Latest news with #EdgarBerlanga
Yahoo
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Turki Alalshikh's wish granted as ‘Tom and Jerry' boxing turned to ‘Itchy and Scratchy' in Queens
NEW YORK — Turki Alalshikh's latest boxing vision, on paper, appeared oxymoronic. After all, tennis is a sport known for being polite, well-mannered, and with a tradition steeped in aristocracy. But on Saturday night in Queens, New York City, the Saudi kingpin swapped out rackets and handshakes for gloves and uppercuts inside the Louis Armstrong Stadium, and the results were impressive. There was a new energy in the air. The march from Mets-Willets Points station to the stadium was made harder through a sizzling New York summer's evening, but it didn't deter hundreds donning their local boxing club sweatshirts and caps. The crowd was full of young fans and younger talent — no doubt aided by a sizeable tranche of complimentary tickets that were handed out during fight week. A prospect from Eastern Queens Boxing Club could only have been 14 years old, but was being recognized by his peers. Advertisement The event — co-headlined by Edgar Berlanga vs. Hamzah Sheeraz and Shakur Stevenson vs. William Zepeda — felt almost gladiatorial. The stands hung over the ring in daunting fashion, giving all ticketholders a perfect view of leather being traded, and boxing's current emperor sat ringside, fixated on his curation of the card titled "Ring III." In between shaking hands with dignitaries, fiddling with his cap and waving for a top-up of refreshments, Alalshikh stalked the ring unbothered by any view he would restrict behind him, pulling the strings of the puppet show he had created. After May's lackluster Times Square show, the chair of Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority was promised action — and boy, he got it. His recent post on X demanding fewer 'Tom and Jerry-type boxing matches' clearly hit a nerve. More so than ever, the opinion of the man that is referred to as "His Excellency" by those looking to court his attention was of ultimate importance, trumping trinkets and ranking spots on offer. After each bout concluded, you'd be forgiven for waiting on Alalshikh to give the Pollice verso thumbs up or thumbs down as to whether he had been entertained. Advertisement 'I came in here to prove a point,' Stevenson said in the ring following a unanimous decision victory over Zepeda. 'It wasn't the performance I was looking for because I came in here to try and fight, so I took more punishment than usual. But I proved that I'm a dog.' Stevenson delivered a career-best performance over the Mexican southpaw, looking flashy throughout the 36 minutes of action, standing his ground and inviting pressure from one of the most dangerous pressure fighters in the division. It was the statement that he and Alalshikh had been waiting for, quashing previous criticism of a tedious style. Sharp counters and blinding combinations gave the 11,000 in attendance a glimpse of how great Stevenson, now 28 years old, could be, with comparisons to the early years of Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s reign being debated ringside. 'If you call me Jerry, I'm whooping Tom's ass,' the New Jersey fighter said to the assembled media during the preceding fight week, and although he couldn't close the show with a stoppage, Stevenson stuck to his word. Shakur Stevenson's battle with William Zepeda was Stevenson's most action-packed fight in recent memory. (Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy via Getty Images) 'Very happy Shakur delivered a great fight. Shakur gave the fans what they wanted to see and he's now more respected than ever,' Alalshikh posted on X the following day. A thumbs up from the boss. Advertisement It was more "Itchy and Scratchy" than "Tom and Jerry" in the main event. A hungry Hamzah Sheeraz made a huge splash in his first fight at 168 pounds, dropping and stopping a brave Edgar Berlanga inside a ferocious five rounds. Sheeraz has been labelled as Alalshikh's "teacher's pet" following the support he received during his February draw with Carlos Adames, but the Briton repaid the faith shown in his talent with a statement victory. It was a heavy-handed assault of a dangerous opponent, stamping his ticket to potentially fight Saul "Canelo" Alvarez in the near future. 'I promise you, I swear to you, whoever was in the ring with me today, there was no stopping me,' Sheeraz said afterward. 'The amount of abuse I got after the last fight made me a hungrier fighter.' Alalshikh has since gone on to compare Sheeraz to the great Tommy Hearns, doubling down on the pressure he is willing to place on the 26-year-old as well as his insatiable appetite for violence. Advertisement Whatever you think of boxing's latest mob boss, it's becoming harder and harder to argue with the results he is yielding. After the Times Square debacle, Saturday night in Queens acted as the perfect antidote, kickstarting Alalshikh's new "Itchy and Scratchy" era of boxing.
