Berlanga and Stevenson Cause Ring III News Conference Chaos

When the biggest news from a news conference is about Oscar De La Hoya playing dress-up while partying two decades ago, it’s not a good way to get anyone interested.

The final pre-fight news conference quickly got out of control with the braying of former unified super middleweight title challenger Edgar “The Chosen One” Berlanga completely drowning out nearly anything his fellow competitors had to say.

Berlanga of Brooklyn (23-1, 18 KOs) will face former WBC middleweight title challenger Hamzah Sheeraz of England (21-0-1, 17 KOs) in his first fight at super middleweight in the main event. In the co-main, WBC Lightweight Champion Shakur Stevenson of Newark (23-0, 11 KOs) defends his title against WBC Interim lightweight titleholder William “El Camarón” Zepeda of Mexico (33-0, 27 KOs).

The four fighters were joined by the other fighters on the six-fight card Thursday at the Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square. The event takes place on Saturday, July 12 on DAZN PPV at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT.

Fans who watched the livestream could be forgiven if they didn’t really notice the other participants, including WBC Junior Welterweight Champion Alberto Puello of the Dominican Republic (24-0 10 KOs), who goes up against former IBF Junior Lightweight champion Subriel Matias of Puerto Rico (22-2, 22 KOs), along with former WBA (Regular) Light Heavyweight Champion David Morrell of Cuba (11-1, 9 KOs) who takes on undefeated 2020 Olympian Iman Khataev of Russia (10-0, 9 KOs).

Edgar Berlanga Sounds Off

There was no reining in Berlanga, who shouted obscenities aimed at Golden Boy Boxing promoter Oscar De La Hoya, who isn’t even involved in his fight on Saturday.

Berlanga took offense to De La Hoya’s dismissal of him as a serious player in boxing after his loss to Canelo Álvarez, and he has repeated his comments often in interviews and on social media.

On Thursday, Berlanga insulted De La Hoya, referencing infamous photos of De La Hoya dressed in fishnets and a wig two decades ago. He pulled out a similar-looking wig and pink panties from a bag, then threw dollar bills at De La Hoya, calling him a stripper.

De La Hoya engaged, pointing out that Berlanga has never been a world champion, and poking Berlanga about claiming Puerto Rico as his home when he’s always lived in Brooklyn. “You have no world titles. Let me put them on now, I’ve got some right here for you!

“Listen to me, this guy is not even Puerto Rican. I’ve been asking for your Puerto Rican passport! I’m more Puerto Rican than you! Your jewelry is as fake as your wins,” with De La Hoya calling up his “personal jeweler” by the name of Isaac to report he evaluated Berlanga’s jewelry as costume.

Berlanga defended his place in the main event. “I was born and raised here and I’m a star here. It’s only right,” promising a knockout win. He attempted to bully De La Hoya into a bet on the outcome of his fight with Sheeraz. De La Hoya spat back that Berlanga doesn’t have the money to come close to the former world champion.

Berlanga also managed to fit in some insults toward Saudi General Entertainment Authority chairman Turki Alalsheikh, who thankfully for him was not present. Son, that’s the man who provides the payday, not a smart move.

Don’t Sleep On Sheeraz

Sheeraz, who is fighting in the U.S. and in New York for the first time, was wise not to engage and let De La Hoya take the brunt of Berlanga’s blast.

“At the end of the day, I’m here to do a job. I’ve put in my work and I’m going to knock this sausage out,” promised Sheeraz.

Both men need a win in this fight, but Berlanga needs it far more than Sheeraz, who is coming off a draw to middleweight champion Carlos Adames. In an interview with NY Fights, Sheeraz admitted it was time to move up in weight, and he promises a refreshed and renewed version of himself on Saturday.

Catch our recent conversation with Hamzah Sheeraz.

The shine is off Berlanga after getting schooled by Álvarez. After his first-round knockout streak ended at 16 fights, which was undoubtedly impressive, reality hit Berlanga as he moved up in competition. Compliments to his matchmakers at his former promoter, Top Rank, the best in the business. Now, Berlanga must show up and show out in front of his hometown fans, or his path forward is limited.  

