By Ian S Palmer
Unbeaten super middleweight prospect Edgar Berlanga of Brooklyn, New York takes on veteran Jason Quigley of Ireland this Saturday, June 24th. The 12-round battle is for Berlanga’s WBO NABO Super Middleweight Title and takes place at the Madison Square Garden Theater in New York City. It can be seen live in most nations on DAZN. Berlanga last fought in June, 2022 when he beat Roamer Alexis Angulo by 10-round unanimous decision. Quigley last fought in April when he beat Gabor Gorbics via a 10-round unanimous decision.
June 23, 2023; New York, NY, USA; Edgar Berlanga and Jason Quigley pose after weighing in for their fight taking place on Saturday, June 24, 2023 at the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland/Matchroom.
The 26-year-old Berlanga carries around a perfect record of 20-0 with 16 Ko’s and has boxed 54 rounds since his pro debut. He started his pro career in 2016 by flying out of the gate with 16 consecutive first-round knockouts. However, he’s been taken the distance now in his last four fights. Still, he owns a highly-impressive knockout ratio of 80 per cent. Berlanga, who’s nicknamed ‘The Chosen One,’ stands 6-feet-1-inch tall with a 73-inch reach.
Berlanga enjoyed a fine amateur career with a reported record of 162-17. He placed second at the 2013 National Police Athletic League Championships (Junior Level), second at the 2013 U.S. National Junior (Under-17) Championships, third at the 2014 U.S. National Youth (Under-19) Championships and second at the 2015 U.S. National Youth (Under-19) Championships.
It’s no secret that Berlanga has depended on his power to get this far with some of his wins coming over the likes of Angulo, Steve Rolls, Marcelo Caceres, Jaime Barboza, Aaron Garcia, Samir dos Santos Barbosa, Cesar Nunez, Eric Moon, Lanell Bellows, Ulises Sierra and Demond Nicholson. Nicholson, Caceres, Rolls and Angulo are the only men to go the distance with Berlanga and also get past the first round. His 10-round unanimous decision victory over Caceres in October, 2021 saw him capture the vacant WBO NABO Belt and he defended it against Rolls and Angulo.
As for Quigley, he’s now 32 years old and has a mark of 20-2 with 14 Ko’s. He also packs pretty good power in his punches with a current knockout ratio of 63.6 per cent with his last two wins going the distance. He’s also a decent sized middleweight at 6-feet-1-inch tall with a 71.5-inch reach. He’s the same height as Berlanga and gives up a minimal 1.5-inches in reach. Quigley turned pro back in 2014 and has 95 rounds of experience since then and also enjoyed an extensive and successful amateur career.
His biggest pro wins have been against Shane Mosley Jr, Freddy Hernandez, Glen Tapia, Jorge Melendez and James De la Rosa. Quigley’s first pro defeat came in July, 2019 when he was stopped after seven rounds by Tureano Johnson to lose the NABF Middleweight Title which he has won against Glen Tapia in March, 2017. he was then stopped in the second round by Demetrius Andrade in November, 2021 in a shot at the WBO Middleweight Title.
Prediction…
Both boxers are solid pros but Berlanga possesses more power and a better chin. This is a decent test for Berlanga as he attempts to climb the ladder in the rankings. It should be an interesting bout one I’m expecting Berlanga to win. .
