Boxing

Edgar Berlanga vs Caleb Plant Should Be Next

After Edgar Berlanga's first-round knockout of Jonathan Gonzalez-Ortiz, a potential fight vs. Caleb Plant looms.

Nathaniel Marrero

Edgar Berlanga celebrates his win over Jonathan Gonzalez-Ortiz
Edgar Berlanga celebrates his win over Jonathan Gonzalez-Ortiz / Photo by Melina Pizano/Matchroom

Sometimes the stars perfectly align for a big fight to happen.

We've reached that point with a potential bout between Edgar Berlanga and Caleb Plant.

Berlanga handled the first order of business with a first-round knockout of the completely overmatched Jonathan Gonzalez-Ortiz on Saturday at the Caribe Royale in Orlando, FL. Now, with Berlanga (23-1, 18 KOs) set to hit promotional free agency, his next step shouldn't take much thought.

The two have already gone back and forth in person and on social media. After Berlanga's win, he vowed to retire the former super middleweight champion and started a "F*** Plant" chant during the post-fight interview.

"It's important," Berlanga said of fighting Plant. "I want to shut his mouth...He got beat up by Benavidez and he got knocked out by Canelo. It's time for me to retire him and send him back."

Plant (23-2, 14 KOs) was quick to respond on X, blasting Berlanga for the response he got to the "F*** Plant" chants.

Plant's response wasn't the only time he took jabs at Berlanga. He also took aim at "The Chosen One" for missing weight by 1.6 pounds, which made him ineligible to win the WBA NABO super middleweight title.

"I made weight for my pro debut when I made $1,500 and every fight since," Plant wrote. "You don’t train to the level of your opponent. A real champion doesn’t wait for the big moment to do what he’s supposed to do. He does it because that’s what he signed up for when he decided to be a pro fighter."

MORE: Caleb Plant Rips Edgar Berlanga For Missing Weight

The bad blood between Berlanga, 27, and Plant, 32, is just part of the equation. Stylistically, their strengths and weaknesses make for an intriguing battle as well.

Plant is the superior boxer and has the edge in footwork and defense. Meanwhile, Berlanga is much more of a boxer-puncher who is a natural sharpshooter and boasts the kind of power that could turn the fight with one punch.

While Plant has the better defense, he isn't untouchable. He was eventually run down in the lone defeats of his career, though, they came against two of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world. "Sweet Hands" lost by 11th-round knockout to unified super middleweight champion Saul "Canelo" Alvarez, who also has a win over Berlanga, and by unanimous decision to current light heavyweight secondary titlist David Benavidez (30-0, 24 KOs).

Plant was also in trouble early and knocked down in his last fight by Trevor McCumby, but the former champion eventually settled in before getting a 9th-round stoppage on the undercard of Canelo vs. Berlanga on Sept. 14.

Berlanga's power has definitely diminished since he began stepping up in competition after he began his career with 16-straight 1st-round knockouts. That's to be expected, but he is yet to land the signature win of his career against a top super middleweight. To date, Berlanga's most notable performance came in his unanimous decision loss to Canelo because he surpassed the expectations of many despite it still being clear who won the fight.

With the super middleweight division currently tied up by Canelo (62-2-2, 39 KOs), it's best if the fighters who are on the outside looking in fight each other. Berlanga and Plant could make one of the bigger fights in 2025 with the winner having a chance to cement themselves as the top dog at 168 pounds outside of Canelo.

Berlanga and Plant's war of words and spite toward each other will more than sell the fight. Stylistically, it's also one of the better fights that can be made at super middleweight. With that recipe, fans could be in for a treat and the winner would get the signature win they've been searching for to prove their standing as one of the best super middleweights in the world.

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Nathaniel Marrero
NATHANIEL MARRERO

Nathaniel Marrero is a writer for the Boxing, Pittsburgh Pirates and Baltimore Ravens On SI sites. He's also written for the Orlando Sentinel and MLB.com, and was a part of UCF's sports show, Hitting The Field. He attended UCF and graduated with a bachelor's degree in journalism in 2023. Twitter/X: Nate_Marrero