Edgar Berlanga vs. Hamzah Sheeraz: Preview & Betting Tips

Berlanga thrives in chaos and his goal will be to turn the opening rounds into a brawl against Sheeraz, who is the more refined technician.

Sheeraz will need to use his slight reach advantage in this one and his jab to maintain distance and control the tempo of the fight. If he can frustrate Berlanga with his footwork, feints, and angles, he could force Berlanga to unravel right in front of him. From there, he could start putting some more mustard on his shots and mix in some combinations to head and body. But, Berlanga is as tough as they come, as Canelo Alvarez found out. 

Berlanga is the natural super-middleweight so cutting off the ring and forcing exchanges from a mid to close distance early on could pay dividends, especially if he can lean on Sheeraz to try and drain the Brit’s gas tank even more.

Berlanga vs Sheeraz: Prediction & Betting Tips

This fight really depends on how quickly Sheeraz can settle into his new weight. If he can absorb Berlanga’s early pressure, establish his jab, and stay composed, he has the tools to neutralise Berlanga’s aggression and take control in the later rounds. 

But if Berlanga finds success early and closes the distance, Sheeraz could find out the difference between fighting at super-middleweight compared to middleweight. In fairness to the Brit, Adames gave him a tough night at middleweight last time out and Sheeraz was very fortunate to get a draw in that one, though we don’t know how much of that poor performance was down to being tight at the 160-pounds limit. 

Of course, there is a chance that an extra 8-pounds during the weigh-in process could significantly benefit Sheeraz. On that note, I’m taking Hamzah Sheeraz moneyline at odds of 1.73; the Brit can get back in the win column against a fighter that is quite set-up for his style in all honesty.