With Edgar Berlanga and Hamzah Sheeraz each in need of a big statement win, both fighters were on the offensive at Thursday’s press conference in New York City.
The two fighters, who will clash on July 12 at Louis Armstrong Stadium in Queens, New York, traded insults and made big promises heading into their super middleweight bout.
Both fighters were eager to relitigate the past – just not their own.
Berlanga, 23-1 (18 KOs), took a shot at Sheeraz’s last fight, a split draw against Carlos Adames for the WBC middleweight title in February.
“You got a gift the last fight. Even your trainer knew that you lost the fight,” Berlanga said.
Sheeraz, the British-born fighter who is stepping up to 168lbs for this match, was quick to shoot back.
“If we’re talking about the past, you’re Canelo’s bitch,” Sheeraz said, a reference to Berlanga’s unanimous decision loss to Saul “Canelo” Alvarez last September.
Sheeraz, 21-0-1 (17 KOs), conceded that some are overlooking his chances heading into the fight based off of his last outing. Sheeraz reportedly injured his left hand in the third round of the fight and was outworked down the stretch by the incumbent titleholder.
Since then, Sheeraz has linked up with trainer Andy Lee, who has been on a hot streak of late, leading Joseph Parker and Ben Whittaker to big wins.
“I feel like this fight, for the first time in my career, I’m being underestimated, and I get it because in boxing you’re only as good as your last performance. But I’m telling you right now, July 12, when I get the win, the Hamzah Sheeraz hype train will be back on again,” said Sheeraz.
Berlanga, who rebounded in March with a first-round stoppage of Jonathan Gonzalez-Ortiz in Orlando, took aim at Lee. Berlanga reminded him of the one-sided victory he scored over another of Lee’s fighters, Jason Quigley, back in 2023, and vowed to do the same to Sheeraz.
“You already know what time it is. I’m knocking this motherfucker out. We’re in New York, this is my backyard,” said Berlanga, a New York-raised, Florida-based boxer of Puerto Rican descent. “He says Sheeraz is gonna knock me out, but not even his own fighter believes that. At the end of the day we’re here, he says we’re overlooking him, but I don’t overlook no fighter.
“We’re looking to hurt him,” Berlanga said. “I’m gonna break every bone in this n---a’s face. I wanna do what I do best: win.”
The press conference at times descended into juvenile insults, with Sheeraz calling Berlanga a “sausage,” and Berlanga countering back by calling Sheeraz “a dick eater.”
But both fighters knew the stakes at play for this fight. The undisputed super middleweight championship is being contested on a Ring Magazine boxing event on September 12, with Canelo Alvarez set to defend against Terence Crawford in Las Vegas. Berlanga has been vocal about wanting a rematch, stating that Mexican fans he had encountered in Florida had been inquiring about it, while Sheeraz would make for a fresh face for the Mexican star to mix it up with.
For either fighter to be considered for any fight of any significance, this is a must-win match.
“He’s a basic fighter,” Berlanga said of Sheeraz. “I’ve seen the best out there. I’ve been boxing since I’m six years old. And I’m still a sponge, I got 20-something years boxing, so whatever he brings, that don’t mean nothing.
“He’ll fuck around and be the 18th first-round knockout.”
Sheeraz was equally confident about his own chances in the fight.
“I’ll go out there, throw a few jabs, land a right hand straight on the chin and knock him the fuck out,” said Sheeraz.