Each time, Edgar Berlanga mentioned the same name.
Over five interviews with The Post, the 27-year-old Brooklyn native has risen from one of boxing's most promising prospects to one of the sport's most polarizing challengers. Regardless of a boxer's status at the time, the same end goal and symbolism always emerged.
Canelo Alvarez.
Once a distant dream, Berlanga is now a reality as he challenges boxing legend Alvarez (61-2-2), 4-0 for the WBC, WBA and WBO super-middleweight world unification titles on Saturday night (8 p.m. ET, Amazon Prime PPV, PPV.com) at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
“It happened sooner than I expected,” Berlanga told The Post. “I definitely made this happen. I made this happen. I worked hard and was consistent in putting God first, and this opportunity came along. It feels like fate at times. When I see the interviews I've had with him and the press tours we've done, I'm like, 'I did it, I did it.' When I see my last name overlap with his, it's unbelievable. I'm blessed.”
“I think right now is the perfect time for everything. Everything is falling into place the way it should be.”
The road to Berlanga's career-defining moment on Saturday wasn't a straight one.
Berlanga featured Fat Joe, Lure La L and other Puerto Rican hip-hop superstars in his entrance, and emerged as a rising star who earned the nickname “The Monster,” knocking out his first 16 opponents in the first round before beginning to face questions about his legitimacy.
He fought to the end in his next four fights against increasingly better opponents, winning all by unanimous decision, but none of them were as impressive or as dominant as his previous bouts.
He faced harsh criticism that he was overrated, that it was the result of favorable matchmaking, and that his knockout streak wasn't a true indication of his ability.
He was suspended for six months for trying to bite off Romer Alexis Angulo's ear in the last of his four matches.
His career then began to stagnate, so Berlanga changed promotions in an attempt to get a fresh start.
He left Bob Arum's Top Rank, where he spent the majority of his professional career, to join Eddie Hearn's Matchroom.
And it helped Berlanga get back on track.
“I like stars, and I like characters,” Hearn previously told The Post. “First of all, I walked into a meeting with Edgar Berlanga, and he's sitting there in a mink coat with a chain around his neck. It's all about character. I looked at him and I thought, 'He's a character. He's a character.' I know he can fight. He's got 16 first-round knockouts. He was very good in the amateurs. And he's at super middleweight, in the same weight class as Canelo Alvarez, from Puerto Rico, and they have a rivalry with Mexico. I know he has a big fan base because he does well in the stands every time he fights.”
“For us, when a fighter of that caliber and character comes along, we always try to get him. It was refreshing and an honor that he has entrusted his future in our hands.”
“I sat down with Edgar and I said, 'Look, you're going to be important to us. You're going to be representative. We're going to get behind you. We're going to keep you active.'”
That was certainly true.
When he joined Matchroom, Hearn's plan for Berlanga was to fight him twice, re-establish his standing in the division, and then move on to the Alvarez bout.
But now 34 and more selective in the latter stages of his career, Alvarez has a long list of fighters who constantly call his name when it comes to opponents, as his popularity almost always results in his opponents receiving the highest payday of their careers.
Berlanga, who has fought five times at Madison Square Garden or the Madison Square Garden Theater and nine times in New York City, had to prove to Alvarez he was worth his time.
He won his first bout with Matchroom, again by unanimous decision, over Jason Quigley.
But he knocked Quigley down four times, which was a little more convincing than his previous four performances.
In February, Berlanga stopped Padraig McCrorie in six rounds for his first knockout win in five fights.
The two matches were his first since reuniting with Mark Fareito, who coached him early in his career before his lengthy stint under Andre Rozier.
Berlanga believes the monster has returned.
“I was giving the fans something to eat, and when I knocked somebody out, they had something delicious to eat,” Berlanga said. “When I went five complete games, it was like I put them on a diet. They started eating vegetables and crap. A lot of people don't like dieting. And then when I knocked them out the last time, they started feasting again.”
Still, Berlanga knows he's heavily outnumbered, and he understands why.
In his 65 fights, Alvarez has only lost to boxing legend Floyd Mayweather and current WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol.
But Berlanga had been waiting for this moment his whole career and finally his moment of truth had come.
“We're going to shock the world. We're definitely going to go down in history forever. … I'm calm. You know the expression, the calm before the storm? That's me.”
