Edgar Berlanga is relishing the next step in Matchroom’s attempts to build his profile.

He fights for the second time since signing for the promoter upon his departure from Top Rank, against Padraig McCrory at the Caribe Orlando in Orlando, Florida on Saturday night.

If a fight between an American of Puerto Rican descent and an Irishman would typically be staged in New York — where Berlanga already has an established following — he is fighting for the first time in a location that has one of America’s biggest Puerto Rican populations, and recognizes that Matchroom;s strategy likely involves enhancing his popularity ahead of a bigger fight.

His victory over Jason Quigley, another Irishman, in June 2023 came at the Madison Square Garden Theater and represented the first of the three fights he signed for with the promoter. Berlanga is yet to give up on fighting Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, but considerably likelier for his final fight is Jaime Munguia, another super middleweight who fights on DAZN.

“I am excited because I fought last year at the Garden, and in 2022 I fought there twice,” Berlanga said. “So it feels like I have to give New York a little break. It is perfect that I have come out to Orlando because this is like little Puerto Rico out here.

“Orlando is turning into a little Puerto Rico because everyone from the island has started moving to Orlando. So, I am going to be performing in front of my people.

“I fought in 2021 in Kissimmee. Kissimmee and Orlando are right next to each other, so it was dope. There were a bunch of Puerto Ricans and a whole bunch of flags, so I was excited.

“We have not spoken about extending the deal [promotional] yet. When the time comes after this fight and then the one afterwards, we will have to sit down together and go over the future and see what we are going to do after these next two fights.

“Every fight is a statement fight for me. Not just this fight but every fight at this level. I have to go in there and handle my business; do what I do best and shine like a bright diamond. That will open up all the big fights for me. People are going to want to fight me. You have the two big names [Alvarez and Munguia] at 168. I want one of the big names for this year.”Berlanga, at 26, is nine years younger than the also-undefeated McCrory, and he was open about the extent to which the struggles of the 17-year-old Jesselyn Silva are also inspiring him.

He is a board member of the Cristian Rivera Foundation, which works to raise awareness of diffuse intrinsic pontine giloma, a rare brain tumor, and hopes that Silva — who is “fighting for her life” — will be able to attend. 

“She is a boxer who has won a whole bunch of national tournaments and stuff, so when I found out that she got diagnosed with that it really touched me,” he said.