The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Boxing with Chris Mannix - A Big Moment for Berlanga

Episode Date: June 21, 2023

Joining Mannix this week are DAZN's Ak and Barak. Mannix, Ak and Barak discuss Regis Prograis's lackluster win, Edgar Berlanga's return, if Berlanga can earn a shot at Canelo with a win over Jason Quigley, a gutsy move by David Benavidez and more. Later, Berlanga joins to talk about a difficult year off, why he has reunited with his former trainer, what he thinks about a showdown with Jaime Munguia and more. Subscribe, rate and review the pod on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you download podcasts. #Volume #HerdSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Edgar Berlanga, 168 pound contender. He joins the show a little bit later on. Spent a lot of time talking to Edgar about his year off in boxing, the changes he's made since his last fight, his desire to kind of get his career back on track. And at the end of it, I pressed Edgar about a topic we're going to discuss early on. And that is a fight between Edgar Berlanga and Jaime Mungia, which has replaced Jamal Charlo and Demetrius Andrade atop my list of fantasy fights that needs to be made. So stick around for that interview a little bit later in the show. As you heard from those laughs, I am joined this week by two of my favorite guys in all of boxing.

They're the co-hosts of the DeZone Boxing show. Ak and Barak, they will be in New York all week long hosting the DeZone boxing show from the Berlanga, Jason Quigley site. You can check that out on DeZone, follow it on YouTube, follow their show as well. Fellas, thanks for being here for doing the show. Barack, you think that, I mean, look, it's, Brock, it is. And we're going to get to Berlanga Mungia a little bit later on, but that's at least a better fantasy fight, a more realistic fantasy fight than my Andre Charlo dream.

No, I mean, I kind of like it. I like it because it's a fan-friendly fight. And it's kind of like your last fight that you, you know, you campaigning for because we're still waiting for these guys to fight somebody. They both been in a game for a while. Edgar just had a whole bunch of fame and we're waiting for him to fight somebody big. and Mungia's been in the game for too long, three different weight classes,

and we're still waiting for him to fight a big name. So I like it. Ock, what do you think of Berlanga Mungia? I love that fight. We talked to Eddie Hearn earlier than week, and we talked about his relationship with Oscar De La Hoya and Golden Boy, and they're back and forth, you know, little Instagram jabs.

But he says, hey, when he sees Oscar, it's all love. So he says he doesn't see a problem making that fight, obviously, you know, there has to be some negotiations, and I know that they're looking ahead at the Canelo fight, but if there's a fight in the interim, right, first of all he has to get passed quickly. If there's a fight in the interim before the Canello, what better than a test like Jaime Mungiya?

I mean, we also would happen, you know, last week against Dervchenko, week and a half a go. So that's a tough fight. I mean, does he make it to Kennello if he fights at Jaime Mungiya? Hey, that is Rockam-Sakam Robot. for as long as it last. I think that would be a terrific fight. One of the best fights you can make in the second half of 2020.

We're going to talk about that. We're going to talk about Berlinga. Berlanga coming up against Jason quickly this weekend. That's a fight you can watch on the zone. But I want to look back for a minute, guys, at what we saw last weekend with Regis Progrey and Daniel Lito Zoria, Progrey making the first defense of his WBC 140 pound title. I think a lot of people, myself included, expected this fight to kind of devolve into a shootout. It never did.

And that was largely because Danielita Zoria came in with a game plan that he was going to box and move with an emphasis on move. The copy box numbers were crazy. I mean, there were only 84 landed punches in the 12 rounds of that fight. That is the lowest number of punches landed in a championship fight in the 38-year history of copy box. That's how- What? Are you serious? I did not know those stats.

That's how crazy those numbers were and how little action there was. in that fight. But, Ak, let's put the question to you first. You watch that fight. Did you see signs of weakness in Regis Progray? Do you think that fight is indicative of a weakness in Progray? Yes and no. The first part is there are things that need to be worked on in terms of cutting a ring off. But I also know that there are fighters, certain fighters that have certain styles that will make great fighters look bad. And Zaria, I mean, he literally ran most of that fight. And then when he would engage one or two shots,

he would, you know, Regis is a lot shorter, so he will hold on top of him. So there was a lot of clinching and a lot of running involved. You have to, you know, he has to carry some of that weight. That fight being that bad as it was, I placed more to blame on Zaria. Now, Regis being an elite fighter, or wanting those elite fights, you know,

wanting the tanks of the world, the Tia Femos of the world, he's going to have to be able to deal with that style a little bit better in order to compete with that. That's not to say that he's not going to go back to the drone board and the gym and be a better fighter. Maybe this was a hard lesson for Regis Chris, and he does become a better fighter the next time around,

but he has to be able to deal with any style if you're going to be considered elite. Brock, when I was watching and calling that, fight. I started to get a little bit of deja vu. I started to get deja vu of Teufi Moly Lopez's fight against Sando Martine. Okay. Because that fight with Sandoa Martine was dreadful. And that was because of the style that Sandoor Martine brought to that fight. He moved. He tried to win with elusiveness using the entirety of the ring. And Tafi Molleus looked awful in that fight. Tafi Malopez knew he looked awful in that fight. That's why he was such a big deal when he was caught on camera afterwards

saying, do I still got it? Well, Teufuma Lopez turns around months later and has the fight of his career, or at least one of them, when he beats up Josh Taylor in a fight that was stylistically better. That's kind of why I don't think we saw a real weakness in Regis program, because when you look ahead at the guys he could fight, whether it's Devin Haney, Teufuma Lopez, Subria-Matias, Roli-Ramero, Ryan Garcia. But these guys fight like Zaria did. So I think as long as ProGreg doesn't get into a fight with Sandra Martine in the next couple of years, I think he's probably still going to be in good shape against the top

guys at 140. Yeah, Chris, but what if you just imagine Zaria fighting another top 140 pound or fighting maybe a tank at 140 or fighting a Ryan Garcia? Does that fight play out the same? I mean, is Zaria that difficult of the style where he'll give everybody a problem? I don't know. I mean, Hector Bermuda is the trainer of Zaria. He told me afterwards, look, we only had a few weeks to train for this fight, and this

was our best chance to win. When I talked to Hector in the corner after the fifth round, he said a boring fight is our best chance to win. We're going to wait for Regis, try to make a mistake, hit him with one or two clean shots and come out of the round with a win. And look, Brock, I thought it was close. Like, I had at 114, 113, 113. I think 118, 109 was wild.

Like that was, right. I mean, to me, that was a judge that was just impressed with the aggressiveness of Regis Progrey. So I can't necessarily fault Zaria for a game plan that put him right there on my scorecard in a championship fight. But I just think if Progray winds up with any of the top names I just mentioned, he's going to be much better off in those fights. I don't fault Zaria at all.

I mean, when you talk about when you feel his power in the third round and they knocks you down, you get on your bike. Now, I don't like that style per se. I don't like that he didn't punch much. I thought he was going to say Canelo and Lara. You know, Lara was moving so much and was barely punching. But every time he'd punch, he'd be able to land. But he didn't want to get hit by Canello, so I didn't like it.

And that's another thing. I just didn't like the fight. But they both landed the same amount of shots. Like, this was such a weird, this was such a weird fight. Same amount of power punches, same amount of jabs. weird fight. But I wasn't mad at Regis. I'm like, okay, you couldn't cut off the ring. You're not Gennady Golubkin, you know, but nobody, like you said, nobody else has that particular style. Boxers give everybody's trouble. So that's what Zaria is supposed to do. Get on your bike,

you run from the harder puncher. I didn't think that was bad. I didn't think that was a bad game player. He should have put, he should have let his hands a little more. He should have let his hand go a little bit more. But if that's what you got to do to win, then that's what you have to do. Yeah, but is that your end-all being? Okay, I barely got past Regis by running the entire fight. Is that your legacy? You know why? You know why I say it was good because in reality, some people had him winning.

