Sheeraz demolishes Berlanga in five rounds

The Louis Armstrong Stadium in Queens hosted an evening that gave many hope for a new generation of great boxers. The main fight was between Hamzah Sheeraz and Edgar Berlanga, two fighters who, even before entering the ring, had great public interest. The young 26-year-old Brit had a draw against Carlos Adames, and this was his chance to prove that this result was not his best.

Berlanga, on the other hand, a familiar name to fans, has experienced only one defeat so far – that of Canelo Alvarez. It was a real test for Sheeraz, who said before the match that he was coming to America to make an impression. And he left it - and more than many expected.

Already in the fourth round, Edgar ended up on the floor twice, and in the fifth, after another knockdown, referee David Fields had to stop the match. Sheeraz thus showed that he is a serious contender in the super middleweight division, and Canelo's fight against Crawford, scheduled for September, could open the door for him to the title.

Shakur silences critics in style

On the same evening, another familiar face earned applause. 28-year-old American Shakur Stevenson defended his WBC lightweight title against undefeated William Zepeda. Shakur has often been criticized for his style – a lot of movement, distance control and avoiding open exchanges. But this time – he was completely different.

– I came here to prove something to everyone. It's not the edition I wanted, but I wanted to make a strong impression and I tried to fight. I took more damage than usual, but I proved that I have a fighting spirit in me and that I am not some kind of "poodle". I am a tough guy, I fought and I have that "fighting dog" in me. I just fought one of the toughest guys in the lightweight division. I wish many people would get in the ring with him and realize how tough the guy is. I did it, and he pushed me to an even higher level. – he said after the match.

The statistics show it all – the American landed 295 punches, with a success rate of 52.2 percent, while Zepeda had 272 hits out of 979 punches thrown. The match ended with a unanimous decision by the judges – 119-109 and twice 118-110.

Fans divided their opinions in the comments:

– "How dare Shakur stand in front of Zepeda and defeat him with his game. He should have run away from him."

– "Shakur silenced a lot of guys tonight."

– "It's crazy that Shakur willingly stood in front of that guy and took punches. He could have moved around the whole match and taken him apart in segments. He should never do something like this and should go back to his classic approach."
– "I'll just say that Shakur stood in front of a guy who was 33-0 with 27 knockouts and traded punches with him all night. You have to give him respect."

This victory may not have been the smartest in terms of tactics, but it was in terms of message. Stevenson proved that he can box however he wants - and that he is a true champion.