Promoter Eddie Hearn says the loser of the Edgar Berlanga vs. Hamzah Sheeraz fight on July 12th will be “f****” career-wise. It’ll be tough for Berlanga (23-1, 18 KOs) because he won’t have the same built-in excuse like he did last year when he lost to Canelo Alvarez. He was beaten by arguably the #1 fighter at 168.
July 12th: NYC Super Middleweights
Berlanga-Sheeraz will be headlining in a 12-round super middleweight contest on DAZN PPV on July 12th at the Louis Armstrong Arena in Queens, New York. There won’t be any world titles on the line. The winner of the fight could potentially face Canelo in 2026.
“I think in his head, he believes he’s going to look great against Hamzah Sheeraz and knock him out,” said Eddie Hearn to Ring Magazine about the Edgar Berlanga vs. Hamzah Sheeraz fight on July 12th. “In his last fight on my show, he looked very heavy-handed and explosive.
Berlanga obviously saw how bad Sheeraz looked against Austin ‘Ammo’ Williams and Carlos Adames. He figures if he didn’t look good against those fighters, he stands no chance against him.
“It was very impressive. It didn’t look that impressive because the opposition wasn’t physically imposing,” said Hearn about Berlanga’s fight against Jonathan Gonzalez-Ortiz on March 15th in Orlando, Florida.
Gonzalez-Ortiz looked Fury-esque with his physique. How on Earth was this guy chosen as Berlanga’s opponent? That was a bad look to choose an opponent in such poor condition.
No Canelo Excuse for Berlanga
“I just think this is a brilliant fight,” said Hearn about Berlanga vs. Sheeraz. “Both guys are f**** if they lose. Because Berlanga, you get beat by Canelo, no problem. You get beat by Sheeraz, particularly in the U.S market, you can forget about Plant, you can forget about Charlo, and you can forget about all these guys.”
It hurts both fighters if they lose. Berlanga is the bigger name. So, it would affect him more if he lost. He’s not supposed to lose to someone like this.
Canelo Rematch if Berlanga Wins?
“But if he wins, and he does it explosively, it opens up some massive fights at 168. He’s talking about a Canelo rematch. I’m not so sure. But there are some big fights out there at 168 if he looks impressive,” said Hearn about Berlanga.
If Berlanga looks great in beating Sheeraz, he could potentially get fights against Jermall Charlo and Caleb Plant. He can forget about Jaime Munguia because he’s going to be suspended after being popped for PEDs.
“The thing about Edgar is he’s a character. Some people like him. Some people don’t. Some people think he’s a bit cringe. I like it. I think he’s a showman. If he can put the performance to back up the jewelry, then I think he can be a star,” said Hearn.
Berlanga needs to beat better opposition than Hamzah Sheeraz and Jonathan Gonzalez-Ortiz for him to become a star. Sheeraz just arrived in the 168-lb division after being given a controversial draw against the WBC middleweight champion Carlos Adames. He’s backing into this fight under a dark cloud.
So, Berlanga is NOT going to become a star by defeating Sheeraz. American fans aren’t fools. The ones that know if Sheeraz sees him as a hype job, and the ones that don’t, won’t care if Edgar defeats him.
