Hamzah Sheeraz Destroys Edgar Berlanga
Hamzah Sheeraz Destroys Edgar Berlanga in Five and Sets Sights on Canelo
NEW YORK
Hamzah Sheeraz made a huge statement in his super middleweight debut, stopping Edgar Berlanga in the fifth round of a heated main event at Louis Armstrong Stadium.
Despite all the pre-fight tension and fighting in Berlanga’s backyard, Sheeraz looked completely unfazed. From the opening round, the British fighter took control with clean jabs, sharp footwork, and precise combinations. Under the guidance of trainer Andy Lee, Sheeraz fought with poise and confidence, picking his shots and gradually breaking his opponent down.
The turning point came in round four. Sheeraz timed Berlanga perfectly and dropped him flat on his back with a slick combination. Berlanga tried to play it cool, raising his arms and smiling as he got up, but it did nothing to stop the storm that followed. Moments later, another flurry in the corner sent him down again, and he barely made it to the bell.
As soon as the fifth round began, Sheeraz jumped on him. A quick three-punch combination knocked Berlanga off balance, and when one of his gloves touched the canvas, referee David Fields stepped in to stop the fight just 17 seconds into the round.
“Today there was nothing stopping me,” Sheeraz said after the fight.
This performance was exactly what Sheeraz needed. After settling for a controversial draw in his WBC middleweight title fight with Carlos Adames earlier this year, he decided to move up in weight. The cut to 160 pounds had been draining, and at 168, he looked like a completely different fighter. Stronger, sharper, and far more composed.
For Berlanga, this was a major setback. He came into the fight just two bouts removed from a decision loss to Canelo Alvarez and had hoped a win here would put him back in the title mix. He had scored a quick first-round knockout over Jonathan Ortiz in March to earn this shot but couldn’t match Sheeraz’s skill or intensity on the night.
Sheeraz now stands at 22 wins, no defeats, and one draw, with 18 knockouts. With this dominant win, he has pushed his name into the conversation for a shot at the undisputed champion Canelo Alvarez. Based on this performance, he might just be ready.
Elsewhere on the card, Shakur Stevenson defended his WBC lightweight title with a dominant win over William Zepeda. Stevenson remained unbeaten and in control throughout the fight, cruising to a unanimous decision with scores of 119-109 and 118-110 twice.
Zepeda had some success early and managed to land a clean left hand in the first round that made Stevenson smile, but he couldn’t do much more. Stevenson was simply too sharp and too quick, firing back with rapid combinations every time Zepeda tried to mount an attack.
Between Sheeraz’s breakout moment and Stevenson’s continued dominance, this night delivered big for boxing fans. And if Sheeraz gets the Canelo fight he wants, things are only just heating up.
