Canelo Vs. Berlanga Start Time, Full Fight Card Details

It’s a big weekend for combat sports fans.

UFC 306 Noche fight card set to go down inside The Sphere later TONIGHT (Sat., Sept. 14, 2024) in Las Vegas, Nevada, but Canelo Alvarez will also be in action down the street (full results here) inside T-Mobile Arena facing off against Edgar Berlanga in a Super Middleweight title fight, both in honor of Mexican Independence Day. As an appetizer, Bellator London will take place earlier in the afternoon before the two aforementioned pay-per-view (PPV) blockbuster cards get going.

What’s Hot:

Canelo is still the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world, and he will look to add to his ever-growing legacy — and bank account — tonight when he faces Berlanga in “Sin City.” Alvarez currently holds the WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO and The Ring Super Middleweight belts. And since losing to Dmitry Bivol in 2022, Alvarez has managed to rack up three straight wins and now has his eyes on his fourth in a row. The knock on Alvarez over the last few years is his resistance to grant David Benavidez a title shot, and his alleged $200 million pay demands. His relationship with Turki Alalshikh isn’t exactly the best, so seeing him fight in Riyadh likely won’t ever happen. Still, it’s not like Alvarez is hurting for cash. He can still demand and receive a big paycheck, and can still stage the big fights. Not to mention, he is the cover boy for the new “Undisputed” video game slated for release later this year.

There were those who questioned the matchup, but let’s face it, there aren’t too many high-profile names in boxing who Alvarez hasn’t already fought (and defeated). Furthermore, Berlanga — who holds NABO’s Super Middleweight belt — is far from a slouch, holding a perfect (22-0) record with 17 knockouts. Alvarez is undoubtedly the toughest test of the New Yorker’s career, as is the case with most of Canelo’s opponents. Berlanga comes in as the obvious underdog, but he has a golden opportunity to really elevate his stock if he can somehow manage to pull off the upset. He might have a slight size advantage on his foe, but Alvarez has always found a way to figure out his opponents and get the job done. With a win for Canelo, we could get one step closer to a highly-anticipated showdown with Benavidez which, if we are being honest, is what everybody wants.

Much was made about the fact that this boxing match is going head-to-head with UFC 306, though the word around town is that this event is having no issues selling tickets (unlike Dana White and Co.). White insists he isn’t going up against Alvarez intentionally, claiming his beef is with one “MGM douche” in particular. Furthermore, White has gone on record to say that Alvarez will also be featured during the UFC 306 cinematic experience honoring all of the great Mexican/Latin combat stars. Whether or not Oscar de la Hoya gets a nod, is another story.

How The ‘Prelims’ Look:

In a Featherweight bout, former champion Stephen Fulton battles Carlos Castro. Fulton is 21-1 with eight knockouts, while Castro — who hails from Sinaloa, Mexico — is 30-2 with 14 knockouts. Both men are 30 years of age and have an Orthodox fighting style.

Roman Villa and Ricardo Salas are set to do battle in a Welterweight collision that is scheduled for 10 rounds. Villa has knocked out 24 of his 26 opponents, while Salas has 15 knockouts on his resume and is another rising star in the Mexican boxing scene.

In an eight-round Super Featherweight fight, undefeated (16-0) Jonathan Lopez locks horns with Ricky Medina, who has a record of 15-2. Lopez is just 21 years of age, while Medina is only two years older than him at 23. Medina has eight knockouts on his resume, while Lopez has finishes 12 of his foes. This is a great matchup between two up-and-coming sluggers who have the potential to be stars.

Lawrence King will face Vaughn Williams in a 175-pound matchup in one of the early fights. King, a Southpaw, is 29 years old and boasts 14 knockouts in 16 wins with just one defeat. As for Williams, he got a late start to his professional boxing career at the age of 31, which isn’t exactly ideal for combat sports … or any sport for that matter. Nevertheless, Williams has amassed a 12-1 record and secured eight knockouts, so he has proven that it’s never to late to start.

