Boxing

Edgar Berlanga Eyes Big Fights After Jonathan Gonzalez-Ortiz

Edgar Berlanga has his sights set on a trio of former champions after his bout against Jonathan Gonzalez-Ortiz in Orlando, FL on Saturday.

Nathaniel Marrero

Edgar Berlanga (right) throws a right hand against Saul "Canelo" Alvarez (left).
Edgar Berlanga (right) throws a right hand against Saul "Canelo" Alvarez (left). / IMAGO/ZUMA Press Wire

Edgar "The Chosen One" Berlanga has his sights set on a trio of big fights in 2025.

First, though, he must get past Jonathan Gonzalez-Ortiz on Saturday for the WBO NABO super middleweight title in a 10-round bout at the Caribe Royale in Orlando, FL in the co-feature to Austin "Ammo" Williams vs. Patrice Volny.

If Berlanga (22-1, 17 KOs) can handle his business, Caleb Plant, Jermall Charlo and Jaime Munguia are the names he's eyeing when he steps back into the ring later in 2025. Munguia in particular could be next for Berlanga, as he plans to be in attendance for his next bout.

“My hit list is Jaime Munguia, Caleb Plant, and Jermall Charlo,” Berlanga told The Ring. “Those are the ones we are looking at. To end the year with a bang. I’m going to go to Saudi Arabia to see the Munguia fight on May 3. He has to get his loss back against Bruno Surace. That's a big mega fight for us.”

Munguia (44-2, 35 KOs) is rematching Bruno Surace, who stopped him in the sixth round in what was widely viewed as the Upset of the Year in 2024. Munguia faces Surace (26-0-1, 5 KOs) on the undercard of Saul "Canelo" Alvarez vs. William Scull for the undisputed super middleweight title.

Berlanga is looking to build off a solid performance against Canelo, though, he still suffered the first defeat of his career in a unanimous decision loss to the unified super middleweight champion. The unheralded Gonzalez-Ortiz (20-0-1, 16 KOs) represents the last bout of Berlanga's deal with Matchroom Boxing before he hits promotional free agency.

Any of the trio of names Berlanga named could headline a big card later this year. Of the three, Berlanga has the most bad blood with Plant, as the two have traded words on numerous occasions both in person and on social media.

Given where the two are in their careers, Berlanga vs. Plant would be a huge bout this summer and go a long way toward determining who is the top guy at 168 pounds outside of Canelo. Still, making future plans against any opponent is a dangerous proposition in boxing, and discussions on Berlanga's next bout would be best made if he wins over Gonzalez-Ortiz.

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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