Yahoo
13-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Britain's Sheeraz stops Berlanga as Stevenson retains title
Hamzah Sheeraz held the European and Commonwealth middleweight titles between 2022 and 2024. [Getty Images] Britain's Hamzah Sheeraz made a successful step up to super middleweight with a destructive fifth-round stoppage victory against Edgar Berlanga in New York. In the other co-main event, Shakur Stevenson retained his WBC lightweight world title with a unanimous decision victory over William Zepeda. Advertisement Sheeraz, 26, knocked Berlanga down twice in the fourth round and again at the start of the fifth to force the referee to end the fight. The impressive victory improves Sheeraz's record to 22-0, with one draw and 18 wins inside the distance. It was the Briton's first fight since that draw - against WBC middleweight champion Carlos Adames in February - after which he decided to make the step up to super middleweight. Berlanga's record is now 23-2 after a second defeat in three fights, with March's stoppage of Jonathan Gonzalez-Ortiz preceded by a unanimous points defeat by Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez. Advertisement Meanwhile, Stevenson comfortably won on all three judges' scorecards against Zepeda to make a third defence of his WBC lightweight title. Two judges scored the bout 118-110 and a third saw it 119-109 for the 28-year-old American, who improved his unbeaten record to 24-0 with 11 knockouts. It was a first career defeat for Mexican Zepeda, 29, whose record is now 33-1. The card was held at the Louis Armstrong Stadium, one of the show courts at Flushing Meadows, host venue of the US Open tennis. More boxing from the BBC
BBC News
13-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Britain's Sheeraz stops Berlanga as Stevenson retains title
Britain's Hamzah Sheeraz made a successful step up to super middleweight with a destructive fifth-round stoppage victory against Edgar Berlanga in New the other co-main event, Shakur Stevenson retained his WBC lightweight world title with a unanimous decision victory over William 26, knocked Berlanga down twice in the fourth round and again at the start of the fifth to force the referee to end the impressive victory improves Sheeraz's record to 22-0, with one draw and 18 wins inside the was the Briton's first fight since that draw - against WBC middleweight champion Carlos Adames in February - after which he decided to make the step up to super record is now 23-2 after a second defeat in three fights, with March's stoppage of Jonathan Gonzalez-Ortiz preceded by a unanimous points defeat by Saul 'Canelo' Stevenson comfortably won on all three judges' scorecards against Zepeda to make a third defence of his WBC lightweight judges scored the bout 118-110 and a third saw it 119-109 for the 28-year-old American, who improved his unbeaten record to 24-0 with 11 was a first career defeat for Mexican Zepeda, 29, whose record is now card was held at the Louis Armstrong Stadium, one of the show courts at Flushing Meadows, host venue of the US Open tennis.
The Guardian
13-07-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Britain's Hamzah Sheeraz crushes Edgar Berlanga to announce 168lb arrival
Rising British star Hamzah Sheeraz made an explosive arrival to boxing's super middleweight division on Saturday night, stopping Edgar Berlanga in the fifth round of their bout at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens. The destructive performance marked a resounding debut at 168lb for the 26-year-old from Ilford and dramatically altered the landscape of a weight class ruled by Saul 'Canelo' Álvarez. Fighting in the main event of a Ring Magazine card staged on the No 2 show court of the US Open tennis tournament, Sheeraz dropped Berlanga twice in the fourth round before closing the show 17 seconds into the fifth. It was the kind of showcase that not only silences critics but instantly propels a fighter from prospect to contender – and in this case, into potential lucrative matchups with the likes of Álvarez or David Benavidez. The setting for Sheeraz's career-best win was just as striking as the action. For the first time, the grounds of the US Open hosted a professional boxing card, transforming Louis Armstrong Stadium from the spiritual home of American tennis into a midsummer prizefighting stage. Originally slated for Central Park, the event instead brought Turki al-Sheikh's Ring series indoors beneath the stadium's retractable roof, offering welcome relief from New York's July swelter and a robust turnout that filled the lower bowl and pushed into the second tier. The