Edgar Berlanga faces a tall order. Literally. On July 12, the Brooklyn-born super middleweight will face 6’3″ tall Hamzah Sheeraz at the Louis Armstrong Stadium. Berlanga comes off of a first-round knockout win. But months before, inflicting a first career loss, Canelo Alvarez dashed his title hopes. So to make it back to the 168-pound pecking order, Sheeraz remains the stepping stone. In his personal opinion, the self-proclaimed ‘King of New York’ has already won the duel. Even before they could exchange jabs!

But to some, it’s overconfidence. Last year, after the Canelo loss, Edgar Berlanga attracted considerable attention and criticism. Reports suggested he had been celebrating the setback. That he could rejoice merely because he went the distance against Canelo made him a laughingstock. So when clips of Berlanga’s interview with Wade Plemons appeared, old bête noire Oscar De la Hoya wasted no time. Though he has no love lost for Canelo, De la Hoya reminded Berlanga what happened back in September 2024.

According to Edgar Berlanga, Hamzah Sheeraz is like Canelo. “Right there, beat him. I start telling him (Sheeraz), ‘I just beat you. You don’t even know I just beat you, bro, because I’m looking at you like Canelo,’” he told Plemons. But the response only invited Oscar De La Hoya’s scorn. He asked, “So Berlanga won’t win one round against Sheeraz either?” Reportedly, the Nuyorican lost every round of the September 14 match. For the record, that wasn’t the case. Canelo outmatched Berlanga. But towards the latter half of the fight, he managed to show some improvement.

So De la Hoya hurled another jibe: “Or he will throw himself another parade after his L? I’m confused.” Reportedly, Berlanga went around boasting as if he had achieved something great. A widely circulated video featured Berlanga leading a motorcade. The attempt drew scathing criticism from the likes of Gervonta Davis and Jaime Munguia.

To set the record straight, the stakes are really high for both Edgar Berlanga and Hamzah Sheeraz.

Edgar Berlanga eyes boxing royalty

Opinions currently favor Berlanga. He seems to enjoy a slight edge over the British fighter. Sheeraz’s last bout, the title match against Carlos Adames, was a stalemate. The fight came under heavy criticism. As a course correction, Sheeraz has now parted ways with long-time trainer Ricky Funez. He’s now honing his skills under Andy Lee, who has in the past trained Tyson Fury and Joseph Parker.

But he appears to enjoy solid support from Turki Alalshikh. The Riyadh Season head recently revealed he has some big plans for the tall fighter. Only his comments attracted a sharp retort from Edgar Berlanga. Hell-bent on spoiling Alalshikh’s plans, Berlanga said, “I’m going to mess up your day on July 12th! I’m going to destroy your boy. 😤😤😤😤.”

It was in 2023 that Edgar Berlanga last fought in New York. Now that he’s back in the city, he wants to deliver a statement win. A month ago, Caleb Plant lost his interim title. So as far as 168 pounds goes, Berlanga stands a good chance of positioning himself right after Canelo. A rematch with the Mexican superstar still features on his bucket list.

Do you think Hamzah Sheeraz will humble Edgar Berlanga in front of New Yorkers?