You know, so he said barely got. Yeah, you say exactly. You say barely got past Regis, some people say he won that fight. You know, if it wasn't for that knockdown, he probably would have won. But, you know, he was kind of landing. It seemed like he was landing more punches when you look at CompiVox. they landed the same amount. You can't be surprised, though.

You can't be surprised, Akka, that, and I don't think that, you know, I don't think Hector Bermudez or people from Cotto promotions and the guys there were surprised that he lost. Like, you can't take a title off a champion in a champion's hometown fighting like that. You just can't. No, no. It's not going to sway two of the three judges. Look, I had no problem with one of the judge squeezing out a 1114, 13 decision.

Again, I had it the other way by one point. Yeah. But you're not going to win fights. against a world champion in his hometown like that. You know what's crazy about that? You're the last minute replacement. I mean, come on. Right.

Imagine in basketball you said, hey, you're not going to beat a team in their hometown. You know, like that sucks. That's just such a normal conversation in boxing. You're not going to take it from a champion in his hometown. That's called corruption.

And we say it like, it's nothing. I said the same thing to myself in my head the other day. And I was like, wait a minute. Imagine saying that in football. Imagine saying that in basketball. That sucks that we have to deal with this in our favorite sport.

Well, another thing about Zaria, I mean, he didn't make a good case for himself for any other fights. Nobody's going to want to deal with that or, you know, or give him a fight. Not only to spoil you, you know, a prospect or something like that, but you're sneaking up the joint with that type of style. So he didn't make a good case for himself to make any money moving forward to be honest. Good point. And look, it's not just the hometown of Regis Pro. greats that you do a fight in Louisiana where you're going to get three judges like you had that frankly are not high level experienced judges that that just what happens when you are in a

jurisdiction that doesn't that's harsh Chris well it's true but it's a fact like when you go to New York you oftentimes get the best of the best Nevada California oftentimes you get the best you go to you know kind of these you know far flung locations for boxing you're not going to get the best the best kind of as simple as that look they brought in Ray Corona from California to referee that fight. Like they brought in a experienced referee. That's right. That's true. That's a good point. So it just is kind of what it is there. Last thing on ProGray Zaria, specifically with Pro Gray. Eddie Huron said after the fight, maybe we'll get guys looking to dance with Regis. And sure enough, like I go on boxing scene, you know, a couple times a day. And every time

the headlines refresh, it's like, you know, 140 pound title holder slash contender calls out Progrey. Progrey isn't very good. Devin Haney or Bill Haney says a warrant. is out for Regis Progrey and Devin is going to deliver it. So I guess, Barack, that the, you know, maybe the silver lining is that we'll get Haney versus Progrey in the next available fight or we'll get Progrey against Subria-Matias before the end of the year. Maybe that's a silver lining in all this. Yeah, but you know what? When you talk about at this particular level, nobody's really trying to duck, especially in that division. You're talking about Devin Haney. Devin Haney was calling out Lomachenko when he was 19.

and a half years old. Like, come on. And Lomacheco was the best fighter in the world. So he was going to fight. He was going to have the ability to fight Devin Haney anyway, because Devin Haney won all the smoke. So I can understand at a lower level, maybe, but not at the top level.

Everybody is going to fight. Are we saying, is it safe to say? And are we all saying that Devin is done the 135? Yeah, I think he's done. Yeah, hell of you. I mean, there's still a big tank fight out there. Yeah, but tank right now. Tank is behind bars at the moment.

I don't, it's just, it's not going, well, I mean, it's a fact. Like, it's not, I don't, you're not, I don't, you're not, I don't think you're going to get negotiations for a Tank Davis site at the moment. I just thinking, look, Devin, look, Eddie Hearn told me, Devin wants to make some moves. Like, Devin wants to go in September or October. Like, he's ready to get back in the ring. There, there's talks of Devin signing with the Saudi Arabia group, skills challenge, although those deals are pretty complicated to, to put together.

Look, I think if you can make Devin an appetizing office, offer to fight Regis Progray in the next few months, Devin Haney will take it because you guys and I will agree, that Devin wants to smoke. Devin's a legacy fighter. He's a money fighter, but he's also a legacy fighter. Yeah, no doubt. And not only that, though, that frees up the 135 pound of vision.

I mean, he's going to obviously vacate all of those titles. They'll be scattered. I mean, I guess we'll get more championship fights at 135, opposed to that one fight that's going to determine the undisputed champion of 135. I kind of was hoping for that. I wanted to see the Devons against Tank. Maybe Shakur down the line.

But I guess if Devin moves up, we know he's not coming back. Don't be surprised though. He's been complaining about that weight class. Well, I say, go ahead. I still told him. Yeah, what the hell was that? No, all I was going to say is don't be surprised if Devin doesn't immediately vacate those titles.

Like all 135-pounders have been like bagging on Devin. Like if I'm Devin-Haney and I don't have to vacate right away. If I can take one fight at 140, without vacying to my titles, like, fuck them. Like, I wouldn't, like, nobody's been good to me. Everybody said I lost the Lomachenko and I should, like, why would he give these guys a chance to fight for a vacant belt before he has to? Like, he'll eventually do it, but why don't we do that?

I mean, think about what he's gone through to get all of those belts. I know it's not going to be easy for him to let those go. Not for a while anyway. No doubt. Probably going to be forced to let him go. I think he just doesn't like that weight class. I think he doesn't like making the weight. Of course, no fighters do that.

Yeah, but he's career long at 135. Like you, he's a big, you guys know, he's a big guy. Like, you know, I remember looking at those pictures of him at the actual way in before his last fight, not the fake one where they already had a chance to rehydrate. I mean, he was skinning bones at that point. Oh, yeah, that was. A hundred percent. Understand, he started young.

So it's like Canello. Canelo started 140, but he was 15 years old. Hey. So your body's just naturally growing. He's probably, and he's the youngest one. He's growing. Teufima Lopez said in the ring after the loss of Cambosa, I should have vacated my belts after Lomachenko, because he knew how tough it was for him to make

135 and all that he went through in that year with the cancellations and all the all the stuff that went on behind the scenes. I think Devin Haney should leave one fight too early maybe than one fight too late. That's that's that's a good point. Like we've talked about, there's plenty of money for him there. Well said. Well said. All right. Big fight this weekend. Edgar Berlanga back in action for the first time in almost one calendar year. And look, if this was a couple of years ago, this would be a massive deal because Edgar Berlanga had a lot of shine on him in his first 16 fights. All 16 ended by knockout. The last four, though, have gone to a decision. He was suspended after his last win over Romerangulo because he tried to bite him in New York.

And he's been out of the ring for some time as a result. And now he gets Jason Quigley, Barack. And look, this is almost a no-win situation for Edgar Berlanga because Jason Quigley's a fine fighter. He's got a win over Shane Mosley Jr. that seems to be aging a lot better, you know, almost by the month. But he was last seen on U.S. soil, just getting destroyed by Demetrius Andrade. And a lot of people, myself included, have wondered exactly how he's going to stand up to the power of Edgar Berlanga at a different weight class. You know, Demetrius Andrade, big, strong guy, not considered a power puncher, not considered a knockout artist. And he walked right through Jason quickly.

That was a year and a half ago at this point. So, longer. So I think Edgar's in a weird position because a lot of people are just expecting him to steamroll Jason Quigley. And if he doesn't, it's going to be like, well, why couldn't you beat Jason Quigley fast than Demetrius Andrade could? Is he Barack in a no-win situation here? Oh, wow. When you put it that way, damn. You even got me convinced now.

