Edgar Berlanga didn’t get his wish Tuesday night, but he got another first-round knockout.
The hard-hitting super middleweight prospect needed only one minute and two seconds to knock out Eric Moon in their scheduled eight-rounder at MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas. The 23-year-old Berlanga (14-0, 14 KOs) has now knocked out each of his 14 pro opponents in the first round.
“It was another step-up fight for me,” Berlanga said. “We prepared to go rounds, but I got him hurt and got him out of there.”
Brooklyn’s Berlanga grazed Moon on the top of his head with a right hand before blasting Moon with the crushing right hand that sent Moon to the canvas with 2:04 to go in the opening round. Moon attempted to get up, but fell over, onto his side, which forced referee Kenny Bayless to halt the action before it really even began.
The 29-year-old Moon (11-3, 6 KOs), of Marietta, Georgia, was knocked out for the second time in his four-year pro career. Kazakhstan’s Meiirim Nursultanov (13-0, 8 KOs) stopped Moon in the second round of their scheduled six-rounder in November 2017.
Berlanga told BoxingScene.com before beating Moon that he wanted to go past the first round for the first time in four years as a pro because he wanted to show his range of skills.
“I still have so much room to grow as a fighter,” Berlanga said after defeating Moon. “The power is there, but I will show everyone that I am a well-rounded fighter. The knockout streak is cool, but there is more to me than first-round knockouts.”
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing
