{"id":212891,"date":"2025-10-20T10:16:14","date_gmt":"2025-10-20T10:16:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/212891\/"},"modified":"2025-10-20T10:16:14","modified_gmt":"2025-10-20T10:16:14","slug":"berlanga-eyes-crawfords-throne-in-2026-comeback-plan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/212891\/","title":{"rendered":"Berlanga Eyes Crawford\u2019s Throne In 2026 Comeback Plan"},"content":{"rendered":"

Edgar Berlanga says he\u2019s planning his \u201ccomeback fight\u201d but is open to challenging Terence Crawford for his undisputed crown at 168. The Brooklyn, New York native states that he\u2019s got \u201cbig things on the plate\u201d for 2026 when he returns to the ring.<\/p>\n

Can He Be Rebuilt?<\/p>\n

The former Matchroom-promoted Berlanga didn\u2019t give any hints about who he could be facing for his next fight, but it would be in his best interest to choose a safe, lower-level opponent to ensure that he\u2019s not beaten again. His record is essentially built on victories over tomato cans. So, if he keeps doing that, he can remain a viable option for the true talents at 168.<\/p>\n

Berlanga (23-2, 18 KOs) was crushed in five rounds by Hamzah Sheeraz earlier this year on July 12 in Queens, New York. He didn\u2019t look good at all in that fight, getting dropped twice late in the fourth round by Hamzah, and was finished off at the start of the fifth.<\/p>\n

The defeat was Edgar\u2019s second in his last three fights, and it\u2019s questionable whether he can be rebuilt sufficiently by his manager, Keith Connolly, to be a major player to be given other big paydays.<\/p>\n

Despite having beaten no notable fighters, Berlanga has made millions from his fights against Sheeraz and Canelo Alvarez. He\u2019s now wealthy and can afford to be choosy. At 28, Edgar is rich and will need to remain hungry to turn his career around. We\u2019ve seen what\u2019s happened to many fighters after they get a taste of money.<\/p>\n

Crawford on His Radar<\/p>\n

\u201cFor sure. Definitely,\u201d said Edgar Berlanga to Fighthype<\/a> when asked if he\u2019d be interested in challenging Terence Crawford for his undisputed super middleweight championship. \u201cRight now, I\u2019m focused on my comeback fight.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s unrealistic that Crawford would give Berlanga a title shot because it would be a pure waste. There would be no interest from fans in a mismatch like that. At this point, Berlanga is down and out and is low-hanging fruit for Bud or any of the top dogs at 168.<\/p>\n

Superstar or Mirage?<\/p>\n

\u201cI got to put my head down. Whatever happened in my last fight is cool,\u201d said Berlanga about his fifth-round knockout loss to Hamzah Sheeraz on July 12th. \u201cThat ain\u2019t dimmed my light at all. I\u2019m still a superstar. I\u2019m the King of New York. I\u2019m fly. I look good and I fight good.<\/p>\n

Edgar is free to sign with anyone now, as a free agent after leaving Eddie Hearn\u2019s Matchroom. It\u2019s unclear whether Turki Alalshikh would take an interest in using him for another one of his events after the way Sheeraz blew him out.<\/p>\n

It would be more worthwhile for Turki to focus on better talents, like these three super middleweights:<\/p>\n

Osleys Iglesias
\nChristian Mbilli
\nLester Martinez<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m excited for next year. I got big things on the plate,\u201d said Berlanga.<\/p>\n

Written by Ken Woods, Ringside Boxing Analyst, covering world title fights since 2018.<\/p>\n

\"YouTube<\/p>\n

Ken Woods has been a senior writer at Boxing News 24 since 2013, covering the sport from every angle. With years of ringside reporting, he delivers fight news, results, and analysis that cut through the noise. Ken\u2019s work consistently spotlights champions, contenders, and prospects, giving fans a sharp, knowledgeable view of the global boxing scene.<\/p>\n

Boxing News 24<\/a> \u00bb Edgar Berlanga Plots 2026 Comeback, Eyes Terence Crawford\u2019s Undisputed Throne at 168<\/p>\n

Last Updated on 10\/20\/2025 \t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Edgar Berlanga says he\u2019s planning his \u201ccomeback fight\u201d but is open to challenging Terence Crawford for his undisputed…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":212892,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[2560,101,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-212891","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-boxing","8":"tag-boxing","9":"tag-sports","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom","12":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/212891","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=212891"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/212891\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/212892"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=212891"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=212891"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=212891"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}