Edgar Berlanga has named Felix Trinidad as one of his inspirations ahead of his fight with Padraig McCrory.
The two super middleweights put their respective undefeated records on the line on February 24 in Orlando, live on DAZN.com.
The winner will be well positioned for a potential title fight later in their career as Canelo Alvarez searches for his next opponent.
Trinidad is a legend of Puerto Rican fighting, and speaking to BoxingScene.com, Berlanga was effusive in his praise.
“It was the excitement and then it was his charisma,” he said. “It was definitely his charisma, and his fight game, and it played a major part in my life, and I feel like it made me the fighter that I am today. I feel like I’ve got power, I’ve got a crazy fight game, but then I’ve got charisma, where the people love me and are drawn to me.”
He added: “I loved it when he fought [Fernando] Vargas (12th round stoppage win in 2000). That was a big, big fight, because it was Mexico versus Puerto Rico, Vargas was young, hungry, and Trinidad was young and hungry and it was something crazy.
“Vargas was that Mexican star and it wasn’t just the fight, it was like… the build-up to that fight was dope. If you watch it and watch it, it likes damn. That’s what boxing is. Regardless of how it went down as a fight, I respect both fighters, I just loved the anticipation of that fight. It was just crazy.”
Miguel Cotto is another legend who Berlanga draws upon for his own career.
“Yeah, 1,000 per cent,” added Berlanga. “It’s crazy because the first fight I watched was Trinidad and then Trinidad retired, then Cotto came on the scene and when he came on the scene I watched every Cotto fight. People talk about Trinidad, but Cotto was a big inspiration in my life, too, because when I was eight, nine-years-old, he was already becoming a star in the sport and the face of Puerto Rico.
“So when he came up I was watching all of his fights, when he was fighting in Puerto Rico… fighting Shane Mosley… When he fought Zab Judah I was there, I watched that when I was like nine-years-old, I went to The Garden.”
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