Add Hamzah Sheeraz to the list of plausible future opponents for Saul “Canelo” Alvarez.
In Saturday’s co-main event atop the “Ring III” card at Louis Armstrong Stadium in New York City, Sheeraz did what Canelo couldn’t do, violently knocking down Edgar Berlanga twice in the fourth round and stopping him seconds into the fifth.
Sheeraz, 22-0-1 (18 KOs), fought behind his jab in the opening rounds. Although a newcomer to the super middleweight division, Sheeraz dwarfed Berlanga in the ring. He kept Berlanga on the end of his 75in reach, putting the onus on Berlanga to break the distance and force inside fighting – where Sheeraz proved to be brilliant.
Through three rounds, the fight had dud potential. Sheeraz landed a couple good uppercuts, Berlanga found a home for a solid left and right early in the third, and the end of that round saw a hard exchange (though little of note that landed). For the most part, the fight was quiet and seemed as though it might prove a low-action decision.
Then, in the fourth, Berlanga swayed too casually after throwing a left uppercut. Sheeraz tracked him easily and clocked him with a left hook that froze Berlanga momentarily. With Berlanga vulnerable, Sheeraz peppered him with a left-right-left combination on the inside. All the punches were hooks, all were thrown with full power and all landed utterly flush. As Berlanga sank to the ground, badly hurt by the salvo, Sheeraz clipped him with another big left.
Berlanga raised his gloves to the sky repeatedly as he lay on the canvas in a gesture reminiscent of his show of frustration after getting knocked down by Alvarez, but this was no flash knockdown. Berlanga was an inch away from being knocked out.
He managed to beat the count, at which point Sheeraz landed another pulverizing combination. A left landed flush, another peeled away Berlanga’s guard, and a right sent sweat spraying high off his face and sent him sprawling back to the canvas.
Again Berlanga gesticulated wildly from the ground, banging his gloves to his chest. It was as if he were in a boxing movie and aware of that, celebrating his heart as he showed it. Again he beat the count, and again he looked concerningly shaky while doing so. The bell saved him in the fourth.
As the fifth opened, it was immediately evident that the minute’s rest hadn’t helped Berlanga recover from the immense punishment Sheeraz inflicted upon him the round prior. Sheeraz hurt Berlanga again with the first 1-2 he threw – that lanky, snappy right hand doing the damage again – and the referee stepped in to save Berlanga from himself.
In the ring after the fight, Sheeraz said it was an honor to merely be mentioned in the same sentence as Alvarez. Moments later, though, he asserted, “I promise you, I swear to you, whoever was in the ring with me today, there was no stopping me.”
Sheeraz added, “After my last fight, the amount of abuse I’ve gotten on social media and in person – I understand it’s part of boxing – but it made me a hungrier fighter.”
Rarely is a fighter’s reputation so dramatically changed by a single fight. In February, Sheeraz fought to a disappointing draw against Carlos Adames. Few thought he deserved it. The odds for the Berlanga bout were close; some credible boxing voices had Berlanga as the favorite going in. All it took was one minute of sensational violence at the end of the fourth round for Sheeraz, 26, to become a viable, appealing opponent for anybody at 168lbs, and potentially 175. (Who says no to David Benavidez-Sheeraz?)
Berlanga’s stock will move in the opposite direction as his record dropped to 23-2 (18 KOs). He still lacks a win over an A-level fighter on his resume. His claim to fame, aside from a long-gone streak of first-round knockouts, was going the distance with Alvarez. He has now been stopped for the first time – and with almost contemptuous ease.
Berlanga, 28, will likely continue to be a relevant figure at 168lbs, given his gift of gab and fan-friendly style. But his chin? It may never be the same after this.
Owen Lewis is a freelance writer with bylines at Defector Media, The Guardian and The Second Serve. He is also a writer and editor at BoxingScene. His beats are tennis, boxing, books, travel and anything else that satisfies his meager attention span. He is on Bluesky and can be contacted at owentennis11@gmail.com.