scene was crackling with energy – a sharp contrast from May's sparsely attended Times Square card – and a fitting capstone to a boxing-heavy weekend in New York that had begun with Katie Taylor's win over Amanda Serrano on Friday night at Madison Square Garden. Sheeraz (22-0-1, 18 KOs) was making his super middleweight bow after a disappointing split draw against Carlos Adames at 160lb in February. In the wake of that result, he enlisted former middleweight champion Andy Lee as his trainer and moved up in weight. Both decisions looked inspired on Saturday. After a slow first three rounds, Sheeraz took control in the fourth. He slipped under a Berlanga uppercut and countered with a left hook that sent the Brooklyn native crashing flat onto his back and half under the ropes. Berlanga (23-2, 18 KOs) beat the count but never recovered. Seconds later, Sheeraz dropped him again with a crisp left-right combination that sent him clattering to the canvas, seemingly more dazed than defiant. The bell temporarily spared Berlanga, but Sheeraz needed just one more salvo in the fifth – a right-left that left Berlanga sagging – to prompt referee David Fields' rightful intervention. 'I promise you, I swear to you, whoever was in the ring with me today, there was no stopping me,' Sheeraz said afterward. 'The amount of abuse I got after the last fight made me a hungrier fighter.' The difference in class and composure was evident. Berlanga's only claim to fame was going the distance with Álvarez in 2023. On Saturday, he was overwhelmed against the taller, rangier Briton who accomplished what Canelo couldn't. The power that once led him to 16 straight first-round knockouts never materialized, while his defense left wide gaps for Sheeraz to exploit. He has now been stopped for the first time in his career and leaves with more questions than answers about his future. Sheeraz, on the other hand, looks like a genuine threat in a stacked weight class. His size, reach, and poise – not to mention his jab, which he used masterfully in the early rounds – suggest he belongs among the elite. Whether Álvarez, Benavidez or someone else will be next remains to be seen. But on a night where the crowd nearly filled the second deck of the 14,000-seat stadium, he managed to win them over despite the hometown credentials of his Brooklyn-bred victim. In the co-feature bout, Shakur Stevenson turned in one of the more entertaining performances of his career, defeating Mexico's William Zepeda by unanimous decision to retain his WBC lightweight title. The ringside judges handed down scores of 119–109 and 118–110 (twice), but the fight was more spirited than the cards suggest. Stevenson (24-0, 11 KOs) came into the ring under intense pressure to deliver a more fan-friendly performance after a widely panned win over Artem Harutyunyan last July. On Saturday, he answered that criticism by standing his ground, exchanging with one of the division's more aggressive fighters and showcasing both his technical mastery and his tenacity. 'I came in here to prove a point,' Stevenson said in the ring. 'It wasn't the performance I was looking for because I came in here to try and fight, so I took more punishment than usual. But I proved that I'm a dog.' Zepeda (33-1, 27 KOs) landed more power punches on Stevenson than any previous opponent, including a hard straight right in the third round that appeared to stun the 2016 Olympic silver medallist. Yet Stevenson responded with poise and precision, unloading crisp counters and blinding combinations that repeatedly turned Zepeda's head and backed him up. As early as the second round, Stevenson was standing in the pocket, trading head shots while slipping and rolling Zepeda's best body work in his signature Philly shell defense. In the middle rounds, he took over completely, doubling and tripling up on the jab, then following with sharp lefts and uppercuts. Zepeda remained game, pressing forward and refusing to wilt, but Stevenson's craft gradually dismantled the Mexican's offense. By the 10th, the challenger's output had slowed and Stevenson began using his legs more sparingly, clinching only when absolutely necessary. For Stevenson, the fight marked a reassertion of dominance in a 135lb division where a unification bout with Gervonta Davis looms as one of the sport's most compelling matchups. Earlier in the evening, Subriel Matías captured the vacant WBC super lightweight title with a majority decision over the previously unbeaten Alberto Puello, while Cuban light heavyweight David Morrell showed grit to rally from a fifth-round knockdown and edge Imam Khataev on a split decision.