I would say you never. really in a no-win situation because you can, the result can be so devastating that people forget about all of those other intangibles. But yeah, you kind of might be right. Let's just say he goes in there, blows him out in the first round. Ah, what do you, even Eddie said, hey, if it's really devastating, maybe we can call for Canello right now. Oh, I'm like, damn. I mean, look, if you're expected. One thing a knockout does before you go out, one thing a knockout does is, kind of jogs our memory. It kind of like erases our memory of whatever else we were thinking about.

So they'll forget that maybe Quigley's not a great opponent or, you know, maybe your last performances. Who cares? Knockout is what everybody wants to see. And it might just change things. Yeah, but if people, to Chris's point, they're expecting a heavy puncher like Berlanga to knock Quigley out, sometimes you have to do what's expected of you, right? This is a perfect situation where, hey, this is my matchroom debut.

Tough fighter. Yes, he had, he's had a couple of wins, but he is not supposed to beat me. He is not supposed to go to distance with me. Maybe Egwin his team is putting that pressure on themselves because they want to make believers out of themselves. Sometimes you need a big knockout win to get those wheels spinning again. He hasn't had one of those in a long time. Yeah.

And maybe Quigley's the perfect opponent. No disrespect to him. We know he's coming to win. Yeah. But no. You're right. You know what I think, too, Chris, I think that. I think that it's, it's, I just think it's not fair that we're putting that pressure on him

because we're comparing, we would obviously naturally compare him to Demetri's Andrade. Dmitra's Andrade is a very big guy. He's bigger than Belanger. He chooses to box. And remember he went in there against Selecki, boom, dropped them early, hook his foot off the gas. His father said, box now. So he has power. He is a big guy. He chose, he chose not to be in a aggressive fighter all of these years. So now when you see him get the knockout, you're like, damn, if he got the knockout early, but he also didn't score 16 straight knockouts in the first round, Brock. By choice, though, by choice, you know, I remember.

No, no, no, not by choice. You mean to tell me that Demetri's first 16 fights, if he wanted to knock those guys out in the first round, he could have? No, I'm not saying it. I'm saying it's a different caliber of competition as well. I will say this. He might have been able to knock out a bunch of them. Maybe so.

Like, you know, Demetrius's father can be Demetrius's worst enemy at times because after Andrade early would show great power, his dad, we could hear him in the corner say that's not what we do. Like, you know, we want to go back to boxing. And look, to Andrews credit, in that fight against Quigley, his last fight with Match Room, he knew he had to do something spectacular to even get a sniff out of another major promoter. And he went out there and stepped on the gas. And that's my concern with Jason Quigley. When people say Quigley is a good boxer, I agree with them. But he couldn't keep Demetrius Andrade off him when Andrea decided to put the pressure on. I just don't know how he's going to keep Edgar Berlanga off him if Edgar decides to do that.

Right. Also, Demetri's a very experienced fighter, very good fighter. Everybody remember him and the amateurs beat all of the top fighters that are fighting today on guys that are retired already. You know, so he's, I don't know. I think Belanga's in a tough spot being compared to. Demetra Zandre right now. I mean, he's not being compared to him, Barack. He's just being compared to himself.

No, I mean, we're mentioning. The outcomes. The outcomes are going to be. That's what I'm talking about. Exactly. And maybe he needs to put this pressure on himself. And we're talking, we're talking, big fights. Please don't tell me that we can't put a low pressure on him to not quickly out. All right.

You got it. You got it. You got it. Let's talk about that for a minute because the Canello Alvarez talk is simply going to be there until Canello books another fight. At the moment, it's certainly. sounds based on the reporting that there is some momentum towards a Jamal Charlo fight. We'll see if that can get finalized by PBC over these next couple of weeks.

But if it's not settled by Saturday night and Edgar Berlanga mows down Jason Quigley, Edgar Berlanga, unquestionably, is going to be in the ring calling for a fight against Canelo Alvarez. Ock, you know Edgar's resume. Does he deserve a fight with Canelo Alvarez? It's funny you said that we just talked about this with Eddie as well. Sometimes if you're a big enough star, you don't necessarily need to deserve the fight because boxing is a business at the end of the day, right? And if we put butts in seats and sell paper views, that's the fight that's going to happen.

It's not always who's most deserving yet. Technically on paper, maybe he should have done a little bit more right to get that fight. But if it makes business sense, you know as well as I do the fight will happen and we'll get those complaints. about the people he hasn't earned his fight he hasn't earned his fight that's going to happen regardless man yeah i would say you you mentioned earlier akron we was talking about the same thing you was talking about ryan garcia versus devonthe davis i wouldn't say that's a perfect analogy because ryan garcia beat all of those you know be fighters to get a uh a title shot even though tank is not really a champion well he beat two fighters and we're talking about luke campbell and hoheel an

That's more than Edgar by the Lange's beat. That's including that's my way. Come on. He beat enough guys to deserve a championship fight. Oh, yeah, no question about it. There was nobody else to beat. There was literally nobody else to beat. So he earned that.

He earned that. And I meant Fortuna. I would say rolling. But listen. I would say rolling fighting tank. That's a fight where he made seven figures. He didn't earn that fight. He talked his way into that.

I wasn't saying, I wasn't comparing it. I was using that as an example. There were some people that were. on paper, Ryan didn't deserve the fight, but he was just, he was that big of a star where the fight became huge. We all saw the numbers. So I wasn't, it's not the same thing as Belangina. I'm shooting that down. I'm shooting that down. He did deserve that fight. There's literally nobody else to fight. I didn't, I didn't say he didn't deserve it. I'm saying some critics did. Now, you know, sometimes people say, critics say, but there's really their thoughts, too. So stop it,

no, not me though. By the way, why, I did deserve that. How much shrapnel has Roli Romero taken over the last like month or so like Regis program brings him up I didn't even ask Regis about Rolley goes I don't want to fight Roley rolling really terrible he brings that I'll fight everybody but Roley he's taking fire he's got a title on his shoulder and nobody's still nobody wants to fight him I mean do you remember did anybody see his last fight like come on yeah that's horrible horrendous um look if it's a question of Berlanga versus Charlo. Charlo has more of a case because he's still a title holder, which is ridiculous, because

it's now past two years since the last time that he fought. And he's got a strong resume at 154. So he's got a little bit more evidence to point to as being deserving of a Canelo fight, but not that much. Like, not that much. It's not like Charlo is this no-brainer type of fight for Canello to take. I think the only reason for Canelo to take is because Charlo is a child. champion has a big name would sell a lot of paper views and look there i don't know too many people

in boxing i think charlowe would be competitive in that fight it's been off for way too long some of the video you see of them online doesn't look great so i i just don't know that moving up to fight one of the pound for pound best is is going to i think that's i think that's a little extreme though saying he won't be competitive i mean still i don't think it'd be competitive still a big guy for that way division he's still way big than canel is a strong puncher first time first time there no no doubt but he's He's a strong fighter. He has power. The guy can fight.

I mean, yes, he's been off a while with a solid training camp. I think it would be competitive. Now, I'm not saying he goes out there and beats Canelo. But I would say the fight would be competitive as long as it. Is it more competitive than Berlanga Canello? That's a great question, man. Look, you know, Charles was a guy that beat Deverecchenko. We also with DeVoschenko.

That was like four years ago, man. I get it, but I'm set. But I get it. But he showed how good he is. He showed a skill level that he's on if he's on top of his game. So you have to consider that victory because regardless of how long it was, this guy just almost beat Mungi. A lot of people felt he won that fight.

He's that competitive. And Chalo beat up on Triple G. Yeah, he beat your G. That was a prime Devin Lange. Jamal Chalo handled him fairly easy to be honest with you. So I would say that we ought to consider him having a proper training camp. There's still a big fight. He did. Well, look, you say proper training camp. We're talking about a fight that could take place in September. It's now mid-June.

