Edgar Berlanga is the 2019 TSS Prospect of the Year

Top Rank has two of the best matchmakers in all of boxing in Bruce Trampler and Brad Goodman. But they have a problem when it comes to middleweight Edgar Berlanga (13-0, 13 KO’s).

Developing a fighter is an art. Trampler and Goodman are very good at their craft. Part of developing a fighter is getting them rounds and experience. And this is where Trampler and Goodman are having a problem as Berlanga, nicknamed “The Chosen One”, has not only knocked out all of his opponents but done so in the very first round of all thirteen of his professional fights to date. That’s quite impressive but at some point, Top Rank is going to need to find someone to go rounds with the young phenom. And that may be difficult given his raw punching power.

Berlanga hails from Brooklyn, NY and is proud of his Puerto Rican roots. In interviews, he frequently discusses how he grew up idolizing Hall of Famer Felix “Tito” Trinidad. He recently tweeted “I really want to go down as one of the greatest PUERTO RICAN FIGHTERS TO EVER LIVE.”

Berlanga first picked up the sport in his early childhood days. He reportedly had more than 150 amateur fights and considered making a run at the 2016 Olympics. But instead of pursuing Olympic glory, he opted for the pro game where his aggressive power punching style was better suited. He turned pro at age 18 on April 29^th, 2016 in Mexico.

In his fifth pro fight, Berlanga took a step up in class when he faced Saadiq Muhammad. Muhammad entered with a record of 4-0 and had garnered some buzz on being a prospect on the rise. But Berlanga made surprisingly quick work of him in a performance that opened many eyes.

Berlanga initially fought under Evander Holyfield’s Real Deal umbrella but after starting his career 9-0 signed with Top Rank.

The Top Rank deal allowed Berlanga to showcase his skills to the world in 2019. He was 4-0 this year. Altogether, those four fights lasted only six minutes and 38 seconds! One if his victims, Gregory Trenel ,had never been stopped and was expected to extend Berlanga for the first time in his career.

In his last fight on the Crawford-Kavaliauskas undercard at Madison Square Garden earlier this month, Berlanga easily disposed of then 16-1-1 veteran Cesar Nunez. Much like Trenel, Nunez was thought to be durable enough to go some rounds with him.

Despite the string of impressive performances and growing notoriety, the 22-year-old Berlanga has remained humble. In social media postings, Berlanga frequently references the importance of remaining humble and continuing to work hard in the gym and he is not shy either about thanking his fans.

On that note, family is also very important to Berlanga. Following his win earlier this month, Berlanga posted a heartfelt thank you to his mother and father on Twitter calling them his “heroes.”

Recently, Berlanga latched on with top trainer Andre Rozier. And prior to his fight against Nunez, Berlanga announced that he had signed with manager Keith Connolly who also works with Daniel Jacobs, Sergiy Derevyanchenko and Adam Kownacki.

With some of the top people in boxing behind him, Berlanga is poised for a big year in 2020. The big question will be whether or not Bruce Trampler and Brad Goodman can find anyone who can extend this KO artist beyond the first round?

The view from here is that with his raw punching power and his strong amateur background, this 6’1” middleweight has one of the highest ceilings in all of boxing. That’s why Edgar Berlanga is the 2019 TSS Prospect of the Year.

Check out more boxing news on video at The Boxing Channel 

To comment on this story in The Fight Forum CLICK HERE