Yahoo
13-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Britain's Hamzah Sheeraz crushes Edgar Berlanga to announce 168lb arrival
Rising British star Hamzah Sheeraz made an explosive arrival to boxing's super middleweight division on Saturday night, stopping Edgar Berlanga in the fifth round of their bout at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens. The destructive performance marked a resounding debut at 168lb for the 26-year-old from Ilford and dramatically altered the landscape of a weight class ruled by Saul 'Canelo' Álvarez. Fighting in the main event of a Ring Magazine card staged on the No 2 show court of the US Open tennis tournament, Sheeraz dropped Berlanga twice in the fourth round before closing the show 17 seconds into the fifth. It was the kind of showcase that not only silences critics but instantly propels a fighter from prospect to contender – and in this case, into potential lucrative matchups with the likes of Álvarez or David Benavidez. Advertisement The setting for Sheeraz's career-best win was just as striking as the action. For the first time, the grounds of the US Open hosted a professional boxing card, transforming Louis Armstrong Stadium from the spiritual home of American tennis into a midsummer prizefighting stage. Originally slated for Central Park, the event instead brought Turki al-Sheikh's Ring series indoors beneath the stadium's retractable roof, offering welcome relief from New York's July swelter and a robust turnout that filled the lower bowl and pushed into the second tier. The scene was crackling with energy – a sharp contrast from May's sparsely attended Times Square card – and a fitting capstone to a boxing-heavy weekend in New York that had begun with Katie Taylor's win over Amanda Serrano on Friday night at Madison Square Garden. Sheeraz (22-0-1, 18 KOs) was making his super middleweight bow after a disappointing split draw against Carlos Adames at 160lb in February. In the wake of that result, he enlisted former middleweight champion Andy Lee as his trainer and moved up in weight. Both decisions looked inspired on Saturday. After a slow first three rounds, Sheeraz took control in the fourth. He slipped under a Berlanga uppercut and countered with a left hook that sent the Brooklyn native crashing flat onto his back and half under the ropes. Berlanga (23-2, 18 KOs) beat the count but never recovered. Seconds later, Sheeraz dropped him again with a crisp left-right combination that sent him clattering to the canvas, seemingly more dazed than defiant. The bell temporarily spared Berlanga, but Sheeraz needed just one more salvo in the fifth – a right-left that left Berlanga sagging – to prompt referee David Fields' rightful intervention. Advertisement 'I promise you, I swear to you, whoever was in the ring with me today, there was no stopping me,' Sheeraz said afterward. 'The amount of abuse I got after the last fight made me a hungrier fighter.' The difference in class and composure was evident. Berlanga's only claim to fame was going the distance with Álvarez in 2023. On Saturday, he was overwhelmed against the taller, rangier Briton who accomplished what Canelo couldn't. The power that once led him to 16 straight first-round knockouts never materialized, while his defense left wide gaps for Sheeraz to exploit. He has now been stopped for the first time in his career and leaves with more questions than answers about his future. Sheeraz, on the other hand, looks like a genuine threat in a stacked weight class. His size, reach, and poise – not to mention his jab, which he used masterfully in the early rounds – suggest he belongs among the elite. Whether Álvarez, Benavidez or someone else will be next remains to be seen. But on a night where the crowd nearly filled the second deck of the 14,000-seat stadium, he managed to win them over despite the hometown credentials of his Brooklyn-bred victim. In the co-feature bout, Shakur Stevenson turned in one of the more entertaining performances of his career, defeating Mexico's William Zepeda by unanimous decision to retain his WBC lightweight title. The ringside judges handed down scores of 119–109 and 118–110 (twice), but the fight was more spirited than the cards suggest. Advertisement Stevenson (24-0, 11 KOs) came into the ring under intense pressure to deliver a more fan-friendly performance after a widely panned win over Artem Harutyunyan last July. On Saturday, he answered that criticism by standing his ground, exchanging with one of the division's more aggressive fighters and showcasing both his technical mastery and his tenacity. 'I came in here to prove a point,' Stevenson said in the ring. 'It wasn't the performance I was looking for because I came in here to try and fight, so I took more punishment than usual. But I proved that I'm a dog.' Zepeda (33-1, 27 KOs) landed more power punches on Stevenson than any previous opponent, including a hard straight right in the third round that appeared to stun the 2016 Olympic silver medallist. Yet Stevenson responded with poise and precision, unloading crisp counters and blinding combinations that repeatedly turned Zepeda's head and backed him up. As early as the second round, Stevenson was standing in the pocket, trading head shots while slipping and rolling Zepeda's best body work in his signature Philly shell defense. In the middle rounds, he took over completely, doubling and tripling up on the jab, then following with sharp lefts and uppercuts. Advertisement Zepeda remained game, pressing forward and refusing to wilt, but Stevenson's craft gradually dismantled the Mexican's offense. By the 10th, the challenger's output had slowed and Stevenson began using his legs more sparingly, clinching only when absolutely necessary. For Stevenson, the fight marked a reassertion of dominance in a 135lb division where a unification bout with Gervonta Davis looms as one of the sport's most compelling matchups. Earlier in the evening, Subriel Matías captured the vacant WBC super lightweight title with a majority decision over the previously unbeaten Alberto Puello, while Cuban light heavyweight David Morrell showed grit to rally from a fifth-round knockdown and edge Imam Khataev on a split decision.
