga to help Hearn sell out the MSG. 'Be cautious what you wish for,' as the saying goes, applies in this situation because Golovkin is still dangerous. He looks like an unexploded bomb from a battle zone or an artillery range. Berlanga is not an EOD expert, and Golovkin is simply too dangerous for a fighter who looked above average against Quigley. Additionally, Eddie added “I love him (GGG) as a person. I would like to see Edgar with (him). I really like Jaime Munguia as a person, but I don’t see him as an elite guy like Gennadiy Golovkin.” “For the resume and obviously the fan base, Gennadiy Golovkin has boxed in the Garden many times, but it all depends if he wants to fight again,”. Eddie should focus on finding a fighter who can help Berlanga advance rather than someone who will help him fill MSG. Berlanga said: “I think it’s just the pressure of delivering for my people. It’s a little tough for me right now because people are expecting something. A KO, a knockout, or a TKO, and my Puerto Rican people and from New York, they’re expecting that." "Listen, I’m excited to be here under the promotion. I got the victory, and that’s all that matters. I ended the fight amazingly, and I’ve just got to pick off from there.”
