Edgar Berlanga Targets Chris Eubank Jr After Loss

He doesn’t need this fight either. Berlanga was stopped in five rounds by Hamzah Sheeraz. There’s not much upside to beating someone coming off that kind of loss, and losing to him would be hard to justify.

Berlanga, 28, dropped a wide decision to Canelo Alvarez in September 2024, then returned in March 2025 with a first-round knockout of 35-year-old Jonathan Gonzalez-Ortiz. That was a manageable struggle to stabilize. Four months later, Sheeraz knocked him out.

The usual move after a defeat like that is a ranked opponent at very middleweight. Kevin Lele Sadjo, Bektemir Melikuziev, Isleys Iglesias, or Aslambek Idigov fit that path. Several of those fights would likely see Berlanga come in as the underdog, without a big stage advantage.

Instead, he has targeted Eubank Jr., who has spent much of the past few years campaigning at 160 pounds. Berlanga is the natural bigger man at 168. Even with bulk, the size edge favors him more than it would against established contenders in the division.

Since losing to Billy Joe Saunders in 2014, Eubank Jr. has built his record on recognizable opposition such as Arthur Abraham, James DeGale, Liam Smith, and Conor Benn. In his world title fight with George Groves, he was sent out over twelve rounds. It remains a viable leader in Britain.

From Berlanga’s side, the logic is simple. Name is Eubank Jr. London is a stage. The purse would be strong. If he’s going to take another dangerous fight so soon after defeating Sheeraz, doing it there makes more sense than facing an opponent that most casual fans barely know.