Edgar Berlanga vs Padraig McCrory Preview February 24th, 2024
There’s a 12-round battle of unbeaten super middleweights this Saturday, February 24th as Edgar Berlanga of Brooklyn, New York takes on Padraig McCrory of Belfast, Northern Ireland. The fight takes place in Orlando, Florida and can be seen live in most nations on DAZN. Berlanga last fought in June when he defended his WBO NABO Super Middleweight Title by beating Jason Quigley by a wide 12-round unanimous decision. McCrory’s last outing was in August when he beat ought in April when he beat Steed Woodall by a 10-round unanimous decision.
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Berlanga vs McCrory Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Padraig McCrory +325
- Edgar Berlanga -450
MY PICK
The 26-year-old Berlanga carries around a perfect record of 21-0 with 16 Ko’s and has boxed 66 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 five fights with his last knockout coming in December, 2020 when he halted Ulises Sierra in 160 seconds. Still, he owns a highly-impressive knockout ratio of 76.2 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’s power along with decent skills has helped him get this far with some of his other wins coming over the likes of Roamer Alexis Angulo, Steve Rolls, Marcelo Caceres, Jaime Barboza, Aaron Garcia, Samir dos Santos Barbosa, Cesar Nunez, Eric Moon, Lanell Bellows, and Demond Nicholson. Quigley, 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, Angulo and Quigley.
As for McCrory, he’s now 35 years old and has a perfect mark of 18-0 with 9 Ko’s. He packs average power in his punches with a current knockout ratio of 50 per cent. He’s gone the distance in his last three fights after stopping his five previous opponents. He’s also a decent sized middleweight at 6-feet-1-inch tall with an unlisted reach, so is the same height as Berlanga. McCrory turned pro back in 2017 and has 90 rounds of experience since then. He enjoyed a successful amateur career and reached the semifinals of the 2015 Irish National Championships and the 2007 Under-21 National semifinals.
As a pro, McCrory has competed in the super middleweight and light heavyweight divisions. He won the WBC International Silver Super Middleweight in August, 2021 by beating Sergei Gorokhov via a fifth-round TKO. He defended the belt three times and then added the vacant IBO Light Heavyweight Title in October, 2022 by stopping Leon Bunn in the sixth round. McCrory also has wins over Steve Collins Jr., Marco Antonio Periban and Diego Ramirez.
PREDICTION…
Both boxers are solid pros but Berlanga possesses more power while McCrory has the better overall skills. This is a decent test for Berlanga as he attempts to climb the ladder in the rankings but he could have his hands full if McCrory’s chin holds up. It’s not going to be easy to outbox McCrory and that’s what makes this a tough outing for Berlanga. It should be a close and interesting bout and I’m expecting Berlanga to just edge it.
Berlanga’s nine years younger and his power could be the difference.
Play: Berlanga -450 @ BetOnline.ag
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Edgar Berlanga betting • Padraig McCrory betting