Which version of Sheeraz will fans see: the version who wiped out Austin Williams, or the man who couldn’t get going against Adames? If the problem was a weight cut, and his power carries up to the new division, it could be a long night for Berlanga. “Saturday night, I’ll show you what I’m about,” promised Sheeraz. With a win, he could put himself in position to win the Canelo lottery ticket.

Stevenson vs Zepeda – Or De La Hoya?

Shakur Stevenson has slightly more reason to engage with De La Hoya, as he’ll face one of the brightest talents in the Golden Boy stable in Zepeda. Still, it seems a distraction from the matchup and the fight promotion for Stevenson, along with Berlanga, to beef it up with Oscar. Say what you will, De La Hoya’s Hall of Fame career is unassailable by the younger champions no matter how talented.

Agitated about accusations of ducking, Stevenson said, “I’ve been calling this dude out for three years. I heard Oscar say they’ve been trying to get this fight for three years, but they’re lying. They had an opportunity to fight me before, but they turned it down.

“Come Saturday night, I’m coming to beat his as. I’m coming to whoop his a--, and I stand by that,” declared Stevenson, who dismissed Zepeda as any kind of threat.

“Zepeda can bring whatever he wants, do whatever he has to do, but he’s going to bring out the best in me.”

Zepeda could barely get a word in as Berlanga started braying like a donkey, forcing the attention back to him. Eventually, Zepeda simply said, “On Saturday, Mexico is going to celebrate a new champion.”

In the lead-up to the fight, Zepeda spoke with us along with trainer Panda Najar, promising there are multiple game plans in their strategy.

“Shakur is going to bring his elusive style, but we have a fight plan in place to neutralize that. I think we’ve done a great job, and it’ll be a good fight.”

Watch our interview with William Zepeda here.

Light Heavyweight Action: Morrell vs Khataev

Morrell vs. Khataev could be the sleeper fight of the night. Morrell is coming off a loss to David Benavidez, no shame in this, but he cannot afford a second loss if he wants to remain among the elite in a competitive light heavyweight division. Morrell is a fan-friendly, modern Cuban fighter with plenty of offensive fire.

Khataev is relatively unknown by American fans, but he is often compared to countryman Artur Beterbiev. Whether it’s accurate or not, it’s enough to immediately capture people’s interest in him. Khataev’s visa came right down to the wire, then eyebrows were raised with an adverse drug finding by the organization governing amateur boxing, which does not affect Saturday’s fight.

The opponents remained respectful, meaning their appearance was all but forgotten in the heat of Berlanga and Stevenson’s noise and raised middle fingers.

Morrell complimented Khataev’s skills, promising fans they would see the best version of him. Khataev, who made a good attempt to speak English, said he’s had big fights before and he’s ready.

Morrell was far more forthcoming in an interview with us a week ago leading into the fight.

Watch our interview with David Morrell here.

Along with Puello and Matias, there are two fights featuring rising Riyadh Season prospects.

On the early undercard, featherweight Reito Tsutsumi of Japan (1-0, 0 KOs) faces Michael Ruiz of New Jersey (2-7-1), and Saudi lightweight prospect Mohammed Alakel (4-0) fights Placido Huff of Providence, Rhode Island (2-3-1). 

Buzzmeter: Taylor Serrano 3 Blows Out Ring III

There are exciting fights on this card, but in New York, the buzz is minimal compared to the fight card taking place at Madison Square Garden Friday. Forget the promoter hype and the noise from the loudmouths. The posters all over town are for Taylor Serrano 3, not the Berlanga Sheeraz card. People stop me to talk about Taylor Serrano 3, not the card in Queens.

With a heavy lineup of pay-per-view cards circling the boxing runway, fans can only cough up so much money. Taylor Serrano 3 comes with your Netflix subscription. If you are among the small handful of Americans who aren’t subscribers, there are free trial offers or the option of a single month’s subscription at $7.99.