Padraig McCrory believes Edgar Berlanga and his team have made a mistake in picking him to fight this Saturday, and that he’s one punch away from changing his life when the two unbeaten super middleweights will collide at Caribe Royale in Orlando, in a fight to be broadcasted live worldwide on DAZN.

McCrory (18-0 9 KOs) faces-off with Berlanga (21-0 16 KOs) for the first time today (Tuesday) in Orlando as they close in on crunch time.

“I know that I am one punch away from changing my life,” said McCrory. “If it happens, and I truly believe it is going to, I will go down in Irish boxing history, and on Saturday that’s what is going to happen. I’m so proud of being from Belfast and to go down in history there would mean so much to me.

The Belfast man has acknowledged that this is the biggest fight of his career to date, but with Berlanga eyeing the likes of Jaime Munguia, Diego Pacheco and the biggest fish of all in undisputed king Canelo Alvarez, McCrory knows he’s within touching distance of putting his name into the mix to land those fights for himself.

Padraig McCrory trains for his upcoming fight against Edgar Berlanga, which will be taking place on February 24, 2024 at the Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando, FL.- Photo by Ed Mulholland/Matchroom

“Winning this fight changes my life for good, anything that’s happened in the past is irrelevant. My life is great, I’m happily married with three kids, and on Saturday it’s going to get even better.

“This win opens up massive opportunities, the biggest names, like Munguia, Pacheco or even Canelo. He’s the dream fight for everybody, the money fight, and that’s what awaits me after this fight. He’s looking past me talking about those guys, he’s not worried about me but that’s a big mistake, he’s in for a nightmare.”

Berlanga’s all-first-round-KO initial steak in his career does not impress McCrory either.

“I’m definitely his hardest fight. I’m a big 168 and he’s never taken anyone’s ‘0’. He sounds confident but I think it’s all show. He’s trying to convince him self and on Saturday you’ll see that I’m his biggest test. It’s obvious that he has power, he comes with a big punch. Ask anyone and they’ll say he’s strong and has power. I think he is getting a bit better fundamentally, but he isn’t the finished article and I think he needs more time and that’s why they haven’t taken the Munguia fight or the Ryder fight, or any of these big fights. They are trying to get him ready for those big fights and unfortunately, I’m a step too far.”

Without disregarding Berlanga’s impressive hightlight reel, McCrory feels he has seen enough cracks in his defense wall to be optimistic about a decisive win.

“You’ve seen footage of him getting dropped in fights, in the amateurs and in sparring, so I am visualizing using those moments and putting myself there. It’s a big part of what I am doing, visualizing the win and the feeling. I don’t think the fight goes the distance. I see myself knocking him out, you’ve seen him hurt heavy, and I believe I have the power to do it. People don’t expect me to win, I’m the big underdog, but on Saturday, the world is going to know my name.

Berlanga and McCrory headline a card with a co-feature that pits Cuban lightweight sensation Andy Cruz (2-0 1 KO) against Brayan Zamarippa (14-2 5 KOs).

Earlier, Shakhram Giyasov (14-0 9 KOs) and Pablo Cesar Cano (35-8-1 25 KOs) will clash battle it out in an eliminator for the WBA welterweight title, while Antonio Vargas (17-1 9 KOs) and Jonathan Rodriguez (17-1-1 7 KOs) clash in a bantamweight bout.

Flyweight Yankiel Rivera (4-0 2 KOs) takes on Andy Dominguez (10-0 5 KOs), and heavyweights Herich Ruiz (4-0 3 KOs) meets Mitch Williams (16-10-3 11 KOs) over eight rounds. Aaron Aponte (8-1-1 2 KOs) takes on Joseph Fernandez (17-5-3 6 KOs) over eight rounds in the junior welterweight division.

A press release by Matchroom was used in this article.