Edgar Berlanga believes boxing is struggling to keep casual fans compared to the UFC. The super middleweight pointed to star-driven appeal as the key difference

“That’s what I want too. I feel like I’m doing that. I feel like I brought a lot of people back into boxing,” said Berlanga to The Danza Project. “The last time they probably watched boxing was when Trinidad was fighting, or Camacho, or Tyson. When I was catching the first-round knockouts, it was going everywhere. The casuals was coming back. ‘Yo, Baby Mike Tyson. The Puerto Rican Mike Tyson.’

“Boxing is entertainment, bro. It’s getting more entertainment. People don’t understand that. When fighters want to sell fights, that’s what sells. That’s why I love the UFC. The UFC fans are die-hard fans. Even the casuals are. Once they like you, they support you. Conor McGregor could announce a fight right now, and it’s going to sell out. Boxing fans, you get one loss, and it’s forget about it.”

Berlanga signed with Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing earlier this year as the promotion continues positioning itself around crossover appeal, personality-driven marketing, and broader entertainment value beyond traditional boxing audiences.

While promoted by Top Rank, Berlanga built much of his early popularity through a streak of 16 consecutive first-round knockouts, one of the longest runs to begin a career in modern boxing history. His aggressive style and social media presence helped turn him into one of boxing’s more recognizable younger names before losses and tougher opposition slowed some of the early momentum.