Edgar Berlanga insists he will “smack the shit” out of promoter Oscar De La Hoya at Thursday’s press conference ahead of Saturday’s super middleweight showdown with Hamzah Sheeraz.
The beef between Berlanga and De La Hoya can be traced back to the latter being critical of the former’s challenge to Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, labelling it a “snooze fest” – in a dig at Alvarez – long before the fight began.
Berlanga went on to lose a unanimous decision to the world champion in September of last year yet the rivalry with De La Hoya, such as it is, still burns.
“Fuck you, Oscar De La Hoya,” Berlanga said inside Times Square’s Hard Rock Café on Wednesday to close the otherwise formulaic open workouts. “I’m going to smack the shit out of you tomorrow.
“Fuck Sheeraz, too,” Berlanga, 28, continued. “He’s a fucking muppet. He’s a dick eater.”
Berlanga, 23-1 (18 KOs), is happy to play the villain and, like every fighter on display in New York, is confident of victory. “I’m locked in, I’m excited,” reported Berlanga, “I’m back home in my home city. Every day that gets closer to the fight, I’m [more] locked in. I want to perform, I want to look good, I want to shine, I want to stay sharp and look amazing.”
Sheeraz entered the stage before his opponent, so he didn’t hear the latest insults, but brushed off any suggestion that Berlanga’s threats will have an effect. “Tensions are high… I’m very strong minded, I’ve done all I need to prepare,” said the Briton whose record stands at 21-0-1 (17 KOs).
Donned in golden gloves, a cap, and alongside new coach Andy Lee, the 26-year-old went through the motions demanded by affairs like these. He fired a few punches at the pads, he posed, he danced around the ring and then he said all the right things.
“I identified after the last fight the changes that needed to be made, alongside Andy, and moving up in weight was one of them,” he said regarding his disappointing showing against Carlos Adames in February when Sheeraz was widely thought fortunate to come away with a draw.
William Zepeda, 33-0 (27 KOs), will start as the underdog against the slick Shakur Stevenson, the WBC lightweight titlist, but – no surprise – he was predicting the upset.
“Shakur is always going to be moving but my style, and my punch volume, will put pressure on him and that’s going to be the key to success,” the Mexican said.
Stevenson, 23-0 (11 KOs), opted not to do any kind of workout and cut straight to the soundbites.
“I’m locked in,” he promised. “I’m focused, I can’t wait to show everyone what I’m made of. I’m focused on doing my thing and coming out of there victorious.
“For the fans who’ve been supporting me, you’re the reason I do this. You’re why I get up and do eight-mile runs. Y’all stuck with me, I appreciate y’all and we’re going to have a little party on Saturday.”
The event, which also features Alberto Puello defending the WBC junior welterweight strap against Subriel Matias, takes place at the Louis Armstrong Stadium in Queens.
