The self-proclaimed “King of New York,” Edgar Berlanga, says he’s already got the “victory” in the bag against Hamzah Sheeraz this Saturday, July 12th, in their WBC super middleweight title eliminator in Queens. Berlanga (23-1, 18 KOs) states that all he needs to do is show up at the Louis Armstrong Stadium venue, “perform,” and get his hand raised.
Edgar says Sheeraz (21-0-1, 17 KOs) was pressured to fight him because Turki Alalshik told him that for him to get the clash against Canelo Alvarez in 2026, he must fight him. He believes that was a mistake on Hamzah’s part because he should have stayed at middleweight and fought a rematch with WBC 160-lb champion Carlos Adames to pick up that belt.
Sheeraz: Hype Job Doubts
Berlanga maintains that Sheeraz really lost, but Turki gave him a draw, telling him he needs to “go through fire” against him to get the Canelo fight. He’s not the only one who thought Sheeraz lost to Adames last February in their 12-round fight in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Many boxing fans had Adames winning by a wide margin, and they were disgusted by the judges’ scoring of the one-sided fight. Sheeraz looked overmatched by the more experienced Adames. The performance cemented the belief that a lot of people have about Hamzah being a hype job that was created through calculated matchmaking.
Edgar Confident: “I Won”
“I got the victory already. I just got to go in there and perform on Saturday. I know we won. There are levels to this,” said Edgar Berlanga to Boxing News, discussing his fight against Hamzah Sheeraz in Queens. “I’m a veteran already. He’s not beating me. He doesn’t stand a chance. I’m a dude who is unpredictable in every fight.”
Berlanga has to win this fight because if he loses to Sheeraz, his career will be in a sorry state. That would be his second defeat in his last three fights, and he wouldn’t get a free pass like he did after losing to Canelo in 2024. The beltless Hamzah isn’t highly rated by U.S. fans. The followers that Berlanga has on the East Coast will abandon him in droves if he loses on Saturday, especially if it’s by knockout.
Sheeraz Pressured by Turki
“He’s trying to be great, but not only that. I know that Turki put the battery in his back to take this fight because of the Canelo fight. ‘Listen, I’m giving you another opportunity. You got your a** whooped in your last fight. You lost. I took care of that and gave you a draw. Now you got to go through this fire here if you want the Canelo fight.’ That was the wrong mistake. He should have went and tried to get that belt back from Adames,” said Berlanga.
Sheeraz wasn’t about to fight Adames again after the way he was dominated. There was nothing in Hamzah’s performance in that fight that lent credence to him improving enough to win a rematch. Adames was on another level to him.
Last Updated on 07/08/2025
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