In rather quick fashion, Edgar Berlanga’s star rose rapidly. With the Puerto Rican native scoring violent first-round knockout victories in his first 16 pro fights, he boastfully stood on the top ropes before declaring himself a monster. In doing so, Berlanga’s name has been mentioned as a possible opponent for fellow young star, David Benavidez.

But, in spite of boxing prognosticators calling for the pair to meet in the squared circle sooner rather than later, Berlanga (20-0, 16 KOs) is dubious that their explosive showdown will take place in the immediate future.

“It just gotta make sense,” said Berlanga during an interview with 210BoxingTV. “We’re from different promotions. He’s with Al Haymon and PBC. I’m with Top Rank and a lot of times that usually don’t work. But I’m up for anything.”

In addition to Berlanga being “up for anything,” so too is Benavidez. The 25-year-old hard-hitting former champion from Phoenix, Arizona, has tore through his recent competition, racking up six consecutive stoppage victories.

If promotional ties place a wedge between Benavidez and Berlanga, the New York native reveals that he would be more than willing to face off with another prominent fighter of Mexican descent.

“You got (Jaime) Munguia on the radar too,” continued Berlanga. “I know he fights at 160, but he can probably move up and we can get a crazy fight going and make money. At the end of the day, it’s about the bag, besides legacy. We got families to feed.”

Although Berlanga is initially correct when discussing the weight class in which Munguia currently campaigns in, the former 154-pound titlist could be on his way to crashing Berlanga’s division.

After spending roughly two and a half years squeezing down his enormous frame to the 160-pound middleweight limit, Munguia handed his body a reprieve in the form of a 165-pound catchweight bout against Jimmy Kelly. Though unexpected, Munguia’s decision to forgo his time at middleweight proved to be a sagacious one.

In his first fight above 160 pounds, the former junior middleweight belt holder performed just fine, registering a fifth-round stoppage victory. Bearing in mind his physique, and his ability to carry his pernicious knockout power, Berlanga is convinced that Munguia will make the permanent move to 168 pounds in the near future, thus facilitating their in-ring meeting.

“He’s a big boy. He’s not a little guy. I see him moving up to 168, especially like, if it’s a big money fight with me and him and he knows it’s serious, I’m up for it.”