Edgar Berlanga vs. Hamzah Sheeraz, 2 other bouts set for Shakur Stevenson vs. William Zepeda undercard
Edgar Berlanga is back in action this July against Hamzah Sheeraz. ()
(Rich Schultz via Getty Images)
Another action-packed night of boxing is making its way onto the summer schedule.
The Turki Alalshikh-owned Ring Magazine announced on Thursday night that Shakur Stevenson is set to defend his WBC lightweight title against his mandatory challenger William Zepeda on a Ring Magazine boxing card on July 12 at a venue to be decided in New York.
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Now, Ring Magazine has revealed three more fights for its July 12 card.
In the night's co-feature, Britain's Hamzah Sheeraz will move up to super middleweight to take on Nuyorican Edgar Berlanga.
Sheeraz (21-0-1, 17 KOs) was fortunate to be awarded a draw in his first world title challenge against WBC middleweight champion Carlos Adames in February. Standing 6-foot-3, Sheeraz was a giant in the 160-pound weight class and now makes the move up to 168 pounds.
Berlanga (23-1, 18 KOs) was also unsuccessful in his lone title challenge. "The Chosen One" rose off the floor to extend Saul "Canelo" Alvarez the 12-round distance for the unified super middleweight title this past September. Berlanga rebounded with a first-round TKO win over Jonathan Gonzalez-Ortiz in the final fight of his promotional deal with Eddie Hearn's Matchroom Boxing.
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Also on the July 12 show, Alberto Puello is set to defend his WBC super lightweight title against former IBF champion Subriel Matias.
Puello (24-0, 10 KOs) won the WBC interim title with a split decision nod over Gary Antuanne Russell this past June. The Dominican was upgraded to full WBC champion soon after and made the first defense of his belt in March, winning a contentious decision over Sandor Martin.
Matias (22-2, 22 KOs) became the IBF champion with a fifth-round win over Jeremias Ponce in February 2023. The Puerto Rican managed only one defense of his belt before losing a split decision to Liam Paro in Matias' homecoming fight. Matias has picked up two stoppage wins since his defeat to Paro and now heads into another world title fight.
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Rounding out the card, David Morrell meets Imam Khataev in a light heavyweight clash.
Morrell (11-1, 9 KOs), a former two-division WBA (regular) champion, suffered the first loss of his career in a thriller against David Benavidez earlier this year.
Khataev (10-0, 9 KOs), a 2020 Olympic bronze medalist, emerged with his hands raised after a 10-round slugfest with Durval Elias Palacio down under on the George Kambosos vs. Jake Wylie undercard. It will be a big step up for Khataev against Morrell, but a win could place him firmly in the mix to challenge for a light heavyweight championship.
The event's headliner, Stevenson (23-0, 11 KOs), a three-division world champion, won the WBC lightweight title with a decision win in a forgettable fight with Edwin De Los Santos in November 2023. The American southpaw has since made two defenses of his title — a dominant decision win over Artem Harutyunyan this past July, as well as a ninth-round stoppage of Josh Padley in February.
Zepeda (33-0, 27 KOs) looked like an indestructible force until he came up against Tevin Farmer on the Gilberto Ramirez vs. Chris Billam-Smith undercard this past November. Zepeda recovered from a knockdown to win a controversial split decision over Farmer on that night. Zepeda and Farmer rematched in March, with Zepeda once again edging a close fight — this time by majority decision.
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