Like, unless he is in the gym right now getting ready, then I don't know what kind of proper training camp he's going to have, you know, for a fight like that. We both know Kenello is always in the gym and is always prepared, you know, for his next fight. I just put it to you, Barack. Do you think Burlanga, do you think Burlanga is more competitive against Canello right now than Jamal Charlo? There's no way I can tell that. There's no way I can tell that. I mean, Jamal Chalo has way more experience. they both have pop but Jamal Chalo has pop at that championship level as well you know so I there's no way I can tell that you know really

Belanga has to prove himself Belanga hasn't stepped it up yet so he has to prove himself and Quigley at least we're going to see a little taste of it against Quigley and even that won't really tell me if he would be competitive against

Canello another thing Eddie said it listen before even at the Canello fight doesn't happen next. We really want another fight first. If Berlanga does get past Quigley in a dramatic fashion, we still want one more big fight.

And so let's circle back then to that next fight. And I'm directing this portion of the conversation to Keith Conley, the manager of Edgar Berlanga, who I know is not going to be looking for a Jaime Mungia level fight for Edgar Berlanga in the second fight of this matchroom deal.

What about a Derverichiko? What about a Dervichenko? I mean, that's a good measure instinct. I just don't think Keith would do Keith on Keith crime there. They're both represented. Oh, yes, yes, yes. I forgot about that. On Keith crime.

He's a manager. Like, I don't know that he do. Nor do I really. I like that fight, though. I like that fight. I'm okay with it. Wait a minute. So you think Mungia is not going to fight Aga Bala?

I think Berlanga is not going to fight Jaime Mungia. I think Golden Boy and Oscar Delahoya would do that fight pretty quickly. I don't believe. with Canelo out there potentially looming in 12 months that Berlanga's team wants to take a chance like that. I think they'll want a top 15 level guy, but they don't want a dangerous guy like Jaime Mugia, which I can tell you frustrates me because we all watched Jaime Mungia against Sergei Derevanchenko, who, look, I scored it. I scored, actually pretty much every Derivanchenko fight short of Charlo, I've scored for Derevonchenko.

I thought he beat Daniel Jacobs. I thought he beat Gennady Golofkin. And I had him winning this past fight against Hyman McGeas. So I am an unabashed believer in Sergei Derevanchenko. That said, like he almost, Bungia almost got knocked out by a 37-year-old version of this guy. A guy that had lost a whole, like two of his last four fights and our last six fights and just wasn't the same guy that went toe to toe with Gennati Gailofkin.

You're telling me that Edgar Berlanga should be, you know, avoiding that type of fight? Like, Barack to me, that's crazy. No, not at all. That's crazy to me. No, you should definitely not be avoiding that fight, but I do agree with what you said earlier. It's still a dangerous fight.

Say what you want about Mungia. He's a tough, tough fighter. He's even being hurt. Tough, but very beatable. He is a very beatable top-level guy. Nobody's mistaken him as a great boxer. Nobody's mistaken him for a great boxer. He's just a tough guy who could take,

seems like take everybody's punch. And not only that. And give you hell. all 12. Maybe, maybe all of those, well, remember, he's had a lot of fights and he's got, he's took a lot of punishment. He's taking a lot of punishment with no problem. And maybe he's taking his toll now and Deverichenko got him out of time. Well, these punches are starting to hurt Mungia. Maybe he'd take too many shots.

Now, I'm not saying, obviously, I'm not saying he's a shot fighter. It's still a great risk. I say it just looks bad on Belanger and his team. Not to take the fight, you saying? Right. It's going to look weird because those are the names you was calling out. are the names Eddie's been calling out. Now, I understand you want the Canello fight and you don't want to put a dangerous fight in front. But then when you got people like Katie Taylor, Canello,

all of these people who would take dangerous fights before that big fight ahead, I don't know, man. Look, name me more than a couple non-heavyweight fights that are better than Mungia Berlanga in the second half of this year. You can't. There aren't that many of them. That would be better. Burlanga, Burlanga, Mungia sells out MSG, the big room at MSG. Mexico versus Puerto Rico. Oh, God. I do. I agree.

I do so. Look, Mungia is already doing, you know, 7,000, 8,000 crowds in Southern California. Burlang is going to put 5,100 or so in the small room at MSG. You put them in the big room, they'll do 15, 16,000. They will. Sure. It's a can't miss action fight. Neither of these guys would take one step backward in that fight.

And the winner, you know, I don't want to say would have the mandate to face Canelo in May because if Benavides fights Morel, that is just as significant a fight, albeit not as commercially marketable as Mungia versus Berlanga. But that would give the winner of that fight license to stand there in the middle of the ring and say,

Canelo, you got to see me now. You got to see me. I'm the top contendroner. You're a good matchmaking today. That sounds good. I agree with most of that. But I do feel like if Mungia puts on the pressure in Belanga,

and let's just say his punches are heavy or maybe feel too heavy for Belanga Belanga can fight on the back foot he did that with Angulo outboxed them moving backwards so it's not we're not necessarily going to see a firefight just because Belanger's known for

you know punching heavy and knocking guys out I would say that Barack though but I you know Buranga being back with his old trainer tells me there's going to be a return to some old habits to being more of a a knockout artist that was the guy that you know through sparring and through other things,

sort of sold Burlang on being this heavy hitter and made him believe that he could be that guy. I think you're going to see a more confident version of Belanga in the ring against Jason Quiglin, a more confident version of him moving forward. Look, I just... Go ahead, Doc. And Mungia is not going to allow anybody

to really fight for that long on the back, but he's going to turn it into a fight regardless. Everybody Mungia fights eventually has to see him in the middle of the ring. Some guys try not to do, you know, these... I like to see Mungia fight Zaria. I like to see... He'll have Hotseria down pretty fast. Look, all those guys, we've seen these fights,

whether it's Jimmy Kelly or, you know, these second tier guys at 160 or 168, they eventually get tracked down by Mungia. I don't think Berlango would be hard to find, and I think that's an incredible fight. Now, I just, I hope that if Canello's off the table, that Berlanga and his team step up, that match room and Golden Boy step up,

and we get a deal done to see Berlanga, because that is a great fight for, it's a great fight for Zon. It's a great fight for boxing. It's a great fight for both these guys to have on their resume. It's one of those fights guys that win or lose. Like if it's competitive, nobody's taking that big a step back. They're just not.

Like, you know, maybe the loser falls out of the Canelo sweepstakes briefly. But fights like that are what make your career. There were people remember, you know. Is that a paper view fight, Chris? I've called Mungia's last like eight fights. I remember like two of the opponents. I mean, I just like, you just don't. Like, yeah, he knocked out Toronto Johnson.

Great. Awesome. Yeah, he stopped Jimmy Kelly. Wow. Spike O'Sullivan. Like it's just, you know, you just, these are not memorable moments for boxers. And as much as it's about money and it should be, it's also about legacy. And that's a money fight and a legacy fight for both these guys. So.

