DAZN Boxing will be live from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada as we’ll see a celebration of combat sports for Mexican Independence Day. The action will begin at 6 p.m. ET with the Main Card kicking off at 8 p.m. ET. At the top, we have the headling bout in which this card was built around as World Super Middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez defends his titles against Puerto Rico's Edgar Berlanga. Check out our Boxing odds series for our Alvarez-Berlanga prediction and pick.
Canelo Alvarez (61-2, 39 KOs) is the current world undisputed champion in the Super Middleweight Division, holding the WBO, IBF, and WBA championships within the division. After controversy surrounding his next opponent, Alvarez called for Berlanga by name and will look to make his country proud on Mexican Independence Day.
Edgar Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) is currently undefeated and listed as the sixth-ranked Super Middleweight in the world. He's easily the best prospect fighting out of Puerto Rico right now and he's riding an impressive winning streak that includes five recent unanimous decisions. Now, he'll look to exact his destiny as the new king of the division.
Here are the Noche UFC 306 Odds, courtesy of DraftKings.
DAZN Boxing Odds: Canelo Alvarez-Edgar Berlanga Odds
Canelo Alvarez: -1800
Edgar Berlanga: +1000
Over 8.5 rounds: -115
Under 8.5 rounds: -115
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Why Canelo Alvarez Will Win
Since dropping his fight to Dmitrii Bivol in his quest to transcend weight classes, Canelo Alvarez has won his last four consecutive title defenses by unanimous decision. In the process, he's bested Gennadiy Golovkin and Jermell Charlo, cementing his continued position as the best boxer on the planet. Forgoing a matchup against IBF's William Scull, Alvarez chose to face Edgar Berlanga during his annual showcase on Mexican Independence Day. As far as skill is concerned, Alvarez is levels above his opponent in Berlanga and he may see flashes of his young self in his opponent. Still, Canelo will have to remain diligent as his defense will be the deciding factor during this fight.
With how aggressive his opponent tends to start, we should see Canelo Alvarez take an initial back seat to this dance as he allows Edgar Berlanga to open his striking game. What sets Alvarez apart is his ability to read opponents and make adjustments on the fly in between rounds to give them the most difficult looks. It's conceivable that Berlanga will grow tired chasing Canelo's elusive chin, so expect the champion to show great patient in opening up his offense and not allowing Berlanga to hit him cleanly. If he's able to frustrate his opponent with the defense, he should cruise to another convincing decision in this one.
Why Edgar Berlanga Will Win
Edgar Berlanga has been waiting for this moment for quite some time and come Saturday night, he'll finally have a crack at the champion he's been eyeing since his win over Padraig McCrory. Berlanga has a dangerous aura about him and he's quick to close the distance and immediately pressure his opponents with his physicality. He should have a slight height advantage over Canelo, which will benefit when he's throwing wide hooks to the body and head. Berlanga doesn't typically hold anything back when throwing punches and it's astounding that he can sustain that type of power throughout the entirety of a fight.
Edgar Berlanga has a serious chance to win this fight if he's perfect with his offense in this one. He's got the power necessary to really hurt Alvarez and put him on the ropes, but he can't get discouraged when his initial attempts to close the distance fail. Alvarez is a master at making his opponents miss and hurting their cardio as a result, so Berlanga will have to remain conservative in his approach and not throw his entire bag of tools at Canelo right away. If he's able to crowd the space and not allow Canelo to work at range, he should have some success in making this a closer fight than what the betting lines indicate.
Final Canelo Alvarez-Edgar Berlanga Prediction & Pick
This will be a very fun Main Event and the spectacle around Canelo Alvarez fighting on Mexican Independence Day is always one to witness. He'll have the stern skill advantage over his opponent here in Edgar Berlanga and while the challenger is certainly a dangerous prospect, the betting lines indicate that this fight should be all Canelo all the way.
Still, don't be surprised if we see flashes from Edgar Berlanga and even a chance of seriously stunning the champion. His power is no joke and if he's able to land cleanly while Alvarez's backs up, he could have a chance to shock the world with a KO-win.
Still, we have to side with Canelo Alvarez to win this fight and it wouldn't be wise to bet against him on this occasion. Still, there's not much value to be had in his betting line, so let's side with him to take this fight into the later rounds and eventually take the decision on the judges' scorecards.
Final Canelo Alvarez-Edgar Berlanga Prediction & Pick: Canelo Alvarez (-1800); OVER 8.5 Rounds (-115)
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