Demond Nicholson has no fear, thinks he KOs Edgar Berlanga

Demond Nicholson is a seasoned boxing veteran, but he faces Edgar Berlanga next, one of the most dangerous punchers in boxing.

Super middleweight boxer Demond Nicholson fights for the first time in over a year. He’s fighting one of the most promising prospects in all of boxing in Edgar Berlanga. The odds aren’t in Nicholson’s favor, but he’s optimistic headed into their April 24 matchup from the Silver Spurs Arena in Kissimmee, Florida.

Nicholson (23-3-1, 20 KOs) is only 28 years old, but the fighter from Maryland has been through a lot during his eight-year professional career. He has performed well against a certain caliber of a fighter but has fallen when faced with a challenge.

Nicholson’s last defeat came in 2018 when Jesse Hart stopped him in round 7. Since then, Nicholson has won five fights in a row. That stat sounds great, but it hasn’t all been smooth sailing for Nicholson.

In 2019, Nicholson was hospitalized because of kidney failure while trying to make weight. Nicholson won two fights after his illness but was inactive for most of 2020. He felt like he needed that year off to recover fully.

“I needed that time off from COVID,” Nicholson told FanSided. “A lot of people know, but I had kidney failure. So I needed that year off to get my body the rest, heal back up.”

Nicholson didn’t spend that year on the couch. Although he didn’t compete in a professional bout, he joined IBF super middleweight champion Caleb Plant and welterweight phenom Jaron Ennis in camp. Nicholson sparred both and believes those experiences helped prepare him for Berlanga.

Demond Nicholson is confident heading into his bout against undefeated KO artist Edgar Berlanga despite being a substantial underdog

“When you work with top fighters like that, you know, you have to either sink, or you’re going to swim,” explained Nicholson. “You’re going to be prepared or unprepared. Thankfully, I stay in the gym. I stay in shape. I have a great circle of people around me, coaches, and everything. So I was always prepared whenever I stepped in the ring with elite opposition. That helped a lot, man, especially getting ready for this fight.”

Nicholson needs every edge he can get against Berlanga. Berlanga (16-0, 16 KOs) is undefeated and carries a 100 percent knockout rating. No one has ever gone past the first round with Berlanga. That’s probably why several oddsmakers have Nicholson as a 12-1 underdog against Berlanga, according to Oddsshark.com.

Still, Nicholson is confident that not only can he last past the first round, but he thinks he can defeat Berlanga by KO.

“I can punch. I can box,” said Nicholson while jumping rope. “I have the experience, and I’m not scared. I have no fear. You know, there’s nothing to fear, man. A lot of these guys never fully stepped in the ring. While he’s walking out, they had doubt. There’s no doubt here.”

Nicholson added, “Listen, man, we all men,” said Nicholson. “We all bleed. We all sweat. We all cry the same way. If I can get knocked down, he can too.”

When asked for a fight prediction, Nicholson gave a one-word answer.

“Knockout,” said Nicholson.

One way or another, he’s probably right.