Unbeaten super middleweight Edgar Berlanga started a new knockout streak by scoring a brutal sixth-round stoppage over Padraig McCrory at the Caribe Royale Orlando in Florida on Saturday. The official time was 2:44.
WATCH: Edgar Berlanga vs. Padraig McCrory, live on DAZN
Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) opened up with a series of punishing rights that took McCrory’s legs away in the sixth. The Irishman was swaying all over the ring in a desperate bid to stay upright, but a big left hook to the body set up two more devastating rights that put McCrory over. Referee Christopher Young completed the 10-count as the white towel came in from the stricken fighter’s corner.
“It feels amazing [to get the knockout],” said Berlanga during his post-fight interview with DAZN. “I was losing sleep over this fight. People don’t understand, Irish mother f_____s are strong. And he’s undefeated, and he came to fight.
“People are intimidated by my power, so I didn’t want to just be an offensive fighter. I’m learning how to put my defense together, psych them out, and then start landing my punches. I was breaking him down little by little.”
Berlanga threw next to nothing in the opening round which McCrory picked up on work rate alone. This pedestrian pace continued into the second and the packed crowd were already getting impatient.
There was some nasty stuff on the inside in the third when Berlanga purposefully raked the Irishman with an elbow. This was a sign of frustration although Berlanga did land some pulverizing power shots in this session.
Finding his range, Berlanga took that momentum into the fourth and his punches visibly shook McCrory. It was the same again in the fifth and the Belfast man was doing a lot of complaining to the referee in relation to low blows, some of which was justified.
The issue for Berlanga was there was no second phase of attack in the early going. He’d land one or two blows and then smother his follow up assault or be dragged into a clinch. He needed to locate space and switch up the angles, which is precisely what he did in the sixth before lowering the boom.
The knock on Berlanga was that his spectacular streak of 16 first-round knockouts ended as soon as he took a significant step up in class. While that may be true, he is a powerful hitter and deserves a shot at glory. Will undisputed champion Canelo Alvarez answer the call?
“He's mandatory now for Canelo’s title; he’s No. 1 with the WBA,” said Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn. “It’s only a matter of time. Canelo Alvarez, the greatest fighter in the sport. [Berlanga] wants to challenge himself against the greatest fighters.
“Puerto Rico against Mexico, that would be a huge event. Maybe there is one more [fight for Berlanga], but if the call came, he wouldn’t back down. He wouldn’t run away and try to survive for 12 rounds.”
Despite the fact that Berlanga called for Canelo "next", expect the New Yorker of Puerto Rican descent to have one more bout.
McCrory falls to 18-1 (9 KOs).
WATCH: Edgar Berlanga vs. Padraig McCrory, live on DAZN
Edgar Berlanga vs. Padraig McCrory fight card
- Edgar Berlanga def. Padraig McCrory via KO 6 (2:44); Super Middleweights
- Andy Cruz def. Brayan Zamarippa via UD 10 (100-90, 100-90, 100-90); Lightweights
- Shakhram Giyasov def. Pablo Cesar Cano via TD 11 (109-99, 109-99, 109-99); Welterweights
- Antonio Vargas def. Jonathan Rodriguez via TKO 7 (3:00); Bantamweights
- Yankiel Rivera def. Andy Dominguez via UD 10 (99-91, 99-91, 99-91); Flyweights
- Joseph Fernandez def. Aaron Aponte via UD 8 (78-74, 78-74, 77-75); Super Lightweights