‘Ring III‘ stood out for three things. Shakur Stevenson’s shoutout performance, Berlanga trolling Oscar De La Hoya at the pre-fight presser, and, of course, Hamzah Sheeraz giving Edgar Berlanga the beating of a lifetime in front of his home crowd. Of the three, perhaps the most memorable remains the Berlanga-De La Hoya exchange. The boxing world was in splits as they watched Berlanga bring wigs and fishnets to poke stinging jibes at De La Hoya. It’s been some time since the two started going after each other.

Berlanga won the pre-match round. But how mistaken he must have been if he thought he could continue his winning streak and gain bragging rights. In five rounds, the rangy Briton, who, like De La Hoya, was at the receiving end of Berlanga’s incessant taunts, turned the tables on the Nuyorican in front of his own people. Now, Sheeraz is a gentleman, not given to trash talk and disrespect. But the defeat gave De La Hoya much-needed ammo. Finally, finding the opening he was looking for, the Golden Boy trolled Berlanga in the most hilarious manner. While his troll echoed across the boxing world, it didn’t miss a beat roasting Canelo Alvarez on the side as well.

Donning a wig, Oscar De La Hoya was all smiles inside his van. Congratulating Hamzah Sheeraz, he hurled the first taunt at Edgar Berlanga. “‘Mablanga!’ Oh my God, you got knocked out!” He exclaimed. The best was yet to come. De La Hoya added, “Oh my God, oh, something Canelo ‘Alveroids’ couldn’t do.”

The clip has been gaining considerable traction across social media. Clearly, Oscar De La Hoya took aim at two targets with a single shot. It was payback time, given how Edgar Berlanga mocked him at the final press conference. Getting up from his seat, the super middleweight threw a wig and fishnet towards the former champion-turned-promoter’s side before hurling a wad of dollars in the air.

As far as Canelo is concerned, though they worked together over the years, his relationship with Oscar De La Hoya only turned for the worse. De La Hoya never misses an opportunity to take a dig at the undisputed champion on his weekly show ‘Thursday Clap Back.‘ And Berlanga’s KO loss gave him yet another shot to slam Canelo.

But jokes and trolls aside, Hamzah Sheeraz’s brutal dismantling of Edgar Berlanga exposed the chinks in the latter’s fighting style.

Power shifts at 168 lbs.

Legendary trainer Teddy Atlas was ringside as the ‘Ring III‘ unfolded in New York. Speaking to a reporter, he said that Sheeraz learned his lesson after his last fight against Carlos Adames ended in a tough draw. Especially under new trainer Andy Lee’s guidance, Sheeraz became a much-improved fighter.

For Edgar Berlanga, who reportedly celebrated simply for going the distance with Canelo despite losing, it’s a major wake-up call. His first sixteen bouts ended in first-round knockouts. But none of the power and aggression was on display when he faced Hamzah Sheeraz. Add to that the incessant insults he hurled at the Briton, and he’s finally forced to eat his own words.

The triumph made Sheeraz the mandatory challenger to Canelo Alvarez. And Turki Alalshikh, who has been backing him for a long time, pointed at a potential 2026 meetup. So fans may have to stay tuned and watch as the young fighter from Ilford carves out a space for himself in a star-studded division.

Do you think Edgar Berlanga versus Caleb Plant makes more sense now?