Hamzah Sheeraz vs Edgar Berlanga Predictions: Hamzah moves up as Berlanga moves on

It is out of the frying pan and into the fire for Slough puncher Hamzah Sheeraz as he faces Edgar Berlanga in his super middleweight debut on Saturday, July 12. The fight takes place at Louis Armstrong Stadium in Queens, New York. The bout headlines a DAZN PPV card also featuring WBC lightweight king Shakur Stevenson and WBC super lightweight boss Alberto Puello. 

Here are my Edgar Berlanga vs Hamzah Sheeraz predictions ahead of this super middleweight slobberknocker.

Edgar Berlanga vs Hamzah Sheeraz Odds

This is a tight one. Berlanga is 6/5 while Sheeraz is just in front at 8/11. A draw is priced at 14/1. Shorter odds than usual, reflecting how tough to call this fight could be, even for the judges.

Edgar Berlanga vs Hamzah Sheeraz Fight Preview

Berlanga and Sheeraz have shared a tetchy build-up here. No eggs have been broken over skulls just yet, but it is clear that Berlanga and Sheeraz do not like each other. That could be a deciding factor.

A strange proclamation? My reasoning is this: there are two types of fight you typically get when power-punchers meet. Either each boxer is too cautious to let the grenades go and you end up with a surprisingly tepid affair. Or both athletes back themselves as the man who hits harder and they let the bombs fall where they may. 

When there is a bit of animosity involved, the latter becomes the more likely scenario.

The explanation for the ill-tempered junkets might stem from each participant having something to prove. Both Berlanga and Sheeraz have been taken down a peg in recent outings. 

Berlanga did not listen to those who argued his shot at Saul Alvarez’s WBC, WBO and WBA straps last September had come too early for him. But on the night, Canelo took Edgar’s ‘0’ without too much trouble at all. Berlanga came in on the back of 22 wins and 17 knockouts. But Canelo made him look like a novice, dropping the New Yorker in the third round on the way to a wide unanimous decision.

Sheeraz’s dark night of the soul was not quite that bad. But most felt that WBC middleweight champion Carlos Adames had outworked him on the way to their split draw in Riyadh in February. The Dominican titlist used Sheeraz’s atypical middleweight height of 6’3 against him, tagging him to the body and outlanding him comfortably. 

The controversial stalemate kept Sheeraz’s unbeaten record intact. But the performance necessitated a re-think. Sheeraz now prepares to box in a division that has been a happy hunting ground for British fighters. 

From Chris Eubank and Nigel Benn through Joe Calzaghe and Carl Froch then George Groves and James DeGale followed by Callum Smith and Billy Joe Saunders; there is something about boxing at 168lbs that lights a fire in the UK’s finest.

Sheeraz’s long frame, the same height as unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk, is still an asset here. But the freedom to wear a little bit more muscle upon it come fight night should help. The interesting factor will be if Sheeraz’s power makes the journey up with him. 

The former European champion had knocked out 15 opponents in a row before Adames, including names like Tyler Denny, Austin ‘Ammo’ Williams and Liam Williams. If his concussive power has not made the journey to super middleweight intact, Sheeraz might need to adapt his game quickly.

Berlanga is another fighter who made his bones by knocking people out. Interestingly, ‘The Chosen One’ knocked out his first 16 opponents, but has only stopped two of his last eight foes. One was Padraig McCrory, which probably rates as his best win. Unlike Sheeraz, Berlanga is also coming off a victory. The Brooklyn boy steamrolled over Puerto Rican Olympian Jonathan Gonzalez in one round in March.

It is intriguing that Sheeraz has not tested the waters at super middleweight before taking a big fight like this. Inconceivably, he started his career at super welterweight. With this in mind, you would have forgiven Hamzah for taking an eight-rounder to get a feel for things at 168lbs. Instead, he boxes a man who is ranked in the world top 10 by all four major bodies. Despite his tender years, the 26-year-old is wasting little time.

This fight deserves applause, and its headline billing is justified despite the lack of a world title on the line. Two fighters in their 20s who have already competed at elite level but are each at a precarious moment in their journey have signed up to do battle. The winner will get the ultimate momentum boost. The loser will have a pretty long road back. But where would boxing be without risk?

Edgar Berlanga vs Hamzah Sheeraz Full Card

Edgar Berlanga vs Hamzah Sheeraz

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Edgar Berlanga vs Hamzah Sheeraz Predictions

This is one of those fights where I have gone back and forth. Sheeraz hits like a train, but he is at a new weight and has never beaten an opponent as good as Berlanga. The latter is true for his opponent, too. The only boxer superior to Sheeraz on Berlanga’s record is Canelo, who he lost to. 

Sheeraz has advantages in height and reach, but only by two inches for each. Marginal gains rather than the massive edge his dimensions have been in the past. But Berlanga got worked over by Canelo, a 5’7 former welterweight. You can outbox and out-fight this guy if you wind him up enough.

I think Berlanga looks wound up. I feel like the 28-year-old is psyching him up for a task he is unsure about. When confidence is outweighed by cockiness, it means one of two things. Either a fighter is that damn good or they are trying to convince themselves that they are.

I think Sheeraz has the advantage here. I think once he finds his range, those big shots will start doing their work on a fighter we know can be hurt. The Adames fight will have toughened Hamzah up too. Add a bit of meat on the bones and something to prove and I think he is up to thetask. Enough to score the knockout at 3/1 in my view.

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