Edgar Berlanga Rejects David Morrell's Criticism And Vows Not To Fight Him

Edgar Berlanga hit back when David Morrell criticized Canelo Alvarez for choosing him as his opponent for his September 14 title defense at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

(Credit: Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing)

Berlanga's Refusal to Fight Morrell

Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) says he will never give Morrell (11-0, 9 KOs) a chance to fight him because he only uses his name for “inspiration,” and he can't sell. According to Berlanga, Morrell is “nobody.”

Berlanga already chose not to fight Morrell earlier this year when he was forced to fight for his WBA super middleweight title. Berlanga appeared to have already sold Morrell long before he got the Canelo Alvarez payday fight.

After Berlanga defeated Padraig McCrory in the WBA championship on February 24, he chose not to challenge Morrell for his 'standard' 168-lb WBA belt.

Instead, Berlanga waited for his promoter, Eddie Hearn, to get him the “bag” against Canelo Alvarez, who is the United super middleweight champion, which he has now.

Morrell's Recent Success

Morrell is a two-division world champion after defeating Radivoje Kalajdzic by a twelve-round unanimous decision to capture the WBA 'regular' light heavyweight title last Saturday night at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles.

In contrast, Berlanga, 27, is a year older than Morrell, 26, and has never won a world title. His own 15 minutes of fame as Canelo's opponent on September 14 could end up losing that fight. Despite sporting a 22-0 record, Berlanga's career has lagged behind Morrell's because he only fought a weak team to build a fresh start.

If Berlanga is knocked out of the water by Canelo, as most fans believe will happen, he will not get another chance. Canelo handed Berlanga the title without having to beat anyone to get it, as his best wins came against the unknown Padraig McCrory, Jason Quigley, Marcelo Caceres, and Roamer Alexis Angulo.

Irish fighter McCrory, 36, is ranked high by the WBA, but was largely unknown and had never beaten a major figure during his career. He was just a random guy that the WBA ranked high for unknown reasons.

“Who is Morrell? He doesn't sell, he's a worthless person and he's just another power-hungry person,” said Edgar Berlanga on YouTube channel OnlyKayla, reacting to being told that David Morrell had nothing good to say about him when asked about his thoughts on Canelo. Alvarez defending his super middleweight unification titles in the New Yorker.

Berlanga is not selling either. He's popular with his fans in New York City, but he's not a national star in the US and he's not a PPV attraction. He doesn't sell, and if he did, his fight would always be on PPV. Berlanga's fight with Canelo will be shown on PBC on Prime Video and DAZN PPV, but not because of him. All of Canelo's fights are on PPV.

It will be interesting to see if Berlanga will ever get another world title in his career if he loses to Canelo, because fighters have to earn their spots by beating a good opponent. In Berlanga's case, he fought a weak old fighter, McCrory, who looked like a British domestic fighter and not a contender. It was a good situation for Berlanga.

Berlanga's allegations against Morrell

“He was drunk. He was on duty. He was taking drugs, I was going to fight, he was dead drunk, acting like a fool,” said Berlanga about Morrell. “He's a good fighter, but he's a cornball.”

Berlanga has no evidence that Morrell was taking drugs or drinking. That's just his comment, and he doesn't say when.

“I have no problem with him. He is a swinger. He doesn't get a chance at all,” said Berlanga when asked if he won't agree to fight him.

It doesn't matter that Berlanga hasn't fought Morrell because they fight at different weight classes, and his career may be on the decline after the fight with Canelo on September 14.