Routine Victory Or Upset In The Making? Berlanga Vs. Gonzalez-Ortiz  – Boxing News 24

On Saturday night March 15th in the co-feature bout of the evening, Edgar “The Chosen One” Berlanga makes his return to the squared circle as he will face Jonathan Gonzalez-Ortiz (20-0-1, 16 KOs) at the Caribe Royale in Orlando, Florida, streaming live on DAZN.

(Credit: Melina Pizano/Matchroom)

Six months ago, Berlanga was the headliner in a unified super-middleweight world title bout that took place in Las Vegas, Nevada. Unfortunately for Berlanga he lost his unblemished record. Now he’s ready to bounce back by showcasing his talent on Saturday night.

The 27-year-old Brooklyn, New York native Edgar Berlanga started his career in impressive fashion as he posted 16 consecutive first round knockout victories. During the course of his next five fights, Berlanga looked average as he picked up five wins by way of decision.

Berlanga would go on to make a drastic career move as he signed a multi-fight deal with Eddie Hearn and Matchroom Boxing. A year later, on the night of February 24, 2024, in his second fight with Matchroom, Berlanga ended his four year drought when he faced the undefeated Irish boxer Padraig McCrory.

With 25 seconds left to go in the sixth round,  Berlanga landed a looping overhand right that sent McCrory down to the canvas. McCrory was trying to get up, but before he could struggle to his feet, his cornerman decided to throw in the towel.

After his stoppage victory, Berlanga landed his dream fight, as he was set to face the unified WBO, WBA, WBC super-middleweight world champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. Canelo dropped Berlanga in the 3rd, but Berlanga was able to recuperate, and survive the remainder of the round.

Berlanga kept the fight competitive, but at the conclusion of the 12-round contest, the defending champion Canelo Alvarez won via unanimous decision. Now Edgar Berlanga (22-1, 17 KOs) is ready to work his way back into mandatory challenger contention, as he’s set to take on a tough undefeated opponent.

A native of San Juan, Puerto Rico, Jonathan Gonzalez-Ortiz is a pressure style fighter who has good punch placement and he’s accustomed to overwhelming his opponents with his work rate. The 35-year-old Gonzalez-Ortiz had two fights in 2024, but prior to that, the last time he competed inside the ring was in 2014.

Gonzalez-Ortiz’s ten-year layoff and the low level of competition he’s faced, are the two main reasons why some are skeptical in regards to this fight being competitive. However, Edgar Berlanga is not underestimating his opponent because he believes that on Saturday night he’ll be involved in a firefight.

“I’m not overlooking this man, he’s coming to win,” Berlanga stated. “He’s Puerto Rican, and he has that Puerto Rican blood in him. So, I know he’s coming to fight. I know he’s not going to run around the ring trying to survive. He’s gonna go out there and try to prove a point.”

Austin “Ammo” Williams vs Patrice Volny is the headliner, but the co-main is a very intriguing matchup. Coming off the big money fight with Canelo, Berlanga weighed in for his upcoming fight at 1.6 lbs over the super-middleweight limit of 168.

With that being said, will a lack of focus and discipline by Berlanga open the doors of opportunity for a Gonzalez-Ortiz upset, or will Berlanga show he’s on a different level and collect a routine victory?