Madison Square Garden was the scene where one of the most remembered unsportsmanlike movements in the history of the boxing world was about to take place, when the boxer Edgar Berlanga tried to bite his rival’s ear in the clinch .
The American boxer of Puerto Rican origin made his twentieth presentation and all eyes were on him as he was undefeated and with 16 of 19 victories by knockout.
However, after completing the twelve rounds in his last fight against the Colombian Roamer Alexis Angulo , he returned to prevail by unanimous decision for the fourth time in a row, a worrying victory for the 25-year-old, who was cataloged as the new Mike Tyson by the aggressiveness that he showed during his first fights.
In any case, despite having outscored his opponent on the scorecards 98-92, 99-91 and 99-91, Berlanga was once again compared to the legendary American boxer, not because of his powerful punches but because of the disgustingly unsportsmanlike gesture he performed during the seventh round.
The official broadcast cameras, as well as the cell phones of the spectators closest to the ring, showed the moment in which the Puerto Rican leaned over the South American’s neck in a clinch and tried to bite his ear before the referee could separate them.
“I was trying to pass myself off as Mike Tyson ,” Berlanga wryly explained in the post-victory press conference, arguing that he did so because his opponent used his elbows disproportionately every time they locked in the clinch .
This episode was one of the few interesting situations that the fight for the super middleweight category (up to 76 kg) had, since the 25-year-old boxer once again made a lackluster fight when the fans expected something more from him as it was one of the fastest growing stars of recent times.
However, and despite remaining undefeated with a record of 20-0 (16 by KO), Edgar Berlanga got his fourth consecutive win by unanimous decision and left the spectators who went to see a quick definition with a bitter taste.
