Berlanga Vows to “Destroy” Sheeraz in First Round on July 12th: A Stepping Stone to Canelo Rematch

Edgar Berlanga says he’s looking to “destroy” Hamzah Sheeraz in the first round on July 12th in their headliner in Queens, New York. Berlanga (23-1, 18 KOs) believes he’s going to obliterate the unbeaten UK fighter, Sheeraz (21-0-1, 17 KOs), to show the world that he’s the dog in the super middleweight division.

Also, it’ll put Berlanga in the pole position to get that “big bag” against the superstar Canelo Alvarez next February. That’s the fight that Edgar is targeting. Sheeraz is just a stepping stone for Berlanga to achieve his goal of facing Canelo in a rematch and taking over as the new King of the 168-lb division.

Getting Sheeraz out of the way is the first part of Edgar’s two-fight goal to become the new monarch of the super middleweight division.

Berlanga Destroys Sheeraz: First Round KO?

“I got a lot on my mind, and I want to destroy this dude. I got to destroy this dude. It may be in the first round,” said Edgar Berlanga to the Ring Magazine YouTube channel about his fight against Hamzah Sheeraz on July 12th.

#2 WBO-ranked Berlanga needs a statement win over Sheeraz to create pressure for him to be Canelo Alvarez’s opponent next February. The belief is that Turki Alalshikh is pulling for Sheeraz to win so he can use him as the guy Alvarez faces.

A fight between Canelo and Hamzah would play out big in the UK with the British fans—many of Turki’s events center around catering to the UK audiences rather than the Americans. Sheeraz would fit perfectly in Turki’s plans to build another UK fighter as a cog to drive fan interest in a fight with Alvarez.

Unbeaten Sheeraz Gets “A Whooping”**

“He’s going to get an a** whooping. Everything that he is saying and talking, and he’s with [trainer] Andy Lee. They’re jerking each other off. You’re not running, p****. You’re not running. I took a left hook on my chin, bro, and got up like it was nothing,” said Berlanga about being knocked down in the second round by Canelo Alvarez last year in September.

Sheeraz, 6’3″, isn’t a runner. He lacks the mobility in his stork-like frame to move around the ring. What he will do is stand and trade with Berlanga, hoping to catch him with a big shot like he’s done to 17 of his opponents during his short eight-year career.

Is Sheeraz a Hype Job?

Berlanga could put the spotlight on Sheeraz, who has been well-manuevered by his promoter since he turned pro in England in 2017. This fight will reveal whether fans are correct in labeling Hamzah a classic example of a hype job with an artificial 21-0 record built almost entirely on fluff opposition.

Sheeraz’s last fight against WBC middleweight champion Carlos Adames, in which he was given a controversial 12-round draw, already showed that he’s not a legit top-level fighter. There should have been a rematch to clear the controversy over the results of that fight. Sheeraz may have seen the writing on the wall and figured it was better to avoid a second fight after his bad experience.

If Hamzah can’t fight better than he did against Adames, he’s not going to last more than a few rounds against Berlanga on July 12th.