Is it a pay-per-view fight? No, you know, I think that's the kind of fight that, and I have no actual knowledge of this, but I think that's the kind of fight to zone would try to afford to put on as a subscription. You pay both these guys a couple of million bucks. And that probably is enough to do it. Maybe sweeten the pot. I don't know. Look, even if it is a pay-per-view, I think it does okay.

on pay-per-view. It would be a little annoying because it would diminish the size of the audience, but I've seen worse. Put it that way. I've seen worse pay-per-views. You know, that's for sure. Sure. I don't know why fighters, you know, want to be on pay-per-view when you're going to get less eyes on you. You know, because sometimes they get more money. Yeah, but build up the fame. Fame lasts longer than the one time you get money. You know, look at Mike Tyson. Look at guys who built up fame. They live off that for the rest of their lives. You know, so many things. You know, you can do when you build up a big name. You want eyes on you. Don't try to fight on pay-per-view. Try to get more people to watch you. That's what I said. Does anybody care that Mungia's 41 and

O? Does anybody care that Berlang is 20 and O? Like, the record doesn't matter if nobody's on it. Like that's ultimately what it comes down to. All right. You guys talk to Eddie Hearn regularly. One of the fights of Eddie Hearn is trying to get over the finish line is a rescheduled showdown between Connor Ben and Chris Eubank, Jr. We all know. know the circumstance around the last fight. Connor Ben tested positive multiple times for banned substances. That fight was scrapped in the fall of last year. Cotter Ben is preparing a comeback, whether it's in the UK or the Middle East, that remains to be seen. And because of the injury to Liam Smith that forced the cancellation of that rematch, Chris Eubank seems to be available to have a

deal done. And Eddie Hearn seems to believe that there is a deal to be made. My question for you guys and ock we'll start with you on this one um is this fight interesting to you anymore i mean this was a huge fight back in september october but there's been obviously the issues surrounding connor ben since then chris you bank junior was knocked out knocked out by leum smith so is this still a good fight for to you i'll be lying if i told you i was just as excited as was the first time because Conner McGrand is, I mean, Conner Ben is even more aggressive than Liam Smith is. You know, so I don't know that if that same type of Chris Eubach Jr. can beat Connor Ben. Now, in terms of legacy and the names and the fathers and what they've gone through,

we know out there is still going to be a massive fight, still going to do numbers. And people forget, you know, you do a good promotional run, some good content and put it out there, sell it again. People will still be interested in a fight. But yes, it has lost some steam, especially with that knockout loss. You can't deny it. Listen, I feel like when I'm going to bring this fight up again, when Roli was fighting Giovante Davis, my thoughts was this guy, Roli talked himself into a big fight.

But then after the buildup, the press conference, everything, I'm like, man, I can't wait to see this fight. I can't wait to see Javante Davis, knock this kid out because I'm sick of this kid talking. that's what this buildup would be like. Sonna McGregor. First of all, I didn't know that Chris Yuvay Jr. was so slick and crafty and spicy, you know, with the buildup, we're talking. You know, that right there, the animosity that they have, the hatred that they have,

add that the big names that they have, man, that's a big fight. And he's 147-pound fighter. There's always an intrigue of moving up 13 pounds to fight a bigger guy. That's the curiosity as well. So, right, but stylistically, but is it still an interesting fight inside the ring? He might be aggressive, but he's still a small guy. He's a small 147-pound fighter. He's not as big as spit.

He's not, he doesn't even, to me, he doesn't look as big as Crawford. You know, he looks shorter. He looks small. He's always fit. So, you know, he doesn't walk around heavy. So can his power go up to 160 pounds? You know, can it translate? I guess that curiosity would want to fight into.

Absolutely. It is a fight that unquestionably will still captivate a large portion of the British audience who still has that nostalgia for Nigel Ben and Chris Eubanks, Sr. So that will still be there, albeit maybe not on the level it was last fall. But for me, and maybe I speak for a large portion of the American audience, I'd just like to see them both settle their issues before. forehand. And with Chris Eubank, run it back with Liam Smith, get that loss, that blemish off your resume, or at least avenge it in your next fight. For Connor Ben, just figure out all this stuff

with UCAD and with the British Boxing Board of Control. Like, you don't want to be a guy that has to fight in the Middle East or in some place like New Orleans or Florida or West Virginia are one of these states that don't have the level of, you know, state commissions that some of the bigger boxing or combat sports states ultimately have. And for Connor Ben, I mean, the second tier of the 147 pound division is electric at the moment. I mean, you have got some real stars at 147. I mean, July 8th is going to be a night for the welterweights. You've got Boots Ennis in Atlantic City fighting and defending his interim. title. You have got Stanionis versus Ortiz, which has that same Mungia Berlanga feel to me. I get that

Mungia Berlanga tingle when I talk about Ortiz against Danny Jonas because that is going to be an absolute war in the ring. We've seen Alexis Rocha, you know, really come back and rise since that loss to Rashidi Ellis, make himself a player. I'd like to see Connor Ben, you know, in a respectable way, make his way over to the U.S. and take on some of these guys. Throw him. himself in that mix. Like he's a mid-20s guy. And he's got an opportunity now to be in some big time world title caliber fights that are incredibly interesting. I'm, to me, guys, I'm far more interested in Connor Ben doing something like that than seeing this version of Ben versus Eubank. I like that. And there are some American welterweights that I would love to see

Connor. Ideally, honestly, I would love to see him against Keith Thurman. I think that that's the fight. Keith Thurman needs like $5 million. to like it back in the room. I don't know what Keith Termin's doing. Yeah, we don't know, but in the ring, I think that would make a great fight. But you got to think about what's at stake for him. I mean, it's a big payday for him. It's huge in this country. So I can understand what he'll say, let me get handled this first. But then is he comfortable coming back down to 147 and really competing and campaigning in that weight class after fighting at 160? That's a good question. I think if he can fight

Chris Eubing Jr. anywhere where the time zone is close to the UK, then it totally makes sense. Those names are huge. We can't relate because we didn't grow up watching those particular names, but those names are huge. If you want to fight Chris over here, to me it doesn't make sense. You know, to me it doesn't make sense because like you said, it's a big UK fight. But if he's not going to be able to get that over there, then yes. I'd love to see him against Alexis Rocha or, you know, like Keith Thurman or somebody like that, I'd love to see him against Boots Ennis. I'd love to see that fight. Or maybe even Rashid Ellis. Alexis Rocha would take the Queen Mary over to the UK right now to take that fight. Alexis Rocha wants that fight immediately. He's

ready for that kind of matchup. So we'll see what comes to that. I mean, you read the clips every single day. It sounds like Liam Smith's going to finalize a fight with you back. Now Connor Ben's going to finalize a fight with you. So we don't really know what direction that fight's going to go. Speaking of not being sure, this is the last thing. I want to talk to you guys about. When I was preparing the rundown for this fight or for this show, I was fairly convinced by some of the reporting that David Morel was going to face David Benavides.

The last few hours before we start recording, David Morel, like, releasing a statement, calling David Benavides every name in the book, and David is going on social media, you know, denying the report. The report, by the way, from Dan Raffia was based on the record confirmation. from Samson Lukowitz, who, by the way, has said some wacky things over the last couple of days, like denying the level of offer that he and people around him say they made to Canelo Alvarez.

So I don't know what to believe coming out of Samson anymore. But let's just say for the sake of this conversation that Benavides actually finalized the deal to fight David Morel in the fall. How much credit would you give David Benavides for that? Because he was out there after beating Caleb Plant. you know, with the strongest case to be Canelo Alvarez's next opponent from a earning it perspective and from a marketability perspective. He was the guy that had the strongest case. Canelo opts to go in a different direction. So Benavides, if it comes to fruition,

will turn around and fight a guy that is a fraction of his marketable, but every bit seemingly as dangerous. David Morel is a beast in the ring. You saw what he did this last fight. He is the goods. a Cuban standout. He is legit. How much credit, Ock, do you give David Benavides for doing this? Honestly, if David Benavides takes his fight against Moreau, he'd probably become my favorite fighter in boxing. I mean, it's, it would be literally, he would be the bravest fighter in boxing because if you watch

Morel, you almost, he almost looks like a cruiserweight in there, right? And he's very skilled at that. I mean, I shook this guy's hand. He has hands like massive hands. He's so strong. I don't, I mean, if I'm on Benavita's team, I won't even take that fight. I'll keep campaigning, dancing around that fight until I get the Canello fight, right? And the big payday, there's no way I'm trying to go through that to get the other big fights. Hell no.

If he does that, man, my favorite fight in all boxing. And Barack, he could have, it would have been just as easy for David Benavides to fight Demetri's Andrew. You know, that was out there as a possibility for him. it would have been a makeable fight because of Andrade's new affiliation with PBC. It wouldn't have been an easy fight because Android's a very good boxer, but it would have been far less dangerous for David Benavitas. Yeah, I think David Benavitas has kind of already showed us that he cares what the people say about him.

