Edgar Berlanga successfully defended his NABO Super Middleweight Title against Roamer Alexis Angulo on Saturday at the Madison Square Garden in New York.
The pair squared off for ten rounds to highlight the eve of the Puerto Rican Day Parade in New York City. Two judges scored the fight 99-91 while the other had it 98-92, all in favor of ‘The Chosen One’ for a unanimous decision victory.
Despite the lopsided decision, the fight went back-and-forth from the get-go until the final bell sounded.
It was Angulo who stepped up the attack early in the first round. Berlanga was able to block most of his attempts and connected with his left a couple of times before the opening round ended.
The exchange continued into the second round. Berlanga (20-0, 16 KOs) had the last laugh after knocking Angulo (27-3, 23 KOs) off balance with a right hand. The 25-year-old NABO titleholder again knocked Angulo off balance with a left hook barely a minute into the fifth round.
Angulo had his moments on several occasions of the fight, most notably during the end of the seventh round where he clipped Berlanga with a right hand. However, during this particular round, Berlanga was caught trying to bite Angulo's neck, reminiscent of Mike Tyson's infamous ear bite to Evander Holyfield.
Watch Edgar Berlanga try to bite Alexis Angulo’s neck:
The pair engaged in an entertaining exchange midway through the ninth round, with both landing solid shots. In the tenth and final round, Berlanga connected with a left hook with about a minute left. Angulo fought back and drilled a right hand of his own before the final bell sounded.
The win was Berlanga's fourth consecutive decision victory after a scintillating 16-straight first-round knockouts to start his career.
Watch the highlights of Edgar Berlanga vs Alexis Angulo:
Edgar Berlanga vs Alexis Angulo: Full card results
Main card:
Edgar Berlanga def. Alexis Angulo via unanimous decision; retains NABO Super Middleweight Title
Henry Lebron def. Luis Lebron via unanimous decision; wins WBO Latino Junior Lightweight Title
Undercard:
Victor Santillan def. Carlos Caraballo via unanimous decision
Dakota Linger def. Josue Vargas via second-round technical knockout
Armani Almestica def. Eliseo Villalobos via sixth-round technical knockout
Orlando Gonzalez def. Pablo Cruz via fifth-round knockout
Omar Rosario def. Julio Rosa via unanimous decision
Frevian Gonzalez def. Refugio Montellano via unanimous decision
Christina Cruz def. Maryguenn Vellinga via unanimous decision