By Edgar Berlanga (super-middleweight contender)
OVER the past six months my whole life has changed.
Iโve moved out of New York and over to Tampa, Florida permanently. I just built a house from scratch. We designed everything the way we wanted it. I wanted a long driveway and I got that – now I can fit about 20 cars on there. But I havenโt got 20 yet. I always wanted a long driveway.
Iโm laying down roots here. Iโm from Brooklyn but itโs different right now. I feel like I needed this move for my career. Living in New York is cool and I love New York with all my heart but for my career and my son I think right now weโve got to be isolated and focused.
Itโs a mature move, itโs different, Iโve got to start thinking about the future. Itโs not about me no more, itโs about him and my family. Obviously Iโm also setting myself up for when I retire from boxing. Obviously I still have money saved, I have a house now so if, God forbid, anything happens, weโre set.
Itโs crazy. I lived in New York all my life but as soon as I came out here, boom, I got a house. Iโve been in New York for so long, I was just renting in a luxury building, I never even thought about getting a house but I came out here and got one quick.
A lot of things have changed for me. Living in New York the environment and lifestyle can catch up to you. You feel like youโve got to keep a certain standard, how you dress and how you look. Thatโs New York, itโs like a fashion place. But over here Iโm in fucking slippers all day, no haircut for weeks and I donโt care. Itโs whatever. Thereโs nobody to impress over here.
My son is two. That means Iโm in the terrible twos right now and he be going crazy. Heโs about to be three in June so hopefully sooner or later the terrible two stage will be gone.
Iโve actually been sleeping in his room recently, in his bed. Itโs only a small bed but for some reason I sleep good there. Itโs kinda hard and I like hard beds but my fiance likes soft beds. In camp I like to sleep on hard beds because I feel like I sleep way better but it means Iโm sleeping in sheets with dinosaurs on them.
Paddy McCrory is my next opponent and heโs my second Irishman in a row but I donโt got nothing against the Irish, I love Irish people.They got that fighting blood just like Puerto Ricans so itโs going to be something cool against McCrory.
We liked him as an opponent; heโs tough, heโs undefeated and another Irishman. Heโs ranked in the sanctioning bodies so heโs not a guy who will just try and survive, run around the whole ring, like a marathon runner. I think itโs going to be something spectacular.
For knockout artists, if we donโt get guys out you already know that people will start talking shit. If youโre a guy that doesnโt really knock people out and youโre just winning then you can keep going like that. But if youโre a knockout artist and youโre not knocking the guy out, thatโs when they attack you. I always know now, youโre only as good as your last fight.
For example, Teofimo Lopez bust up Josh Taylorโs ass. They were praising him then but now he fought Jamaine Ortiz, who ran around the whole ring, and now Teofimoโs a bum – they say โhe fucking sucksโ and they took him off the rankings. Iโm just like โdamnโ.
This is the first of my last two fights on my Matchroom contract. Eddie Hearn doesnโt really want to talk to me about who might be next because itโs fight week and itโs not good to overlook your opponent. Iโm not really into that. Iโd rather handle business and then we can sit down and talk.
Eddie has some good things happening this year but I just need to make sure I look like a superstar this week. Iโm in my home town basically, this is little Puerto Rico and thereโs going to be a whole bunch of Puerto Ricans.
Ever since hurricane Maria in 2017, which damaged Puerto Rico badly, a lot of people escaped and came out here to Orlando to live.
So this is the 2.0 version of Puerto Rico and Iโm amped. You donโt even understand. I canโt stop moving, Iโm anxious because itโs like Iโm back home. Now itโs on me to put on a show.