Canelo Alvarez is preparing to clash with Edgar Berlanga on Sept. 14 in Las Vegas, and the latter is well-known for his trash talk. At the same time, Berlanga hasn’t held back with his criticism of the Mexican icon.
However, Berlanga hasn’t genuinely gotten under Alvarez’s skin. The future Hall-of-Famer named the former opponent who most of all irked him, and it was Billy Joe Saunders. Premier Boxing Champions posted the clip for an interview with Alvarez, and he explained the bad blood between him and Saunders.
Here is a look at the clip:
“That f*****, pissed me off,” Alvarez said. “That’s why he get what he deserved.”
Alvarez scored an eighth-round TKO victory over Saunders when the latter couldn’t answer the bell for the ninth round during their May 2021 unification clash. Alvarez came into the fight as the WBC super middleweight champion and took Saunders’ WBO title in the win.
Alvarez would capture the IBF crown by defeating Caleb Plant six months later. “Some fighters they talk to sell the fight or themselves, but him, I think he’s a bad person and I really enjoy beating that guy,” Alvarez said. The two men had a memorable and seemingly personal faceoff during the pre-fight buildup.
Saunders may have been trying to sell the fight and himself, but in Alvarez’s eyes, things went a little too far. Alvarez appeared to take great pleasure in torturing Saunders throughout the eight rounds. Saunders took such a beating, suffering a fractured orbital bone, that he hasn’t fought since.
Saunders hasn’t officially retired, but with more than three years since his last fight, it seems he might be done competing as a professional boxer. Alvarez has fought six times since the meeting with Saunders, going 5-1.
His only loss came via unanimous decision vs. Dmitry Bivol in May 2022. The fight with Berlanga is the next chapter of the Mexican-Puerto Rican boxing rivalry.
Despite Alvarez being a clear favorite, the event still figures to draw a crowd because of Alvarez’s star power and the fight’s cultural connections.
Here is a look at the entire card for the Sept. 14 event:
- (c) Canelo Alvarez vs. Edgar Berlanga – WBO and WBC super middleweight championship
- Erislandy Lara vs. Danny Garcia
- Caleb Plant vs Trevor McCumby
- Stephen Fulton vs Carlos Castro
- Rolando Romero vs Manuel Jaimes
It will be a busy night in combat sports and Las Vegas. The UFC and Riyadh Season will present Noche UFC at the Sphere on the same evening. It is being advertised as the most amazing live sporting event ever.
Who will win the day: Canelo or the UFC? We’ll find out next month.
