Edgar Berlanga had to recover from an early knockdown to finally tame and halt Canada’s Steven Butler in the seventh round. Their super-middleweight clash, scheduled for 10 rounds, was the latest Zuffa Boxing headliner, taking place at Madison Square Garden Theater in New York.
Berlanga had been absent from the ring for over a year and was last seen losing to Hamzah Sheeraz (who had successfully defended his WBO title in Jeddah the night before). The rust was apparent when Butler caught his man stepping back against the ropes in a straight line and bopped him with a flash right hand.
That shock knockdown woke Berlanga up who forced Butler on to the back foot in round three, buzzing the underdog badly. The referee hovered as Butler held, grappled and wrestled his way through a torrid round.
Butler was still landing right hands through the fourth and fifth, even though Berlanga was now firmly in control. A bundle of overhand rights sent Butler down once more at the tail end of the sixth.
The Puerto Rican improved his record to 24-2 (19 KOs) by prompting referee Eric Dali’s intervention at 1-14 of the seventh. The ref effectively wrestled Butler to the canvas, followed keenly by a hovering Berlanga who seemed eager to land even more leather on his stricken foe. The 29-year-old ‘Chosen One’ soon backed off to celebrate with his fans instead.
Edgar Berlanga’s reaction to the win
Berlanga draws a good crowd in MSG and has never tasted defeat in that venue. During the formative stages of his career, Berlanga built his reputation as a feared knockout artist under Top Rank. While he still boasts that power, along with a solid jab, Berlanga is caught between styles and can be outboxed while trying to plant his feet and let the shots fly.
“I fought a dangerous fighter, a big knockout puncher to prove myself and show people I am back,” the winner said post-fight.
Berlanga called out Sheeraz, who already destroyed him, and Caleb Plant, who will cause stylistic issues if Plant still has something left.
A few others also received a namecheck. A Mexico-Puerto Rico clash with Jaime Munguia would be interesting. Two other names mentioned, Jermall Charlo and Chris Eubank Jr, are unlikely to hold interest to the wider fanbase.
Hitchins leads the way on Berlanga-Butler undercard
On the New York undercard, Richardson Hitchins outboxed Ricardo Salas, scoring a 10-round shutout across the board.
Middleweight prospect Jalil Hackett continued his development with a points win over grizzled veteran Sergiy Derevyanchenko.
Heavyweight contender Otto Wallin suffered a damaging 10th-round knockout at the fists of Vladyslav Sirenko.
