Who is Edgar Berlanga Jr.'s dad? All about Edgar Berlanga Sr. ahead of undefeated boxing star's fight against Canelo Alvarez
The super middleweight bout between the undefeated Edgar Berlanga Jr. and boxing megastar Canelo Alvarez headlines a card at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.A., on Sept. 14, 2024. The New York-born Berlanga Jr., the son of Puerto Rican immigrants, proudly represents Puerto Rico. Meanwhile, Alvarez represents his native Mexico.
Berlanga is fresh off a sixth-round TKO victory against Padraig McCrory in Feb. 2024. Alvarez is coming off a unanimous decision victory over Jaime Munguia in their undisputed middleweight title clash in May 2024. Alvarez's WBA (Super), WBC, WBO, and Ring Magazine super middleweight titles will be at stake against Berlanga.
Who is Edgar Berlanga Jr.'s dad?
Edgar Berlanga Jr.'s father is Edgar Berlanga Sr., whom he often acknowledges and praises for being his longtime mentor. Speaking to COSIGN Magazine, Berlanga Jr. notably shed light on a few intriguing aspects of his life.
His father was involved in an alleged shooting of two people a couple of days after his birth, resulting in a seven-and-a-half-year prison stint. In the meantime, Berlanga Jr. fell in love with baseball and dreamed of becoming an MLB (Major League Baseball) player.
The Berlanga family loved the sweet science. His father introduced him to a boxing gym after returning from prison. Edgar Berlanga Jr. split time between baseball and boxing. At the age of 10, he was separated from his father again, with the latter having to serve a four-year prison sentence.
Berlanga Jr. then fell in love with basketball, wanting to be an NBA player. Upon returning from his second prison stint, Berlanga Sr. reassured his son that he'd be the boxing equivalent of NBA legends. He ensured his son was fully committed to boxing and had successful amateur and professional careers.
The passionate father oftentimes lambasts his son's rivals, as seen in his warning to Canelo Alvarez below.
Furthermore, Berlanga Sr. oversees his son's finances. They're mainly focused on their tow truck venture. The family-owned a 10-bedroom beach house in Puerto Rico, aimed for short-term rentals, and two Airbnbs as well. Apart from that, Jr. acknowledged his investments in stocks and the purchase of a house in Tampa, Florida, U.S.A.
Additionally, Berlanga has often credited his mother, who's largely stayed away from the public spotlight, for working hard to raise him and his siblings through the ups and downs their family has faced.
On boxing great Andre Ward's Art of Ward podcast (under the All The Smoke Fight banner), Edgar Berlanga Jr. recently expounded upon his childhood hardships while growing up in New York's tough neighborhoods.
Berlanga harked back to watching other children play baseball in the projects. He spoke about having "jumped on two teams" and loving the sport before his father returned from his first prison stint and brought him to a boxing gym. The 27-year-old underscored that he would've drifted away from boxing if it weren't for his father. Recalling his father's prison stint, he noted:
"So, two weeks after I was born, he went away for seven years. So, I fell in love with baseball. I knew about boxing 'cause of my uncle. But I fell in love with baseball first. I'm in the projects; the projects was like, it was like paradise for us."
Check out Edgar Berlanga Jr.'s comments below (starting at the 2:33 mark):