HAMZAH Sheeraz delivered a brutal display of punching power to stop Edgar Berlanga on his American debut.
Before a punch was thrown, announcer Michael Buffer told the crowd inside the converted Louis Armstrong Stadium that the winner of Berlanga-Sheeraz would become the mandatory challenger for the WBC super-middleweight title. Canelo Alvarez currently holds that belt, along with three others, and defends them against Terence Crawford on September 13 in Las Vegas.
In New York last night, Sheeraz, 22-0-1 (18 KOs), sent a chilling statement to Canelo and the rest of the 168lbs division by knocking out Berlanga in the fifth round.
The Brit cut an impressive figure throughout fight week, a stark contrast to the wild, theatrical antics of Berlanga, who took aim at anyone in his path. Fighting at home, Berlanga, 23-2 (18 KOs), backed himself into a corner and had to deliver – but he didn’t.
A quiet opening round offered little more than a hint that Berlanga’s jab might become a factor against his taller opponent. Sheeraz, however, was already looking to land his right hand, one of which grazed Berlanga in the second round – a warning of what was to come. Both men stepped on each other’s toes in centre ring, adding awkwardness to a cautious start where neither wanted to make the first big mistake in such a high-stakes fight.
In the third, Berlanga doubled up on his jab effectively, while Sheeraz responded with a long right hand as he looked to find his range. The Brit then landed a crowd-pleasing uppercut through the middle.
Early in the fourth, Berlanga scored with a clean lead left, a promising moment for the 28-year-old. His jab was working well, but Sheeraz had answers, including that deadly right hand and another uppercut. In a venue more accustomed to the world’s best tennis players, the 26-year-old Brit began unleashing some brutal forehands of his own.
In the final minute of the round, Sheeraz ramped up the pressure, found space, and delivered a crushing three-punch hook combination that dropped the brash New Yorker. Referee David Fields allowed Berlanga to continue, but Sheeraz – like his new trainer Andy Lee once did in his own prime – smelled the finish. A left hand followed by a right cross floored Berlanga again. The writing was on the wall, and Fields wouldn’t have been blamed for waving it off then and there. Instead, he let the action continue as the final seconds ticked down, and it was the bell. not the referee or Berlanga’s resistance, that saved him.
But the extra 60 seconds in the corner made no difference.
Just ten seconds into the fifth, Sheeraz went for the kill. Sensing his man was done, he delivered a final three-punch salvo that ended the fight emphatically.
Berlanga’s ego lay in tatters, while the man of humility did his talking with his fists sending a message to the king of 168lbs, whom he may get the chance to dethrone in 2026.
