Where did Berlangas power go? He cant even bust a grape anymore is it because he fights scared now? So he dont commit to his shots.

I do believe that is the new normal. God forbid a fighter loses a fight! So fighters don't get better, just more into gaming the system. Best example i can think of is Ricky Hatton. The Hatton that beat Zoo for the lightweight crown turned into a mad humping machine... it destroyed his talent, his father (I believe) wanted to ensure hatton remained undefeated and it made him a much less talented fighter. lol i remember that he was hugging Kostya all night, the British were lovin it, Kostya should have demanded the fight in las vegas, where the ref wouldnt allow that.

He was looking like Kirkland for a while but once someone stood up from his power and there was no plan B he got exposed. He better start swarming again because he doesn't have the skills to compete at the top level.

What's with the high expectations? Who did he beat before?

This dude is horrible, no boxing skill, and his power is gone. He constantly second guesses himself in there too, he fights nervous like afraid to lose. I do believe that is the new normal. God forbid a fighter loses a fight! So fighters don't get better, just more into gaming the system. Best example i can think of is Ricky Hatton. The Hatton that beat Zoo for the lightweight crown turned into a mad humping machine... it destroyed his talent, his father (I believe) wanted to ensure hatton remained undefeated and it made him a much less talented fighter.

Berlanga is trying to reinvent his style. Coming to terms with being a hype job must be hard on him mentally.

Xander is going to be the pay per view star if he keeps winning, the kid is respectful, classy, talented, well spoken, you name it he fits the bill. crazy how Top Rank invested soo much into Berlanga though, that dude is garbage he is just a sideshow and PR hood types and NY Boriqua just like him cause he hood, but Xander has the makings of a ppv star. Same strategy with Munguia I feel. They just took a shot in the dark and backed him in the hopes that he will make a future Canelo ppv opponent.

Definitely. Xander passes the eye test. You can also tell by the matchmaking what Top Rank thinks of him. He's been put in tough early. When your promotion puts in against guys like Jose Luis Sanchez in your 8th or 9th fight and then Quincy LaVallais in your 13th, they have confidence that you will take care of business even if you meet adversity. Xander is going to be the pay per view star if he keeps winning, the kid is respectful, classy, talented, well spoken, you name it he fits the bill. crazy how Top Rank invested soo much into Berlanga though, that dude is garbage he is just a sideshow and PR hood types and NY Boriqua just like him cause he hood, but Xander has the makings of a ppv star.

He is overrated bum beater and he sucks fighting real guys that actually train this sport. World level guy beats him easily. Whats crazy is Angulo isnt even good and he is almost 40 and past his prime, that guy was open to get hit and slow, Berlanga looked so tentative in there it was weird, put Angulo in with someone like David Benavidaz its a wrap dude would have been out of there.

Bicep surgery and getting knocked down a couple of fights ago. Mentally, he is fucked from here on out.

After his KO streak ended theyre trying to turn him into a boxer. He's a puncher/banger just let him do what he does best even if its one dimensional that gives him the best option to win because hes not a boxer

He also tore his bicep and had surgery. That may also cause him so issues. I agree that he is not as advertised.

He should demand only 1 round fights from now on so he can go all out.

Combination of his power not being anywhere near as legit as originally advertised and his confidence is completely gone. i want this guy to become entertaining agsin or i want to see him get brutally knocked out, he doesn't come across as likeable at all but if he is destroying guys it isn't a problem, he was boring last night though, and lost 4 or 5 rounds

He doesn't know who he is in the ring. Everyone thought he was a bulldozer in his first 16 fights, but now that fighters are taking him the distance he doesn't know what to do. He has shown he can punch but he hasn't shown the ability to effectively put pressure or box. Every single time he's unable to ko his opponents early he fails to impress.

Yup and this is why he is trying to box and avoid trading power, he knows he sucks and is trying to avoid taking an L because if he loses he wont be able to make money, he is a hype job. Xander Zayas is the real deal puerto rican future star. Definitely. Xander passes the eye test. You can also tell by the matchmaking what Top Rank thinks of him. He's been put in tough early. When your promotion puts in against guys like Jose Luis Sanchez in your 8th or 9th fight and then Quincy LaVallais in your 13th, they have confidence that you will take care of business even if you meet adversity.

Because Bumlanga isn't fighting total cans anymore. The guy is trash.

He is overrated bum beater and he sucks fighting real guys that actually train this sport. World level guy beats him easily.

This is pretty much it. When Nicholson kept getting up, I think it shook his confidence. Prior to that fight, he expected and believed he could spark everyone out. Then Coceres took his power and hurt him back. I think what you see now is a guy who realizes he's not as powerful and not as good as what ESPN and Top Rank led everyone to believe for his first 16 fights. Yup and this is why he is trying to box and avoid trading power, he knows he sucks and is trying to avoid taking an L because if he loses he wont be able to make money, he is a hype job. Xander Zayas is the real deal puerto rican future star.

His career has turned really weird. He went from looking like Brooklyn’s next Mike Tyson, to apologizing after every sentence his coach told him. Idk if he’s “scared”. When you fight for a living, the last thing you feel about boxing is fear. But everything in his body language points to some sort of fear. I think he is definitely avoiding a KO loss in some way that gives off that he is scared. If you see his early fights, you can see him getting tremendously hurt/wobbled badly. In a way that you know when he gets caught again by a puncher, he will be trouble. I think that’s what he’s avoiding. If boxing was your only path make millions of dollars, but your chinny and you know it, wouldn’t you try to avoid getting KO’ed? And I agree. His reluctance to get hit has led to him not committing to his punches. And with that new coach of his told him to box and not fight. I guess he knew something the viewers and announcers didn’t know, because that fight certainly did not look 9 rounds to 1 in his favor. It could have easily been a draw or a win for Angulo on neutral territory with fair judging. But the coach must’ve known something because he basically told Berlanga to not fight just keep moving in boxing. In a close fight, you want to win the 8th-10th rounds clearly, with urgency. There was no urgency in his corner. i mean he is scared to lose, he is fixated on being unbeaten it seems. Lot of times guys with no losses start becoming cautious and don let their hands go.

He stopped fighting people outside of the top 100 This is pretty much it. When Nicholson kept getting up, I think it shook his confidence. Prior to that fight, he expected and believed he could spark everyone out. Then Coceres took his power and hurt him back. I think what you see now is a guy who realizes he's not as powerful and not as good as what ESPN and Top Rank led everyone to believe for his first 16 fights.