So he got a lot of flack about, you know, trying to fight everybody else but Caleb Plant. And he got sick of it. And he's like, all right, that's it. I got to fight Caleb Plant. and he made that fight happen. I think if enough people are clamoring for David Morel for a David Morel fight, which the real true boxing fans will, then I think he's going to be prideful enough to take that fight.

And even though David Morel is a scary individual, he's a tough fight, he might wind up being an easier, I don't mean easy to win, but easier to hit and at least win than a Demetrius Andrei. I mean, look, Moreau hasn't been tested to the level of Benavita. So, yes, let's see what happens when he gets hit by David Benavitas, when he gets hit with the barrage of punches, the body shots, and that overwhelming style. Is he going to be able to deal with that?

I mean, there's that scary factor, but there's also that unknown factor. You haven't been in there with a guy like Benavita. So, but that's what we're doing. Do you want to go in there with Dimitius, Andrew, who's crafty, who's throwing shots from all. Yes, yes, I would rather fight Demetri's hand, then Morel. Yes. No, but I think David Benavides is a cruiserweight anyway.

He's already bigger than everybody in the division. I don't think he fears Morel like maybe another fight. No, I'm not saying he fears him. You ask me a question. I'd rather fight André than Morel. Look, there is certainly something to the argument that David Morel is untested. He is not really a title holder because he's got that secondary title. But he got that title, like five fights into his career,

was wacky how we even got that secondary title opportunity. And you look at his resume. I mean, Alantes Fox, okay, that's an okay win. Yamaguchi Falco in his last fight, like, that's an okay win. Like, he's at nothing, you know, on the level of David Benavides. Even David's win over Anthony Dorel at that time was better. And, you know, Dorel was a champion at that point. So, yeah, I think that that if you're Benadides' team, you're looking at David

Morel and saying, all right, yeah, we get he's. kind of a boogeymanish type of guy right now, but doing it against guys like Fox and Falcoa is not the same as doing it against me. Yeah, right. Right. And you know what? There's a world.

It's called the gym world. There's things that go around. People know what you're doing in the gym. They know how you're performing in the gym. So usually a fighter knows everything about the fighter that he's about to get into the ring. So if he's hearing, oh, he's not really that big of a puncher.

You know, he's just fighting lesser opposition. And plus, I really feel that. David Benavides is a courageous guy. I think, I think he wants to fight any and everybody. Yeah, I do too. I agree. I agree. All right, check out Ak and Barack every weekday on the DeZone Boxing show. They will be in New York covering you from corner to corner at the Edgar Berlanga, Jason Quigley fight all weekend long. Guys, always appreciate the time. Always appreciate the conversation. Thanks for joining me. Thanks for having us. Take it easy, Chris.

And when we come back, my conversation with Edgar Berlanga. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds.

I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hart Radio. Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions,

my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes,

creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast, it's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Cliverts show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast,

or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people.

I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here,

unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but

just so you all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack, so I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now, so... Thank you for finishing that sentence. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me,

it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. All right, Edgar Berlanga, undefeated 168-pound contender. He is back in the ring on Saturday when he takes on Jason Quigley at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden. That's a fight you can watch exclusively on DeZone.

And Edgar joins me here on the show. Edgar, first fight in your new matchroom deal, first fight in almost a year. How are you feeling kind of going into it? I feel great, man. I'm happy. That's the most important thing. Like, I'm extremely, extremely happy. You know, I've been away from New York about five months.

I've been in camp, grinding, working. Flight week, I'm back home. You know, I'm happy, man. You know, especially being with a match room, you know, they welcome me with open arms. And I'm just excited, man. Like, just everything that's going on this week. you know, got the fans coming out.

Everybody else supporting me. Everybody's buying tickets coming flying out, man. I'm just excited. So it has been about a year since we last saw you in the ring. What's different about you since last year? You know, it's crazy, man. Like everything that happened last year, like with the injuries, like I went through everything what happened last year.

It's like I needed everything that happened the way it did. Like, if, if, if, for what I never happened the way it did, I wouldn't be here right now. Like, maybe doing his interview you or being with Match Room or whatnot, just for the simple fact that I probably still would have been with Top Rank. But, you know, the injuries, fighting through the injuries, two fights, you know, getting suspended, taking that whole year off, you know, it was a little difficult for me. You know, I'm a type of guy that, you know, I like to have a fight.

They don't know that. are you going to fight in seven months, or you're going to fight in six months? And to not know, I'm not fighting at all, you know, was 22. And then it was like, your next fight is going to be 20, 23. And we're in June. I'm like, what the, like, damn, man, this is crazy.

You know, and then going through the war with top rank, of us trying to get out, it was just a lot, man. But I'm grateful. I'm glad that I went through it, you know, through that fire. We got out of it. You know, I'm back with my old trainer, the one that mainly, you know, so everything just going.

movie. Yeah, you have experienced a lot of the highs and lows of boxing in a short time in your career. I mean, you experienced the highs of, you know, 16 fights, all first round knockouts. You're called, you know, the next big thing. Last four fights, you're probably reading, like, you know, this overhyped guy who doesn't want to fight anybody. What's the last year been like for you? I just saw the first, like, two months, it was, it was difficult because, you know, the whole air bite, attempt air bite situation. So everybody was like making fun of the situation. You know, I went on the Jimmy Kennel show.

Like, you know, Mike Tyson was promoting his air bite stuff. So it was, I just had a lot. I never had that type of, you know, how can I say it? It's criticism, you know, in my career. You know, I'm a fighter. You know, I was only, well, I was 25 years old, 26 now. So I was just like getting used to like everything. You know, I'm so used to everybody like,

you know, belong, belong. And then it's like, it turned to that to like 50 people loving me and then 50 people hating me, you know, and I just started, I learned how to grew myself into knowing that, you know, when you're becoming somebody big in life and, you know, a guy like me that, you know, not to sound cocky, but that looks good, you know, I'm from New York, I'm 26, you know, my wife looks good, like, it's just a lot, you know, I'm making money. I got the best manager right now. I got the best team, you know, so it's like everything that just comes to play, man.

And like, so I looked at Floyd. I looked at a lot of guys that I was coming up and got a lot of hate. And I was like, yo, but they're successful. You know, and that's one thing with me. Like, I'm super successful at 26 years old, you know. And I learned how to like, you know, go through that, go through that fire and just live with it. You know, and I just turned something that was bad and I turned into good. Yeah, it's in sports, all sports, you're really only as good in the minds of the public as your last performance.

It's more difficult in boxing because there's like six months or a year between performances. It's not like basketball where LeBron James has a crappy game. He goes out two days later. He has a big one. Everybody forgot about the bad one. It's got to be, you know, the fact that you're off for a year must have made that a lot more difficult. Super. It was crazy.

I'm not going to lie. It was crazy. Like, I was every day, like, talking to, you know, my girl like, John, like, damn, like, she's like, get off. You know, get off social media. Like, get off it. You know, I was like, yo, it's tough, man. Like, I'm not used to this, like, what's going on? And then it's like, I got a year, so I came.

It's not like I could have, like, all right, you know, this fight was a little far. All right, cool. I got four months I could get back in the ring and, you know, catch a knockout or look great. And yeah, man, it was tough. But, you know, like I said, man, I learned how to just, you know, maneuver with it, go through it.

