Edgar Berlanga faces Hamzah Sheeraz in a 168-lb title eliminator, Shakur Stevenson defends his WBC lightweight title against William Zepeda, light heavyweight contender David Morrell fights Imam Khataev, and WBC 140-lb champ Alberto Puello battles Subriel Matias on a stacked card on July 12th in New York City.
Fights on the card
- Edgar Berlanga vs. Hamzah Sheeraz
- Shakur Stevenson vs. William Zepeda
- David Morrell vs. Imam Khataev
- Alberto Puello vs. Subriel Matias
Mike Coppinger of The Ring broke the news of the loaded card on July 12th in New York City. He didn’t say who the main event will be, but it appears that Berlanga vs. Sheeraz will be top of the card. That’s an awful fight for hardcore boxing fans because these guys are viewed as hype jobs, who failed when they stepped up against world-class opposition.
This is a Ring Magazine card. The shocker for this card is #6 Edgar Berlanga (23-1, 18 KOs) fighting Hamzah Sheeraz (21-0-1, 17 KOs) in a WBC super middleweight title eliminator to determine a mandatory for champion Canelo Alvarez.
Sheeraz has never fought at 168, and looked hellishly bad in his controversial 12-round draw against WBC 160-lb champion Carlos Adames on February 22nd. Berlanga was beaten by Canelo last September by a one-sided 12-round decision, and he would be getting a quick rematch with the Mexican star by beating Sheeraz. The WBC title eliminator should involve contenders ranked in the top five, which would exclude Berlanga.
With the event being staged in New York City, it makes sense to have the Brooklyn native Berlanga in the headliner spot. Talent and achievement-wise, Berlanga should be near the bottom because he’s done nothing in his career. Edgar will bring in his fans.
Morrell (11-1, 9 KOs) is fighting 2020 Russian Olympian Khataev (10-0, 9 KOs). This should be an interesting one to see where the former two-division world champion Morrell is at after his loss to David Benavidez on February 1st.
Last Updated on 04/20/2025
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