Edgar Berlanga returns to action this weekend 10 months on from his battle with Canelo Alvarez.
Berlanga takes on undefeated Hamzah Sheeraz in the Brit’s 168lb debut at the Louis Armstrong Stadium in Queens, New York on Saturday.
Berlanga is looking to get back into world title contention with a victory, having challenged Canelo for his undisputed super-middleweight titles back in September.
The Puerto Rican was unbeaten heading into the bout, but struggled to compete with his rival, as Canelo put in a dominant performance at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Berlanga was dropped in the third round on his way to a unanimous decision loss, with the three judges scoring it 118-109, 118-109 and 117-110 in favour of the Mexican superstar.
After sharing the ring with Berlanga for 36 minutes, Canelo revealed in his post-fight press conference what he made about his rival’s power, and it may give Sheeraz added confidence ahead of the bout despite Berlanga’s promise to win by knockout.
“I say to him in the tenth or ninth round, ‘you hit like my son’. He thinks he hits hard, but he hits like my son. But I’m super strong so that’s why maybe.”
Canelo’s view may come as a surprise, with Berlanga known for his big power, having won 18 of his 23 fights by knockout, including in his last outing when he stopped Jonathan Gonzalez Ortiz inside the very first round in Florida in March.
As for Sheeraz, 17 of his 21 victories have come by knockout, meaning fans could be in store for an action-packed bout between the two men on Saturday.
