Teddy Atlas believes that Edgar Berlanga is a better fighter after going the distance in his last five fights.
Berlanga is undefeated in all 21 of his professional bouts, but his first 16 fights ended in first-round knockouts.
The last five, however, have gone the distance, and his next fight is against another unbeaten man, Padraig McCrory, live on DAZN on February 24.
Atlas looked at Berlanga’s last five opponents - Demond Nicholson, Marcelo Coceres, Steve Rolls, Roamer Alexis Angulo and Jason Quigley - and thinks they represented an important step-up in quality.
“I think they hurt him, getting 16 one-round knockouts,” Atlas explained on ProBox TV.
“It got him on the map; got him on the radar; got people talking about him within the sport; interested about him; excited about him; but what good did it do him?
“It didn't teach him anything. It didn’t improve him. It didn’t improve him on his trajectory to being a better fighter, because at the end of the day, yeah you want to build a record, yeah you want to make money, yeah you want to build a fan base, but you want to become a better fighter.”
He continued: “Sixteen straight one-round knockouts doesn’t make you a better fighter.
“[Berlanga’s] started fighting better guys – guys he could have fought a little earlier – and he’s looking for the knockout.
“I think he’s starting to get better now, I think he’s starting to turn the corner a little bit in that way and develop a little, but coming off 16 straight one-round knockouts, he was thinking, ‘I’m going to hit the guy; I’m going to go home’ and he wasn’t developing the things that all fighters have to develop. All of the assets and qualities that you have to develop to be a top pro; to be a world champ.
“I really thought that stagnated him a little bit. But I think now he is getting to where he needs to be able to identify who he needs to be.
“I think this fight is a coming out party. Really, we’ve forgot about him a little bit.
“This fight is important… Is he the next guy to be excited about, and can he be a player at 168lbs?”
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