Despite not even having an opponent set for his reported March 8th fight, former super middleweight No. 1 contender Edgar Berlanga has the people talking. The Brooklyn-born boxer recently called out Diego Pacheco immediately after the latter’s unanimous decision win over Steven Nelson. Now, Pacheco’s trainer Jose Benavidez Sr. has responded to the challenge. 

Immediately after his win, the 23-year-old took the mic during his post-fight press conference to reveal similar intentions towards Berlanga. “That’s a fight that I’ve been open to making for a long time now,” Pacheco said. “Edgar Berlanga, if you’re hearing this, bro, we can run it next, whenever. Let’s get it.”

Berlanga saw this and doubled down, writing on X, “Ima get that young boy a big payday and a big a** whooping. You only getting paid 200k a fight sheesh.” Later in the day, Fight Hype caught up with Jose Benavidez Sr. to get his thoughts on the potential fight. And Benavidez Sr. wasn’t happy, to say the least.

“Berlanga is just a f**king Instagram fighter,” Benavidez Sr. said. “He’s celebrating a fight that he lost. He’s celebrating—how can you celebrate a fight that you lost? You got your a** kicked.” It’s worth noting that Berlanga suffered his first career defeat at the hands of Canelo Alvarez last September in Las Vegas.

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Despite being the younger fighter, Berlanga couldn’t do much against Canelo. Regardless, Benavidez Sr. continued, “He can’t let somebody enjoy their moment.” Pacheco’s trainer tore down the illusion that Berlanga is a star, questioning how can he be a star after losing to Canelo. Regardless, he had one final message for Berlanga. 

“But hey, let’s sign that contract. Let’s go, let’s make that fight happen. Let’s do it,” Benavidez Sr. told Fight Hype. While Benavidez Sr. might not have good things to say about Berlanga, both Berlanga and Pacheco’s promoter are happy. 

Eddie Hearn shares thoughts on potential Edgar Berlanga vs. Diego Pacheco

Since Eddie Hearn promotes both fighters, he couldn’t be happier at the prospect of having these two boxers face each other. Reacting to the challenge from the fighters, Hearn described the situation as “music to our ears.” Hearn felt the potential fight would be “a brilliant fight. It’s a very tough fight. It’s a dangerous fight for both men.”

However, what excites him more is that he can put a lucrative ‘Mexico vs. Puerto Rico’ spin on it. “Two great fighters, Mexico v. Puerto Rico, and I think [bigger] now after showing how Diego’s star and profile is rising.” While Berlanga and Pacheco may have gotten the green light from Hearn, Berlanga still has to win his March 8th fight against whoever that is. 

Then, he will have to honor his word and fight a dangerous opponent like Pacheco. If those things go as planned, Hearn shouldn’t face any issues making it happen. 

That said, even though Jose Benavidez Sr. clearly doesn’t have much confidence in Edgar Berlanga honoring his word, it appears Diego Pacheco has a potential big fight on his hand. Do you think this fight will happen? Or is it just talk?