Edgar Berlanga vs Padraig McCrory Preview
In the early hours of Sunday morning, Padraig McCrory takes on the undefeated heavy-hitter Edgar Berlanga in Orlando. McCrory’s opponent recently defeated fellow Irishman Jason Quigley in a thrilling contest. Quigley hit the floor four times during the twelve-round bout, losing by unanimous decision.
‘The Hammer’ is a big underdog against Berlanga and will fight in the United States for the first time in his professional career. McCrory is also unbeaten and is coming into this bout on the back of a unanimous decision victory against Steed Woodall in Belfast.
Despite McCrory’s recent victory, Berlanga will be confident of beating another Irishman. The Belfast-born super-middleweight will be ready for the challenge, but will it be enough to shock ‘The Chosen One’? Or will the undefeated American, who has his eyes on Canelo Álvarez, be too much for the Irishman to handle?
Edgar Berlanga vs Padraig McCrory Head-To-Head and Key Stats
Edgar Berlanga and Padraig McCrory will meet for the first time on Sunday. But the two fighters have a similar amount of professional bouts. The Irishman has a record of 18 wins and zero losses, with nine wins coming via knockout. Berlanga has beaten all 21 opponents but is much more dangerous inside the ring. The American has stopped 16 of his previous bouts early – with a knockout ratio of 76%. Both fighters are even in terms of size. McCrory and Berlanga both stand at 185cm tall. The athletes also share stances, both being orthodox fighters.
Despite most boxing wagers being placed on Berlanga to win the bout, the American has struggled in his last five fights. ‘The Chosen One’ hasn’t won via knockout since beating Ulises Sierra via TKO in 2020. Three fights ago, Marcelo Coceres dropped the 26-year-old despite not being known as a heavy hitter. Coceres has a 50% knockout ratio, the same as McCrory. Berlanga’s overconfidence was the reason Coceres dropped him to the floor for the first time in his career. The 26-year-old was in control of the fight and landed well but got caught by a counter-punch.
Coceres exposed a fundamental weakness in Berlangas’ tactics during their fight. ‘The Chosen One’ struggles to find his rhythm when his opponent throws punches at the same time as himself. If you are betting on Padraig McCrory, you’ll hope the Irishman’s team has spotted this weakness.
However, McCrory also had to dig deep in his recent bout against Steed Woodall. Despite winning the fight, the Irishman’s defence was worrying, and his feet looked like they belonged to a 35-year-old fighter. Yet all is not lost. As the saying goes, styles make fights.
Heist 2.0
Orlando bound with the team pic.twitter.com/kwi3nLiFhi
— Pody McCrory (@padraigmc1988) February 19, 2024
The Irishman’s footwork and defence are lacking compared to top-level fighters like Edgar Berlanga. But McCrory showed he was still a smart fighter against Woodall and landed some good countershots during the bout. These are the exact style of shots that dropped Berlanga when facing Marcelo Coceres. This doesn’t guarantee victory for the Irishman, but it gives him a game plan to follow.
Padraig McCrory’s biggest battle in Orlando will be against his age. The 35-year-old has stayed active during his later years, fighting twice in 2023 and three times in 2022. This activity would have maintained a solid level of fitness, which could prove pivotal in the deeper rounds on Sunday. But when facing an opponent nine years younger than himself, McCrory is going to need more than stamina to secure a victory.
Edgar Berlanga vs Padraig McCrory Prediction
The betting markets see the Irishman as a sizeable underdog against Edgar Berlanga. Betting on Padraig McCrory to win the bout has odds of 17/5. That means placing a €10 bet on McCrory to beat Berlanga returns €43.33. These are inviting odds for a fighter with a clear route to victory. McCrory has to tighten up his defence when in range. This is something that he was struggling with in his latest bout and cannot happen against Berlanga. But, as mentioned earlier, the Irishman can do well in this bout should he adopt a heavy counter-punching style on Sunday.
Berlanga constantly hunts for the finish and will pounce on a fighter when he hurts him. However, this can lead the young American to fight recklessly and get desperate. If McCrory wants to win this fight, he has to use his experience to frustrate ‘The Chosen One’.
