Edgar Berlanga arrested in Florida, charged with battery and felony aggravated battery

Edgar Berlanga, the Brooklyn-born super middleweight who challenged Canelo Alvarez for the undisputed title in 2024, has been arrested in Polk County, Florida, and charged with one count of misdemeanor battery and one count of felony aggravated battery. Uncrowned's Darshan Desai first reported the arrest on Tuesday, October 27, citing court records, and the story was quickly picked up by MMA News and World Boxing News.

According to Uncrowned, the 29-year-old was arrested on Monday, October 26, by the Lakeland Police Department. The charges arise from an incident that allegedly took place on Sunday, October 18. Few details of the alleged incident have been made public, and the claims against Berlanga have not been tested in court.

The charges

Uncrowned reported the two counts as:

• First-degree misdemeanor battery (touch or strike) under Florida Statute 784.03, which carries a maximum sentence of one year in jail.
• Second-degree felony aggravated battery under Florida Statute 784.045(1)(a)1, which carries a maximum sentence of up to 15 years in prison if he is convicted.

A public Polk County booking record, republished by the arrest-records site Muglist, lists the same two statutes and shows bond of $1,000 on the battery count and $15,000 on the aggravated battery count. That record names the Polk County Sheriff's Office as the arresting agency, while Uncrowned attributes the arrest to the Lakeland Police Department. The Polk County Sheriff's Office runs the county jail where arrestees are booked, which may explain the difference.

World Boxing News described the case as stemming from an alleged domestic violence incident. That characterization has not been confirmed in the court records cited by Uncrowned, and POP MMA is not identifying anyone else involved.

Court dates

Berlanga had his first appearance on Tuesday, October 27, at the courthouse in Bartow, the Polk County seat. According to court records obtained by Uncrowned, a judge set his bail at a combined $16,000. His arraignment is scheduled for 8:45 a.m. local time on Tuesday, November 17. At that hearing he is expected to be formally told the charges and enter a plea.

Berlanga has not been convicted of any crime and is presumed innocent. At the time of publication, neither Berlanga, his representatives nor Zuffa Boxing had commented publicly on the arrest, and MMA News noted that the original report included no comment from the fighter or the promotion. POP MMA will update this story if they respond or as the case moves forward.

Berlanga's career

Berlanga (24-2, 19 KOs) is one of the biggest names on the Zuffa Boxing roster. He and Richardson Hitchins signed multi-fight deals with the promotion, led by Dana White, in April. Berlanga made his debut under the banner on July 26, when he headlined Zuffa Boxing 9 at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York. He got up from a second-round knockdown against Steven Butler, dropped Butler in the sixth, and won by TKO in the seventh round.

The New Yorker of Puerto Rican descent turned professional in 2016 and became known for his early run of 16 consecutive first-round knockouts. On September 14, 2024, he challenged Alvarez for the WBA, WBC and WBO super middleweight titles at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and lost a unanimous decision. His only other defeat came in July 2025, when Hamzah Sheeraz stopped him in the fifth round in New York.

This is not the first time Berlanga has been in trouble outside the scoring. In 2022 the New York State Athletic Commission fined him $10,000 and suspended him for six months after he tried to bite Roamer Alexis Angulo during a fight.

As MMA News noted, the arrest comes barely a week after Shakur Stevenson walked away from Zuffa Boxing without fighting under its banner.