Edgar Berlanga vs. Padraig McCrory on Feb. 24 Among Three Cards Announced By Matchroom
Edgar Berlanga will return to familiar territory for his next fight.
Boxing Scene has confirmed that Berlanga’s forthcoming clash versus Belfast’s Padraig McCrory will land at Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando, Florida. The bout between unbeaten super middleweights will headline a February 24 DAZN show, as previously reported by Boxing Scene senior writer Keith Idec.
Berlanga (21-0, 16 KOs) previously fought in the greater Orlando Area in an April 20201 eight-round, unanimous decision win over Demond Nicholson. The Brooklyn-based Nuyorican went the distance for the first time in his career that night, but scored four knockdowns to the delight of the partisan crowd at Silver Spurs Arena in the heavily Boricua-populated region of Kissimmee, Florida.
A sixteen-fight knockout streak preceded that bout, which became the first of five straight fights where Berlanga has been forced to go to the scorecards. The 26-year-old contender went all twelve-rounds in a unanimous decision over Ireland’s Jason Quigley, whom Berlanga dropped four times but was unable to resume his knockout ways.
McCrory was considered as the opponent for that evening but an executive decision by the DAZN staff called for a more familiar name. The 35-year-old fringe contender now gets his shot and will also make his U.S. debut.
It marks a considerable step up in class for McCrory, who went the ten-round distance in each of his two wins in 2023. His most recent victory came in a unanimous decision over Steed Woodall on August 4 in his Belfast hometown, where McCrory has fought in each of his last three starts and all but two pro career fights.
Berlanga has been teased to be on course for a mid-year showdown versus fellow unbeaten contender Jaime Munguia (42-0, 33 KOs). DAZN brass wanted that fight for 2022, to the point where both parties were instructed to make a deal and not come with lesser fights if they wanted to fight again this year.
Both are afforded separate bouts though versus approved opposition, with hopes that the two will subsequently reach a deal for a mid-summer clash. Tijuana’s Munguia—a former WBO junior middleweight titlist—once again steps up in class as he faces former two-time title challenger John Ryder atop a January 27 DAZN show from Footprint Center, home to the NBA’s Phoenix Suns.
