On Saturday night at Madison Square Garden’s Hulu Theater, Berlanga won a majority decision against Alexis Angulo in a super middleweight battle on a TopRank program.
In the match, Berlanga tried to bite his opponent. He got away with it without even a warning . The move itself bewildered the commentators and other professionals.
Berlanga bit Angulo’s left shoulder and then attempted to bite his left ear when they collided during the seventh round. This situation was similar to when Mike Tyson bit Evander Holyfield’s ear during a 1997 fight – except for the fact Tyson famously took a chunk out.
To demonstrate to the referee what had occurred, Angulo instantly tilted his head back. He flung his arms in the air and placed a glove over his ear.
Referee Ricky Gonzalez didn’t appear to see Berlanga’s biting attempt. This was because he was trying to separate them from the other side, where Berlanga buried his lips into Angulo’s left shoulder.
“He was throwing elbows. I was about to do a Mike Tyson on him,” Berlanga said afterward. He kept throwing his elbows, and I didn’t want to get cut.”
Berlanga continued, “I just got the experience I needed. Once again, my power is still there. I hurt him a couple of times. I didn’t want to fall for any traps or anything. I knew he was a tough guy.”
Tyson was disqualified for reaching for Holyfield’s ear twice in one of boxing’s most memorable moments. However, Berlanga was not penalized.
On the other hand, Angulo was warned by the referee for striking Berglanga behind the head. Early in the battle, Berlanga was bleeding from his nose. Towards the conclusion of the fight, he was bleeding from his lips.
Terrence Crawford, the unbeaten welterweight champion, responded on Twitter with three laughing emojis: “Lol he tried to bite him.”
Lol he tried to bite him 😂😂😂
— Terence Crawford (@terencecrawford) June 12, 2022