Consider this the next episode for Edgar Berlanga.
Launching the final year of his 20s, he’s joined Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing, is tempering the talk and working toward a substantive career made humble by losses to champions Hamzah Sheeraz and Canelo Alvarez.
The Zuffa Boxing machine is fully backing Brooklyn’s Berlanga, 23-2 (18 KOs), giving him the main event Sunday, live on Paramount+ from Madison Square Garden’s Theater, versus ranked super-middleweight Steven Butler, 38-5-1 (32 KOs), on a card that has Brooklyn’s former IBF 140lbs champion Richardson Hitchins also making his Zuffa debut.
Berlanga was last seen in the ring getting knocked out in the fifth round by current WBO champion Sherraz of England last July in New York after getting dropped twice in the fourth round.
“I’m happy to be signed with Zuffa, blessed to be headlining again. I want to thank [UFC CEO/President] Dana and [fellow Zuffa executive] Nick Khan for that instead of doing to me what regular promoters do to guys who take a loss,” Berlanga said. “He told me, ‘Nah, you’re a superstar and you’re going to be headlining. You’re a ticket seller, you fight your ass off, you’re Puerto Rican and you’re from New York.’ I’m grateful for that.”
That confidence comes as Berlanga, who memorably opened his career with 16 first-round knockouts, communicates a mature measurement of where he’s at and where he wants to be.
“I’ve reached at the pinnacle by fighting the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter Canelo Alvarez [in 2024] – one of the greatest fighters ever. I’ve already touched that,” Berlanga told BoxingScene. “So, for me, popularity is big. A lot of people know me already.
“I just feel like now I need to really buckle down and focus on my career and becoming a world champion. I owe that to myself and my true supporters out there. It’s time to buckle down and cement my legacy. I need to get through 2026 with ease, beating this dude, chasing belts and greatness and making the biggest fights happen as often as possible, [winning] them, taking over the sport and becoming a legend.
“I really want to dedicate and push myself over the next couple of years to getting to the pound-for-pound rankings. I’m past the popularity stuff, the loudness. I want to be one of the greatest in boxing.”
Formerly the WBA No. 1 contender when he was defeated widely by Alvarez on the scorecards, Berlanga is now No. 11 in the WBO while plotting to re-enter the WBA rankings by meeting its No. 11, Butler.
Among the current 168lbs champions, Berlanga would like to get at new WBA champion Jaime Munguia of Mexico, aiming to win Sunday and campaign for a high-profile bout in December versus Chris Eubank Jnr.
“I’m still young. I haven’t taken a lot of damage. I haven’t been through crazy wars. I’m still fresh in the game, still healthy and I told Dana I’d like to get that one more fight in before the year ends and then go after a big [WBA title] fight against Munguia,” Berlanga said.
“I’ve just got to lock in for ‘26, and then we’re shooting for the stars … a big fight to end the year against Eubank overseas in London is going to be a big hit, an amazing fight. And, hopefully, we can get it rocking.”
Berlanga’s reemergence begins with Canada’s Butler, who was knocked out in the second round by current middleweight champion Janibek Alimkhanuly in a 2023 title fight but has won five of his past six bouts by knockout or stoppage.
“Butler’s a great fighter, but I’m levels above him. I’m going to show that and get through him with ease,” Berlanga said. “A lot of people have been seeing my body changing, my mindset, my coaching and team.
“I’m going to another level. Right now, my focus is Butler because if I don’t get through him, then anything we’ve planned is going out the window. He comes to fight. It’s going to be an explosive night.
“I’ve just got to go in there, follow the game plan and be elite and let him know there are levels to this game and that I’ve been in there with the best, Canelo Alvarez. In the 168 division, no one can top that now – definitely not Butler. You guys can expect greatness.”
Fighting with neighbor and close friend Hitchins makes it a special evening. Both fighters are represented by manager Keith Connolly, who also negotiated September 12 welterweight title challenger Conor Benn’s move to Zuffa during its first year in business.
“I just felt Dana is a great promoter. He’s done such an amazing job with the UFC, and he has something to prove here by coming over and wanting to dominate the boxing game. He has a great plan, and it was the best offer and best route for us,” Berlanga said.
“Dana’s doing his thing and there’s more to come as the top fighters see all of these top fighters coming to Zuffa. It’s going to be an unstoppable promotion. Right now, Dana’s got the keys and it’s all on him.”
Knowing that the Benn fight is coming, and that Zuffa will offer appearances by four-division champion Shakur Stevenson and former cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia later this year, Berlanga embraces the card he’s topping.
“[Sunday night’s] gonna be crazy, electrifying. It’s me and my brother in a double main event,” Berlanga said.”Richardson Hitchins is an amazing fighter. I look up to his skill set. He’s sharp. We’ve been knowing each other for long – he started boxing at 12, I started at 7. This is really my boxing brother, for real.”
As much as his career experiences have shaped him, Berlanga is still in tune with the lesson he gained in his boxing infancy: Knockouts sell.
“People look at me as the knockout guy, and the fans love knockouts just like they love home runs in baseball. It’s going to come – first round, second round,” he said.
“I’m growing as a fighter, more mature. Patience and having a great IQ is everything in this sport. I’ll use the jab. But the knockout’s going to come. Like Floyd Mayweather told me, I’ve got dynamite in my hands, so it’s just about placing them in the right way, and these guys are going to go.”