By Kyle Kinder-
Jesse Hart isn’t the only Top Rank fighter angling for a showdown against Brooklyn-born KO-artist Edgar Berlanga (17-0, 16KO). Unbeaten Tennessean Tyler Howard (19-0, 11KO) is hoping he’ll be the next boxer with a chance to stamp the first “L” on Berlanga’s record.
Earlier in the year Howard thought he might get a crack at the Puerto Rican wrecking ball, but the stars never aligned.
“To be totally honest this was brought to my attention in January,” the 27 year-old Howard recalled. “They [Howard’s management team] called me…and said that it was a possibility for me to fight him on the card that just passed in Kissimmee on April 24th. I tested positive for COVID at that time, and then for whatever reason the fight didn’t develop and Demond Nicholson ended up taking the fight.”
Against Nicholson, Berlanga was made to fight beyond the opening round for the first time in his career. Not only that, despite sending Nicholson to the mat four times, Berlanga was stretched all eight rounds, where he picked up his first win via decision.
“If that fight had been a nine round fight, Demond Nicholson wouldn’t have made it because Edgar cracked him at the end of the eighth round and hurt him very bad,” Howard said. “So that was extremely impressive.”
While Howard was complementary of Berlanga’s ability to retain punching power over a twenty-four minute window, he wasn’t impressed by his stamina.
“Edgar performed very well, but he did get tired in the later rounds and I feel like that’s something we can capitalize on,” said Howard. “And Edgar has been knocked down in the past, he got knocked down in the amateurs and that hasn’t been long ago. If you got a weak chin, you got a weak chin, and that’s just the way it is. And I don’t think he fights very well on his back foot. Whenever Nicholson was planting his feet and trying to walk through him and putting his punches together, he had some success.”
Although Howard’s last three contests have been fought at middleweight, his most impressive win arguably came at super middleweight against once-beaten Isaiah Seldon in 2018. In that bout, Howard sent Seldon crashing to the mat twice and ended the fight in just :90 seconds.
Even still, with Berlanga fighting at super middleweight, Howard prefers any potential match be fought at a catchweight. But he’s realistic about who holds the cards.
“Obviously I’d want to make some kind of catchweight,” said Howard. “If you look in the past he’s weighed 162, 164. Recently he’s been making 168. At the end of the day, he would be the A-side in this, he’s the one that carries the star-power, he’s the one that’s been dominating, he’s earned everything that he’s got. So if I had to go up to 168 to fight him, I’d go up and do it.”
And while a possible bang up with Berlanga is an idea that has Howard fired up, he doesn’t view his fistic future as Berlanga-or-bust.
“One thing I want to make clear is that I’m not going to put my career on halt for Edgar Berlanga,” Howard said. “If that fight isn’t there, it’s not there. The middleweight division is loaded with big fights to be made, they’re everywhere. I’m definitely not banking my career on a fight with Edgar Berlanga, but if they call me and the money and timing’s right then yeah, I’m down to bump with him.”
If they did mix it up, that fight would likely take place in late July or early August, as Berlanga is expected to become a father early next month. But if their paths do cross inside the ropes, Howard fancies his chances.
“I definitely think I can beat him,” Howard said. “If I didn’t think I could beat him, I wouldn’t take the fight. But the most important thing is you have to figure out a way to neutralize his power because it doesn’t matter who you are if Edgar Berlanga catches you clean, he’s going to shut your ass down…that’s just the fact of the matter.”
To help prepare for his next fight, whether it be against Berlanga or not, Howard plans to head down to Houston, TX to work with Bobby Benton, who he thinks will help him get the most out of his power.
“One thing he [Berlanga] will realize real fucking fast is that I can punch too,” Howard said. “My knockout ratio doesn’t reflect how hard I punch…and my hands are a lot faster than his. If I can get him on the inside trading with me, I’m going to win those exchanges.”
According to Howard, a potential Berlanga clash “is all about risk versus reward.”
The risk is obvious, and Howard wants to take it.
The reward? To become a Van Helsing of sorts…to become the man that stops the Monster.