And I know that's going to get worse, man. Like, I know, you know, me coming off of victory next week, you know, it's going to get more worse. And it's just going to keep going to keep going. higher and higher, you know. So I just, like I said, like I said before, I just got to, you know, just play with it, man. Like, it comes with it, you know, with success. Everything I'm going through, it comes with it, man. So I got to take the good with the good. I got to take the bad with the bad. You mentioned some of the changes you made was going back to your former

trainer. Take me kind of inside that decision. What went into the decision to go back and work with Mark? Um, you know, we are, we never really had a fallout, you know, I had a lot. You know, I had a you know, Tampa, I was out training when him before for certain reasons. And then I wound up leaving, we separated for about three years. But, you know, people don't understand. People, like, when I blew up in the sport,

I wasn't with him. So nobody knew who Mark was, but that's the guy that actually really, like, made me. You know, like, he grabbed me from the amateurs at my lowest point, you know, having a coming off a defeat at the Olympic trials and having an injury. and then nobody wanted to sign me.

Like, nobody wanted to sign me. Like, nobody, like, nobody wanted to sign Agaburlanga, literally. Like, I had my back against the way. Like, nobody wanted to sign me. And this guy took me, and I wasn't a knockout artist. You know, I was a boxer. You know, I learned how to just box. I won eight, nine national championships doing it.

And when I got with Mark, he got with me at my lowest point. So I love him so much because he grabbed me. He groomed me to the fighter I am today. and, you know, I walked in the gym and I say, oh, Mark, like, my first day with him, I'm like, you're Mark, so what's up? I'm like, I want to knock people out. That's how I started. He was like, oh, you want to knock people out?

I said, yes, I want to knock people out and sparring, because I want to pull you, you know, and it's like, all right. And it started from there, like, train and, train and repetition, repetition, right, and I started knocking people out of his farm. Got my first fight in Mexico, my second fight, third fight, and you already know the rest of this history, I went 16 and old with 16 firsts on knockouts, you know, but he was the guy that like made that guy, you know, like he was the one that built that quote on quote how he says it, you know, the Ferrari, the Bugatti, like he built that, you know, he grabbed the pieces and he just formed, you know, me and, you know, now I'm back with him. So it's like when I got back with him in February, it was like, it felt like yesterday. Like I was just, I was like, yo, bro, it's so crazy.

I felt like we were together like yesterday. You get what I'm saying? That's how much the chemistry me and him have with each other and like his mindset and my mindset the way he grew my mindset to fight and you know to be aggressive

and to be smart and you know don't rely on power just do it how can I say it? I was like fluently you got what I'm saying like look at all my knockouts

from coming up and I was my first pro debut second, you know, second fight third fight all my knockouts was so clean and poised like super like everything was

boom oh my God he's out. Boom. Oh, and it was all set up punches. You know, so that's how he groomed me. So, yeah. Being back with him over these last few months, what is he trying to bring out with you?

What has been different about the training? You know, just feet, you know, my mind and my lead hand, my job, you know, and just my legs. Everything's off your legs, you know. I could see and say, like, my legs was like terrible the past like two and a half years. years, you know, he just, like, it was just repetition of legs. Like, when I got with him, um, like the first, well, like two months was just strictly just legs. Like, I didn't even thought out one punch. It was just leg movement, like, getting my feet under me. And that's how he, how he's trained me from the, from the beginning was, was that. And I got away from that. So he

brought everything back together until we're on puzzle, you know, and I'm just happy, man, like, just the chemistry that we got together is just insane. And I, and I, I, Fighters, I feel like for a fighter, you need that. You need that chemistry, man. Like, that's so important, like, for a fighter and a coach and a trainer to really get in tune with each other. And he knows me, but he knows when it push me. He knows when he knows when he could take me to that next level. Like, nah, you're going to go to that next level.

Like, inspiring art, keep going. We're going to do another round. Fuck, another round. Okay. Training him in the back, repetition again. I need 30 more of those. You know what I'm saying? So it's like he knows me so well.

It's like you look at the Pachiels and Freddie Roads. You look at Florida and Roger Me, whether you look at all I was spent to his train or you look at Terrence Crow for history. Like you need that chemistry. And like when me and him was like, you know, super, super like we have so much chemistry. No, look, I've seen that on a lesser level with Sergio, you know, when Sergio and Dean Campos working together their entire career. I mean, like the value of being on the same page with your trainer, trusting the world come out of your trainer's mouth. Trusting.

That's the most important thing is trust. When you look back at you, when before that bell goes, sting in a fight, and you look back and you look at your, your corner, you have so much confidence. It's like, bro, we work. I know what we worked on. And we worked our ass open. It's like, I got my trainer. I know my fuck is bad. Like I always like, man, the Serrano's trainer, we was talking about it.

We was like, you could like say, I used to me, for example, like, I have the best trainer in boxing, right? train me, but me and him is not clicking. Like, there's nothing going on. And this is the best training in boxing. But then now I got a guy that, you know, probably knows or isn't as high as he is, but me and him clicks so well. And I do very well in my career because of the chemistry. So you've got Jason Quigley this weekend, former middleweight title challenger.

Does this feel in a way, it's almost a, I don't want to call it a no-win situation for you, but it's a difficult win situation for you. Not that you wouldn't beat Jason Quigley, but I think most people that remember Quigley, especially those that watch on DeZone, saw him a couple of years ago, just get steamrolled by Demetrius Andrade. So there's an expectation that you, Edgar Berlanga,

a big knockout puncher will go out there and do the same thing. And if you don't, there certainly will be those social media critics that say, he couldn't knock out Jason Quigley. How was he going to compete with Canelo, with David Benavides, with the top guys at 168. Does it feel that way to you?

Listen, I could not, if I'm not Jason quickly out in the first round, they're going to say, oh, he was supposed to do that. Exactly, exactly. He's supposed to knock him out on the first round.

Look at the, the, the fan do is like negative 1500. And then it's like, say if it goes to this is, but we beat him. Oh, another, another,

another fight going to distance. Ah, fucking Berlang is a bum. Ah, he ain't no guy. He ain't ready for Canelo. So what me is like, I just got to like, you know, Floyd said it best, you know, F everybody. You know what I'm saying?

Like, dude was best for us and my team. You got what I'm saying? Like, what we're going in and handling our business? That's it. You know, like, so that's why I'm not going in and like, oh, fuck I got to get. I forgot. No, I just got to do what I do.

You know what I'm saying? And focus on everything I worked on with Mark and my team in the camp and just, that that's all, you know, and everything to come out the plate, you know. So that's just, that's just what it is, man. Like, it's always been like that with me, you know, and I know I have high hoes for people because I was knocking everybody on in the first round. So, you know, me not going a distance, it's like, I guess a fucking bum, you know,

I guess this, he's not, he's nothing, he's not going to be, but it's like, what happened? Look at, you know, look at, uh, Teufimo, look at, uh, you know, Sequot Stevenson. these guys are going to distance, you know. They don't get guys, but I'm a type of guy that I set the ball so high with lacing dudes out, you know, which everybody, I know everybody wants that now. Everybody wants those knockouts again, so I get it. Do you think a win earns you a shot at Canello? I mean, if it's there, it's there.

If it's not, then it's not. You know, I'm not, we're not focused on that, you know what I'm saying? Like, I know, you know, there's been a lot of rumors on Twitter and people thinking I'm getting sidetracked by that and I'm not, you know, I just feel like right now this weekend, he's my Camelo right now, he's my triple G, he's my charlo, like he's that guy, you know, I got to get through him, you know what I'm saying, I got to walk through him, I got to, you know, destroy this dude, I got to do my thing this weekend and then, you know, we can look forward to the, to the future, you know, I feel like, um, I got this fight off the layoff,

you know, maybe we got one more fighting and we could talk a fight like that, you know, but I know everybody keeps talking about it because, you know, the Bivow fight never went through. Benevita's fight never went through. The Badujaq stuff, never went through. You know, you got the Charler fight that's up in the air right now. You know, he haven't been in the ring for two years. So right now, you know, they, now they're like, Al-Belanga, belonga, but, you know, like me, man, I'm just focused on this weekend. You know what I'm saying? I got to do what I got to do this week. Yeah. Look, I've always said, you know, that if you get offered to Kinella Fai, you take it no matter what position you're at in your career. That's an opportunity

that you can't turn down. That's money you can't turn down. It's a life-changing moment for you. What I'm wondering is, you know, if Canella goes a different direction, if he goes the Charlo direction, how willing or eager are you to test yourself in your next fight this year,

the second fight of your matchroom deal? Oh, definitely. You know, we already spoke with Eddie, you know, on the team and keeping my dad. So, you know, me, I'm so you put, you put a motherfucker King Kong in front of me, like, I'll take that fight, you know, So as much as I want to fight these guys, you know, my team and Keith and, you know, Eddie and my dad, you know, they're going to go around and go right now.

