Canelo Alvarez encountered a significant size difference in his opponent, Edgar Berlanga, who stepped on the scales at a whopping 193 pounds for their super middleweight title match. Reports from ESPN Knockout reveal that Berlanga added 25.4 pounds to his initial weight of 167.6 pounds after rehydration, effectively placing him in the cruiserweight category. This situation raises concerns about fighter safety and the necessity for more stringent weight management guidelines to prevent such large discrepancies in weight between competitors.
Berlanga’s physical advantage was obvious during the fight, as Canelo had difficulties trying to finish off an opponent who should technically be competing in a higher weight class. It is suggested that Berlanga might be more suited for matches in the light heavyweight division or even at cruiserweight levels, considering his increased rehydration weight and physical build.
Implementing a rehydration limit of 10 pounds could help deter fighters from manipulating their weight to gain an unfair edge over adversaries in lower weight categories. Berlanga’s loss to Canelo points out the potential hurdles he might encounter when facing top competitors in the light heavyweight class, like David Benavidez and Dmitry Bivol.
