Boxing

Eddie Hearn Hopeful To Promote Edgar Berlanga, Make Caleb Plant Fight

Edgar Berlanga is a promotional free agent after his first-round knockout of Jonathan Gonzalez-Ortiz.

Nathaniel Marrero

Eddie Hearn, Chairman of Matchroom Sport, is interviewed by Chris Mannix after Edgar Berlanga's fight against Jonathan Gonzalez-Ortiz on the Matchroom Boxing card on March 15, 2025 at Caribe Royale in Orlando, Florida.
Eddie Hearn, Chairman of Matchroom Sport, is interviewed by Chris Mannix after Edgar Berlanga's fight against Jonathan Gonzalez-Ortiz on the Matchroom Boxing card on March 15, 2025 at Caribe Royale in Orlando, Florida. / Photo by Melina Pizano/Matchroom

If Eddie Hearn were to have his way, Saturday night wouldn't be the last fight Edgar Berlanga had under the Matchroom Boxing banner.

Hearn spoke about Berlanga's first-round knockout of Jonathan Gonzalez-Ortiz and how he hopes they'll continue to work together in the future. Should they continue their relationship, Hearn wants to match Berlanga up against Caleb Plant in what could be one of the biggest fights in 2025.

"I'd love to," Hearn said in the post-fight press conference. "Listen, we've had a great run close with Keith (Connolly) and listen, this situation wasn't ideal, but we did what we promised in a contract. Maybe we could have all done better to get something else, but we got the fight done, we got the win and he moves on. We hope the relationship extends...I expect to be working with Edgar Belanga again, and I think we can deliver in big fights."

Hearn added: "I like the Caleb Plant fight. I think that's a brilliant fight. Two guys that are going to really spice it up at a press conference, two great fighters [and] two great 168-pounders."

Berlanga (23-1, 18 KOs) and Plant have both gotten into it in person and on social media. Berlanga began a "F*** Plant" chant after Hearn spoke about the potential bout between the two, while Plant (23-2, 14 KOs) took numerous shots at Berlanga on social media after he missed weight by 1.6 pounds for the fight against Gonzalez-Ortiz and after the response Berlanga received to the "F*** Plant" chant."

MORE: Caleb Plant Rips Edgar Berlanga For Missing Weight

"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."

The two also exchanged words when they were on the same card when Berlanga fought Saul "Canelo" Alvarez on Sept. 14. Plant stopped Trevor McCumby in the 9th round, while Berlanga turned in a spirited effort in a unanimous decision loss to Canelo. The loss was the first of Berlanga's career as a pro.

Plant also fought Canelo on Nov. 6, 2021, for the undisputed super middleweight title and more than held his own, but was stopped in the 11th round.

Whether Berlanga re-signs with Hearn or goes in a different direction, a bout with Plant should be among the top options for the next time he steps into the ring. And if that fight gets made, it will go a long way toward determining who is the top guy at 168 pounds outside of Canelo.

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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