Ok, here we go. Stick with me, this ride might get a bit wild.
So, Mike Coppinger dropped this news nugget about some boxing shindig set to punch up NYC on July 12th. And hey, it’s not just about Shakur Stevenson and William Zepeda trading blows – Ring Magazine’s pulling out the big guns on DAZN. Full-on boxing cocktail, if you ask me.
Main event-wise, Edgar Berlanga (he’s got a 23-1 record with 18 KOs under his belt) squares off against Hamzah Sheeraz – who’s on this unbeaten streak, 21-0-1, 17 KOs right there – and this is Sheeraz’s first dance in the super middleweight ring. I mean, I thought he was gonna be the big cheese in the middleweight scene before that meh draw with Carlos Adames showed up in February. Like, I get it, the dude was nursing a hand that was more busted than my uncle’s lawn mower. But Frank Warren reckons the weight-cut was a real pain too, hence the jump to 168. And check this, at 6’3” with a 75” reach, he’s built like a human skyscraper.
Now, Berlanga’s walkin’ in here after KO’ing some dude named Jonathan Gonzalez-Ortiz. But plot twist – he totally missed weight for that bout. Why make this the main event? Maybe the promoters hit the tequila a bit too hard? Meanwhile, Coppinger says it’s a WBC title eliminator. Berlanga’s like number nine in the rankings, which kinda makes you scratch your head – I mean, with all those other bouts going bust lately (Mbilli, Sadjo, Pacheco, the whole shebang), the justification’s murkier than a New Orleans swamp.
As for this Matias guy – Subriel Matias, to be formal – he’s had a shot at Richardson Hitchins before now, but nah, they decided to pit him against WBC’s dude Alberto Puello. It’s a style clash waiting to happen. Puello loves to move and jab from way out – annoys the crap outta Matias types – but, man, this Puello guy’s like allergic to winning clean; most of his recent wins are split decisions, including that eye-squinter over Sandor Martin last month.
And, wait for it, David Morrell Jr. throws fists with ex-Olympian Imam Khataev – in the light heavyweight ring. Kinda intriguing, huh? Morrell’s gotta bounce back after getting rolled by David Benavidez in February, and Khataev didn’t exactly shine against Durval Elias Palacio last time either.
Anyway, that about sums it up. Boxing fever, you know? Who knows what’ll happen, but hey, isn’t that the beauty of it all?