McCrory may have lost some valuable assets because of age, but his boxing IQ is still there. This is what the Irishman needs to use against the confident American. The 35-year-old should look to utilise his lead hand and catch Berlanga when he is throwing his punches. The 26-year-old has struggled with this in the past, and it’s a weakness to be exploited.
Berlanga started slow against Jason Quigley in his last fight. The Irishman kept Berlanga away until the last second of the third round. The former WBO middleweight title challenger looked good against Berlanga when landing counters, and was staying competitive in the early rounds.
But Berlanga was eventually too fast and too strong for Quigley to handle. The Donegal fighter went down multiple times. The 26-year-old dropped Quigley in the third, fifth and twice in the twelfth round. Showing that despite throwing non-stop power punches, stamina won’t be an issue on Sunday.
Betting on Edgar Berlanga to beat McCrory would return a modest profit. The odds of a Berlanga victory are currently 1/5. Meaning a €10 bet would return €12 in total. While the returns on a Berlanga victory are hardly life-changing, we agree with the bookies and believe the American will maintain his unbeaten status in Orlando. However, this will be a tough test for ‘The Chosen One’ and will probably go into the deeper rounds. Padraig McCrory is a smart boxer and should be able to use all of his remaining talents to survive the opening minutes.
The Irishman will probably win rounds one and two while Berlanga studies McCrory’s patterns. If the 35-year-old can implement a counter-punching style, he may win even more of the opening rounds. But once Berlanga finally finds his range, he will be too much for McCrory to handle. We can see the American winning by a sixth-round stoppage. The odds for Berlanga to win in the sixth round are currently 20/1 with bookmakers. Meaning a €10 wager would see a return of €210.
Edgar Berlanga vs Padraig McCrory Betting Tips
Because Edgar Berlanga vs Padraig McCrory is one-sided in the betting market, looking for an alternative boxing wager is a good idea. These bets will return much more than the 1/5 odds for a Berlanga to win if they land!
Berlanga’s ‘bully-like’ style got him into trouble before and is something to remember when betting on McCrory. Marcelo Coceres knocked down the American in the ninth round in 2021, after failing to see a counter-punch. Even if Berlanga hits the canvas, we would still expect ‘The Chosen One’ to win the bout. The odds for Edgar Berlanga to be knocked down and win the fight are currently 11/1 via online sports betting sites. If you placed a €10 bet on this result, it would return a whopping €120.
Since facing tougher opponents in his previous outings, Berlanga has also struggled to end his fights early. Despite having a 76% knockout ratio, the 26-year-old hasn’t won via KO/TKO in his last five fights. This leaves the door open for some savvy betting, with the bookmaker giving 11/10 odds for Edgar Berlanga to win via decision. A €10 wager on this method of victory returns €21.
Padraig McCrory will spend most of the fight against Berlanga moving backwards. This means the Irishman will need to pick his shots and get out of the way. He will also need to circle away from the American’s dangerous right hand and keep a much tighter guard than last time out. His best chance of beating Berlanga is countering with a lead right-hand and forgetting about the judge’s decision.
Going into ‘enemy territory’ will make a victory on points very hard to get against a rising star like Berlanga. So if you’re betting on Padraig McCrory, you’ll want to back him to win via stoppage. The odds for McCrory to win via TKO/KO are currently 6/1 with bookmakers. This means a €10 will return €70.
As mentioned, the Irishman’s best moments in the fight will come early. Berlanga needs time to adapt to his opponent’s style, which should leave the door open for McCrory. If you believe ‘The Hammer’ can capitalise on Berlanga’s slow start, backing McCrory to win within six rounds provides good value. Betting on Padraig McCrory to win within rounds 1-6 returns €150 from a €10 boxing wager on online sports betting sites.
Edgar Berlanga vs Padraig McCrory Outcome
It’s clear that early on Sunday morning, Padraig McCrory is going to have his hands full. This is also likely to be the 35-year-old’s last chance to make a statement in the super-middleweight division. We are certain that McCrory will put on a great show against Edgar Berlanga, but we sadly can’t see him beating the American.
Edgar Berlanga has set his sights on huge fights in the future. Canelo Álvarez is just one name mentioned. Surely Berlanga wouldn’t let his bad habits get exposed against a 35-year-old Padraig McCrory?
