Edgar Berlanga: The Humanitarian Behind the Champion
Super-middleweight contender and champion Edgar Berlanga is known for his impressive professional boxing record of 20-0, undefeated. With 16 consecutive first-round knockouts, Berlanga beat Mike Tyson’s impressive record of 13 first-round knockouts within his first 14 matches. This boxer is no doubt a beast in the ring, making a name for himself with hard work, passion, and determination. Those same qualities that have made Edgar Berlanga a successful competitor in the ring are also the same qualities that have inspired him to give back to his community where he donates his time, money, and efforts to support important foundations in his local area.
Growing up in the Lower East Side of Brooklyn, Berlanga began boxing when he was seven years old. As an aspiring Puerto Rican boxer, Berlanga looked up to some of the greatest champions in the sport, Miguel Cotto and Félix “Tito” Trinidad. In our interview, Berlanga explained how his dad put him in the gym and really pushed him to pursue boxing. By the time he was 19 years old, he started his professional boxing career.
One of the greatest champions to inspire Berlanga was Floyd Mayweather. He said, “Watching Mayweather, I loved the cockiness and how he always backed it up. He showed his dedication to the sport of boxing and was always a hard worker. That’s what always caught my eye.”
While dominating in the sport for six years, Berlanga is most grateful that boxing has given him the opportunity and outlet to provide for his family. He said, “I got a one-year-old, and that’s the most important thing for me right now. I love boxing. This sport gives me the opportunity to help my family, and that’s what keeps me going.”
Edgar Berlanga is a dedicated family man, and after experiencing a terrifying health scare with his newborn son last year, Berlanga’s shown how dedicated and passionate he is about helping sick children in need.
He’s had the opportunity to work closely with the Cristian Rivera Foundation, a non-profit based in New York City dedicated to funding research and trials which aims to find a cure for a rare pediatric brain tumor, Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma or DIPG. This foundation was founded by John “Gungie” Rivera who was inspired by the life of his son Cristian after he was lost to this horrific disease in 2009.
One of the Cristian Rivera Foundation’s DIPG/DMG warriors is Jesselyn Silva, who was on her way to becoming an Olympic champion prior to her diagnosis, and Edgar Berlanga has been an exceptional support and encouragement to her during the biggest fight of her life.
In June, before Berlanga defeated Roamer Alexis Angulo by unanimous decision at Madison Square Garden Theater, Champion Boxer and Warrior Jesselyn Silva was invited to a press conference for Top Rank, where she was awarded an honorary championship belt by the WBO. Berlanga had the honor of presenting Jesselyn the belt.
He then invited Jesselyn to his walkout at Madison Square for his fight. Edgar got to connect with Jesselyn at the press conference and encouraged his fellow boxers to fight for her that weekend. Watch the video of him presenting her with the honorary championship belt.
After speaking to CRF’s founder, John “Gungie” Rivera, Berlanga was touched that he was able to support Jesselyn. He said, “John was telling me that little Jesselyn’s met a lot of people, but no one has touched her the way I’ve touched her, spiritually. The energy, vibes, and love that I gave to that little girl—she never had that with anybody, and it was just natural. That’s who I am. That’s who Edgar Berlanga is.
“I love the kids. When I was their age, growing up, I always wanted somebody that was a public figure or a star to be how I am with the kids,” Berlanga continued. “I never had that, so now that I’m in that position to shed light on these kids and give them hope and give them motivation and talk positivity to them, I am all for it and willing to do whatever it takes to get somebody to the next level. I have that power now to bless kids and be there for them. That’s one of my motivations, to change kids’ lives.”
To continue reading this article on NYC Tastemakers, click here.
Comments