Hamzah Sheeraz Destroys Edgar Berlanga
Hamzah Sheeraz announced himself as a serious force at super middleweight with a devastating fifth round stoppage of Edgar Berlanga in New York, delivering the kind of performance that instantly changes a fighter’s career trajectory. Fighting in Berlanga’s home city and surrounded by a crowd that expected their man to shine, Sheeraz stayed calm from the opening bell and boxed with a level of confidence that suggested he belonged on this stage. His jab was sharp, his movement smooth, and his timing spot on as he picked Berlanga apart behind clean, accurate combinations. Under the guidance of trainer Andy Lee, Sheeraz looked composed and in complete control, gradually tightening the screws as the rounds went by.
The fight swung dramatically in the fourth round when Sheeraz caught Berlanga with a perfectly timed combination that sent him crashing to the canvas. Berlanga tried to shrug it off with a smile, but the damage was clear. Sheeraz sensed it and went straight back to work, pinning him in the corner and dropping him again before the bell saved him. When the fifth round began, Sheeraz wasted no time. A quick burst of punches knocked Berlanga off balance, and as soon as his glove touched the canvas, referee David Fields stepped in to wave it off just seventeen seconds into the round. Sheeraz simply said afterward that nothing was going to stop him on this night.
The win could not have come at a better time for Sheeraz. After a frustrating and controversial draw in his WBC middleweight title fight with Carlos Adames earlier in the year, he made the decision to move up in weight. The cut to one hundred sixty pounds had been draining, and at super middleweight he looked stronger, fresher, and far more dangerous. Berlanga, meanwhile, suffered a major setback. He had hoped a win would push him back toward title contention after his loss to Canelo Alvarez, but he could not match Sheeraz’s skill or intensity. His first round knockout of Jonathan Ortiz in March had earned him this opportunity, but Sheeraz proved to be a completely different level of opponent.
Sheeraz now stands at twenty two wins, no defeats, and one draw, with eighteen knockouts. With this kind of statement victory, he has put himself firmly in the conversation for a shot at the undisputed champion Canelo Alvarez, and based on how he looked in New York, he may be ready for that challenge sooner rather than later. The night also featured another standout performance as Shakur Stevenson successfully defended his WBC lightweight title with a dominant win over William Zepeda. Stevenson controlled the fight from start to finish, winning by unanimous decision with scores of one hundred nineteen to one hundred nine and one hundred eighteen to one hundred ten twice. Zepeda landed a clean left hand early that made Stevenson smile, but he could not build on it. Stevenson was simply too sharp, too quick, and too disciplined.
Between Sheeraz’s breakout moment and Stevenson’s continued dominance, the event delivered everything fans hoped for. And if Sheeraz gets the Canelo fight he is calling for, the super middleweight division is about to get even more interesting.
