Edgar Berlanga’s First-Round KO Streak Ends, But He Still Scores Win Against Demond Nicholson

Edgar Berlangas impressive streak is over, but his undefeated record is still intact…

The 23-year-old didn’t finish his opponent in the first three minutes during his bout on Friday night, ending his streak of first-round knockouts.

Edgar Berlanga,

But Berlanga still defeated Demond Nicholson.

Berlanga (17-0, 16 KOs) knocked Nicholson down four times — including one in the final seconds of the fight — but couldn’t get a stoppage in a 79-68, 79-69, 79-69 unanimous decision victory at the Silver Spurs Arena on Kissimmee, Florida, on Saturday.

“It’s kind of f—ed up that I had to go those rounds with the people here,” Berlanga said in his postfight interview on ESPN. “I know that they wanted a first-round knockout. But I enjoyed getting the experience.”

Entering his bout on the Emanuel NavarreteChristopher Diaz undercard, Berlanga had knocked out all 16 of his previous opponents in the first round. Nicholson (23-4-1, 20 KOs), 28, of Laurel, Maryland, became the first to make it back to his corner.

Nicholson met Berlanga’s power early after knockdowns in the second and third round, albeit the latter occurrence a questionable ruling by referee Emil Lombardi. But the veteran Nicholson steadied himself beneath his wide stance and even found success at times against Berlanga.

Berlanga capped his performance with a short right hook that floored Nicholson with 13 seconds left in the fight, the punch easily being his hardest of the night. Nicholson wobbled on his feet as he made the count but was steady enough for the ref to allow Nicholson to make it to the final bell.

“I wanted to get him out,” Berlanga said. “But I didn’t. But listen, I got the experience.”

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