Edgar Berlanga remembers it like it was yesterday.
One of his childhood heroes, Miguel Cotto, was at Madison Square Garden against Zab Judah during National Puerto Rican Day Parade weekend in New York City back in June 2007. Berlanga, who had just turned 10 weeks prior, was in attendance to observe Cotto produce an electric 11th-round TKO.
“Just seeing that fight live as a kid there and I’m a fan and just going nuts, that’s my favorite fight of all time that I witnessed,” Berlanga tells DAZN over a recent phone call. “It was just amazing.”
Fifteen years later and the Brooklyn-bred Nuyorican has come full circle. The undefeated 25-year-old finds himself on the brink of headlining Hulu Theater at MSG during National Puerto Rican Day Parade weekend, as he’ll clash with veteran Alexis Angulo on Saturday night. The winner of the fight will be the first-ever recipient of MSG’s Miguel Cotto Trophy.
“For me to now be headlining Madison Square Garden, just everything became proof,” Berlanga says. “I’m truly, truly blessed by my lord and savior Jesus Christ. He definitely made it happen for me. With all the prayers and speaking everything into existence, we definitely brought this to life.”
For as long as Berlanga could remember, he has been a staple at the annual parade which runs on the Big Apple’s famed Fifth Avenue from 43 to 79 streets in Manhattan.
“I have pictures to back it up,” offers Berlanga as fact-check material for anyone who’s willing to contest his presence at the yearly celebration. “You’ll see me walking (at the parade) during my amateur days with all my belts. You’ll see me every year walking the parade or I’m in Brooklyn with the flag.
“Me being young, I was just always representing my flag,” he continues. “I was just so happy and I really am prideful about repping the flag.”
So much so that Berlanga held his training camp to prepare for Angulo in Puerto Rico. Actually, it was a suggestion from another Puerto Rican childhood hero of his, Felix “Tito” Trinidad, that Berlanga took heed to — among other things.
“The thing about Trinidad is he’s the type of guy who gives you 'consejos' (tips in Spanish) about life, training but also he’s a real fun guy to be around,” Berlanga reveals about the former three-division world champion who is now 49. “He was just telling me like always when I speak with him, ‘Keep training hard, stay focused and always follow (dad’s) lead.’
“The reason why I actually did my camp in Puerto Rico was obviously I wanted to but then he actually put the battery in my back and said ‘Listen, man, do it here. This is where you belong. Do your camp here in the soil like I did,’” he adds. “I just followed his steps and said ‘You know what, I’m going to do it. I’m going to listen to the GOAT.’ Not only that but I got a house already in Fajardo, (Puerto Rico) so I’m looking to even move over there and live over there with my family. So, I’m just happy.”
After sparking fireworks in the form of 16 consecutive first-round knockouts to start his pro career, Berlanga (19-0, 16 KOs) has had to grind out three straight unanimous decisions, including a 10-round nod over Steve Rolls on March 19, making this bout against Angulo a rather quick turnaround. The fight before that — against Marcelo Esteban Coceres in October 2021 — had Berlanga enduring a ninth-round knockdown to secure the victory and strengthen his mettle.
“I’m just happy I got to experience going into those later rounds,” Berlanga expresses. “That was the most important thing I needed as a pro. Knocking people out in the first round, I wasn’t going to gain any type of experience, just with finding myself, and who I really am as a pro which is a boxer-puncher. That’s who I really am.”
The super middleweight will be able to test that belief out against the 38-year-old Angulo (27-2, 23 KOs), who came up short against David Benavidez in August 2020 and Gilberto Ramirez in June 2018 in his only world title opportunities.
Berlanga believes he’s building up a portfolio toward a world championship shot himself and that a convincing victory Saturday night would inch him closer.
“If I perform, stick to the gameplan and dominate this dude in phenomenal fashion, every door is going to open up for me down to titles, seeking bigger names,” Berlanga is banking on. “I know for sure I’m in the mix right now but I feel like I’ll be more in the mix with these top guys.”
Berlanga tells DAZN that he’ll have Puerto Rican legends Fat Joe and Don Omar perform and lead him out to the ring Saturday night. The former has been a vocal supporter of Berlanga’s.
“(Fat Joe) already got his tickets to the fight,” Berlanga says. “I already got him his tickets — front row. Joe is going to be there with (fellow rappers) Remy Ma, Papoose, the whole (of) New York’s gonna be out there supporting me. It’s going to be something legendary. I’m truly excited.”
That excitement could turn into sheer bliss if Berlanga adds another knockout to his ledger to hear it from the crowd at Hulu Theater on Saturday night, before being championed along Fifth Avenue during Sunday’s parade.
“I’ll feel like a king, for sure,” Berlanga projects. “If I dominate this guy in phenomenal fashion and I sweep him, I’m telling you, man, there’s going to be a new star in Puerto Rico.
“This is a big weekend for me,” he tacks on for good measure. “I know this is like do or die for me. I really have to perform.
“I feel like if I really do perform to my best ability, they’re going to be screaming: ‘Yo, this is the new face of Puerto Rico.’”