Edgar Berlanga says he\u2019s going to be back in action in December in his first fight since being knocked out in the fifth round by Hamzah Sheeraz. The super middleweight contender Berlanga (23-2, 18 KOs) is on another rebuild after his humiliating performance in the main event on Turki Alalshikh\u2019s card on July 12th in Queens, New York.<\/p>\n
Berlanga\u2019s Promotional Future<\/p>\n
Edgar is still a promotional free agent after his multi-fight contract with Eddie Hearn\u2019s Matchroom expired with his fight against Jonathan Gonzalez-Ortiz on March 15th. Berlanga\u2019s performance against Sheeraz was so bad that he may have problems finding a new promoter. Not surprisingly, Hearn said he wasn\u2019t interested in re-signing Berlanga to a new contract after his loss to Sheeraz.<\/p>\n
Berlanga didn\u2019t give any hints about who he\u2019ll be facing, but it\u2019s likely a non-contender. He\u2019s shown that he can beat actual contenders, yet he\u2019s failed the two times he\u2019s fought at the world level now.<\/p>\n
Rebuilding a Boxing Career<\/p>\n
It\u2019s going to be a lot tougher this time for the Brooklyn, New York native Berlanga to come back, as he got beaten by the undproven fighter Sheeraz, who he made look better than he is.<\/p>\n
Berlanga, 28, is still young, but he doesn\u2019t look like he can improve enough to defeat the talented super middleweight contenders like Diego Pacheco, Christian Mbilli or Osleys Iglesias. Those fighters would likely do exactly what Sheeraz did, but much faster, as they are arguably more talented.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had said before that Berlanga is going to have to knock this guy out in two or three rounds. If he doesn\u2019t knock him out in those two or three rounds, he\u2019s going to have some problems,\u201d said trainer Jose Benavidez Sr. to Fight Hub TV,<\/a> talking about his thoughts about Edgar Berlanga\u2019s fight against Hamzah Sheeraz last month on July 12th.<\/p>\n \u201cHe had everything. He just underestimated Sheeraz. It was a big surprise for everybody. He got hit very hard, couldn\u2019t recoup, and Sheeraz took care of business. I like Berlanga. He has a lot of talent,\u201d said Jose Sr.<\/p>\n The reason for Berlanga\u2019s loss wasn\u2019t because he underestimated Hamzah. He\u2019s just not very good, and never was. If you look at Edgar\u2019s past fights, you could see how he struggled against Roamer Angulo, Steve Rolls, and Marcelo Coceres. Those fights showed that he wasn\u2019t the fighter that fans had been led to believe after watching him knockout his first 16 opponents in the first round.<\/p>\n Is Berlanga a Problem?<\/p>\n \u201cHe fought with Top Rank. He fought with Eddie Hearn. He fought with De La Hoya. You don\u2019t do those kinds of things. Now, who are you going to fight for?\u201d said Benavidez Sr.<\/p>\n In other words, Berlanga may have burned his bridges with those promotional companies. I think they would all take Berlanga back, but not for a lucrative deal that he would be looking to get. The only way he would do well is if he\u2019s protected with the same soft matchmaking that Hearn and Top Rank did for him. Once they match him tough, he\u2019ll lose because he\u2019s not a super talent. He\u2019s just a basic run-of-the-mill slugger with poor defense and a weak chin.<\/p>\n \u201cI just think a lot of people think that he\u2019s just a problem. People don\u2019t want to deal with that. He has to come humble and respectful now. He\u2019s young. It\u2019s a lesson to be learned. He can definitely come back and come stronger than ever,\u201d said Jose Sr.<\/p>\n It sounds like Benavidez Sr. wants to train Berlanga. I don\u2019t see him being able to work miracles with him, because he\u2019s too inherently flawed to be fixed by Jose. Sr. or any trainer.<\/p>\n pic.twitter.com\/QxyFLCjQ9P<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Edgar Berlanga Jr (@EdgarBerlangaJr) August 10, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n