Let's do it. We're going to do it this way, you know. So I'll leave it up to them. But you know me, man, I'm eager to fight everybody, man. Like, I really want to go out there and make legacy. You know, that's the most important thing because I could retire with $100 million, but what did I actually be behind, you know, money? Oh, yeah. He's like, he's Eric Belanga from New York.

Yeah, he just made, he made $100 million. No, it's like I came in a sport. for legacy, you know what I'm saying? And now I'm starting to understand, like, legacy is so important because when I retire, I want to be able to be talked about, you know, I want to be able to go to the fights when I'm retired. And people be like, yo, that's Belonga, man, he's X amount of world titles he got. He went up and weighed one of the world title.

You got what I'm saying? So that's so important. It feels like there's a legacy fight right there that's out there. And that's Jaime Mangia who sitting out there who just came off a win over Sergey Dervin People have been begging Jaime Mungia to get into a big fight. People have been asking to see you in a big fight. The politics are out the door. Both these guys are under that kind of dezone banner.

It's an easy fight that could make. How interested are you in that fight? And how hard would you push to make that fight happen? After this fight, you know, we could definitely talk something like that, too. You know, Mungia is a great fight. I know he's maxed got a crazy fan base. That's another, like you said, that's another. Mexico, Puerto Rico, that's big.

Yeah, and he's my age, he's young, he's hungry, he's a puncher, I'm a puncher, so you know what type of fight that means. You get what I'm saying? Like, there's not going to be no running, it's not going to be no dancing around the ring. It's going to be fire, or is it going to be fire, or is it going to be a truck and a truck, you know,

who's real stronger. So that's something that I'm looking for. I'm looking, listen, man, like me being back with my team And, you know, I was working and me feeling how I'm feeling. And listen, man, I'm ready for anybody right now. I told Keith that. I say, yo, Keith, I get back with who I need to be back with. This is before signing with match and it was before anything.

I said, Mark, I get back with this guy. He's on and popping. Like, I get my feet wet, you know, I perform. But it's on and popping now because it's like I got, I got everything I got now. So I'm good. Well, you know that, you know, you get the job done against Jason Quigley. You'd be staring at me in the ring and I want to be asking you, Jaime Mungia, what are your thoughts on Hamei Mungia?

So that's a fight that you want. I mean, you're telling me that's a fight that you're ready for if that comes around your next time. Oh, for sure. Definitely. And we knocking him out. Love it, Edgar. Edgar's back. First time in a year.

First fight under matchroom, first fight on DeZone. Hey, boxing's better with you in at, Edgar. You draw big fans into the arena and- Chris is practically sold out, man. Like, come on, you know. And like, I'm not trying to sound cocky or anything, like I said before. Like, this is a milestone for me. You know, the theater, you know, it's sits almost $6,000 of people like, it's cool, but

I want the big house. Like, I want $20,000. Like, I got to get there. You know what I'm saying? It's going to be hard work, but I got to get there. I want to do that. I want to make history and be the first one. You know what I'm saying?

Bigger's sales and boxing history for the big house soon. Hey, I bet every nickel in my. pocket that Berlanga Mungia sells out the big room at MSG. I'll bet every nickel I got that that's a, that's a quick sellout, man. That's a fast sellout. Mexico, Puerto Rico and New York City, that's a fast seller. I'm telling, I got a lot of Mexican fans. You'd be surprised.

I went to, I went to Vegas for the Canelo fight, and I had Mexicans screaming that I was going to be Cana, oh, you're going to do a can al-Canelo. Byanga, what I'm going for you? And Mexicans with a flag, I'm like, oh, shit. So this is something, this is something different. You know, you got Mexicans that don't really, you know, when it comes to Mexican and a Puerto Rican fighter, you got, I got a lot of Mexican fans. Yeah, a lot of fans, period, especially in that New York City area. Edgar, good luck on Saturday, man.

We'll see you then. All right. Thank you, Chris. And when we come back, my picks for the weekend. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential.

Either way, the podcast Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win.

I don't care which I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement

to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast.

It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye They said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do a little count?

Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jett. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack.

I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so you all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really?

Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. All right, time now for this week's picks. All right, took another L last weekend. Not on the outcome of the fight. I told you to bet on Regis Progrey, but I told you to bet on Progrey by knockout.

I just couldn't have predicted Daniel Lito Zarea fighting like that. I couldn't have. Like, he fought, I don't want to say he didn't fight to win, but he certainly fought not to get knocked out. That's for sure. And he succeeded in that adventure. He didn't get knocked out. Lost the fight, but stayed in his feet for 12 rounds.

Lost a couple bucks on that one for sure. I'm going to go this weekend with the most competitive fight on the slate. And that is the rematch between Joshua Franco and Casuto Iyoka for the 115 pound title, the 115 pound title that Joshua Franco currently owns. These two fought back in December of 2022 and they fought to a majority draw over in Japan. Well, they are back in Japan in the same gym, fighting one more time. This is only going to be for one title because Iyoka vacated his version of the 100. and 15 pound title, just so he could make sure that he fought Franco in a rematch, didn't have to

defend his title in a mandatory. So kudos to Ioka for looking to get this on again. And kudos for Joshua Franco for going over to Japan for the second fight in a row. So this fight is as close as you can possibly get. You've got Joshua Franco right now, minus 112 on Fandul. Kazuto Iyoka right now, minus 112. I'm going to go with Franco in this one because I've watched the first fight between these two a couple of times. Every time I've watched it, I've scored the fight for Franco. I think his punch placement was better. I thought his power shots were cleaner.

I just thought he was the better fighter in that matchup. And I wouldn't call it a robbery to have it go to a majority decision, but I thought he did enough to win. And I think he's going to do enough to win this time around. One of the judges in the last fight scored it for Josh Franco. So I think he's going to wind up getting a decision win in that fight. So take Joshua Franco to win. minus 112 and I gave away the other half that bet. I'd say take Josh Franco to win by decision. He is at

plus 145 right now according to FanDuel to win by decision. So not great odds on that one either. Plus 600 win by knockout. I'm not seeing that. A draw is at plus 1,600. Do I want to throw a couple of bucks on that? I'm not so sure. But I think Josh Franco does just enough to win a narrow decision in this rematch over in Japan. Retain his 115 pound title. And then look for for other big names, whether it's Juan Francisco Estrada, Chocolatito Gonzalez at 115 to make himself even more money and burnish his resume at Super Flyweight. So Joshua Franco to win at minus 112,

Joshua Franco by decision, points or decision, at plus 145. Those are my picks this week. I'm going to go to a no. I'm going to get back on track. And I'm going to get hot as we go into these summer months. That's it for this week's episode. My thanks to Akken Barak and Edgar Burla. Langer for joining the show. As always, subscribe, rate, review this podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify,

wherever you download podcasts. And I'll see you next week. Another podcast from some SNL, late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement home. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hard Way with your favorite therapist and host, Kear Games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that it's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit or armor? It signals to the world that you're not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to. Listen and learn the hard way on the IHard radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.