Yoenli Hernandez is perhaps the most inexperienced fighter on the card with four professional fights, all wins by way of knockout. The 27-year-old Cuban will battle Jose Charles, who has 23 more fights under his belt. The Mexican Southpaw has an aggressive style, which usually makes for a great fight as long as his foe is a willing dance partner.

Who Needs A Win Badly:

Fighting out of Kazakhstan, undefeated (11-0) Southpaw Bek Nurmaganbet is out to score his tenth knockout win when he battles Joshua Conley, who is in desperate need of a win after suffering three straight losses. This is an odd matchup given their track records, but the good thing for Conley is that if he loses his fourth straight, he can’t get cut from a promotion since he’s an independent fighter. The luxury of being a professional boxer …

Interest Level: 8/10

Very rarely do you have a boxing card that has more than two major fights on it, though Turki Alalshikh has been doing his best to stack events he stages. This one, however, boasts four amazing matchups on the main card, including the co-headlining bout between current WBA Middleweight champion, Erislandy Lara, taking on former WBC Silver Welterweight champion, Danny Garcia. Lara has been in there with some of the best in the game, including going the distance against Canelo a decade ago, losing via split decision, though many felt Lara had done enough to get the nod. As for Garcia, he is equally as experienced, taking on the likes of Errol Spence Jr., Shawn Porter, Keith Thurman, Amir Khan, Zab Judah, Erik Morales and Paulie Malignaggi, just to name a select few. He is also the former WBA (Super), WBC and The Ring Light Welterweight champion, so this fight has the potential to steal the show.

Former IBF Super Middleweight champion, Caleb Plant, will attempt to get back into the win column when he faces off against undefeated Trevor McCumby (28-0) for the vacant interim WBA Super Middleweight title. Plant is a savvy veteran whose only two losses came against Canelo and Benavidez, which is nothing to hang your head low over. He has 13 knockouts on his resume, and if he can stop McCumby’s momentum, Plant can set himself up for a bigger fight next while winning another title for his mantle after losing IBF’s Super Middleweight title to Alvarez. McCumby, meanwhile, is a scary wrecking machine with 22 knockouts on his resume. The American doesn’t have the same resume as Plant, name-wise, so this is his chance to lock down the biggest win of his career.

Opening up the main card is a 140-pound matchup between the always entertaining Rolando Romero taking on Manuel Jaimes. Romero is 15-2, but is coming off a devastating knockout loss at the hands of one of the most vicious strikers in the sport today, Issac Cruz, more than one year ago (see it again here). His other loss came against Gervonta Davis, also via knockout. His opponent, meanwhile, is 16-1 with 11 knockouts and is coming in with four straight wins. This is not a bad way to kick off the PPV main card.

To order Canelo vs. Berlanga on DAZN PPV — which will cost you $89.99 — click here.

Full Canelo vs. Berlanga Fight Card:

Canelo vs. Berlanga DAZN PPV Main Card (8 p.m. ET):

168 lbs.: Canelo Alvarez (c) vs. Edgar Berlanga for WBC, WBA, WBO, Ring Magazine titles
160 lbs.: Erislandy Lara vs. Danny Garcia for Lara’s WBA world middleweight title
168 lbs.: Caleb Plant vs. Trevor McCumby for WBA interim super middleweight title
140 lbs.: Rolando Romero vs. Manuel Jaimes (super lightweight)

Note: Main event ring walks expected at or around 11 p.m. ET.

Canelo vs. Berlanga YouTube ‘Prelims’ Card (6 p.m. ET):

126 lbs.: Stephen Fulton vs. Carlos Castro
147 lbs.: Roman Villa vs. Ricardo Salas
130 lbs.: Jonathan Lopez vs. Ricky Medina
175 lbs.: Lawrence King vs. Vaughn Williams
160 lbs.: Yoenli Hernandez vs. Jose Charles
168 lbs.: Bek Nurmaganbet vs. Joshua Conley

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For the entire “Canelo vs. Berlanga” fight card and DAZN PPV lineup click here. For more boxing news and notes click here.