Padraig McCrory is so close to making Irish boxing history, he can almost touch it.
The 35-year-old super-middleweight from Belfast goes into the lion’s den on Saturday night in Florida when he locks horns with fearsome American Edgar Berlanga (21-0 with 16 KOs).
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McCrory (18-0 with 9 inside distance) brings his own perfect pro ledger to the table too, but despite that he is trading as a 4/1 underdog with Berlanga a 2/7 betting favourite.
While Edgar is thinking about future showdowns with the likes of ‘Canelo’ Alvarez, McCrory is thinking about the one punch that could literally change his life. And write his name into those history books.
McCrory so close to the big time
As he prepares for the big showdown at 168lbs (live worldwide on DAZN), McCrory said: “I know that I am one punch away from changing my life. If it happens, and I truly believe it is going to, I will go down in Irish boxing history, and on Saturday that’s what is going to happen. I’m so proud of being from Belfast and to go down in history there would mean so much to me.
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“Winning this fight changes my life for good, anything that’s happened in the past is irrelevant. My life is great, I’m happily married with three kids, and on Saturday it’s going to get even better.”
McCrory knows that an upset win on Saturday would not only make the headlines, it would scupper Berlanga’s grand plans. And make those megafights a possibility for Padraig instead. He believes Edgar is making a mistake by choosing to fight him, and potentially looking past him.
Berlanga’s big mistake
“This win opens up massive opportunities, the biggest names, like Jaime Munguia, Diego Pacheco or even Canelo Alvarez. He’s the dream fight for everybody, the money fight, and that’s what awaits me after this fight. He’s looking past me talking about those guys, he’s not worried about me but that’s a big mistake, he’s in for a nightmare.
“I’m definitely his hardest fight. I’m a big 168 and he’s never taken anyone’s ‘0’. He sounds confident but I think it’s all show. He’s trying to convince him self and on Saturday you’ll see that I’m his biggest test.
“It’s obvious that he has power, he comes with a big punch. Ask anyone and they’ll say he’s strong and has power. I think he is getting a bit better fundamentally, but he isn’t the finished article and I think he needs more time and that’s why they haven’t taken the Munguia fight or the Ryder fight, or any of these big fights. They are trying to get him ready for those big fights and unfortunately, I’m a step too far.”
Padraig tipping shock KO
McCrory has spent countless hours studying Berlanga on tape, and he has seen enough to believe he can pull off the upset. And likely by knockout.
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“You’ve seen footage of him getting dropped in fights, in the amateurs and in sparring, so I am visualising using those moments and putting myself there. It’s a big part of what I am doing, visualizing the win and the feeling.
“I don’t think the fight goes the distance. I see myself knocking him out, you’ve seen him hurt heavy, and I believe I have the power to do it. People don’t expect me to win, I’m the big underdog, but on Saturday, the world is going to know my name.”
