Mike Coppinger brings word that a co-feature between Shakur Stevenson and William Zepeda will be far from the only attraction set to hit New York City on July 12th, as Ring Magazine will put forth a remarkably stacked show on DAZN.
The main event pits Edgar Berlanga (23-1, 18 KO) against Hamzah Sheeraz (21-0-1, 17 KO) in the latter’s super middleweight debut. Sheeraz looked like the middleweight division’s heir apparent before a tepid draw with Carlos Adames in February. While you could chalk a fair bit of his struggles up to a nasty hand injury he suffered in the early going, Frank Warren claims he also struggled with the weight cut, prompting the move up to 168. At 6’3” with a 75” reach, he’s certainly got the frame for it.
As for Berlanga (23-1, 18 KO), he’s coming off a knockout over the hapless Jonathan Gonzalez-Ortiz, for which he missed weight. This has the smell of a cash-out fight, sacrificing Berlanga to reignite Sheeraz’s spark.
Not sure why it’s the main event when it’s the least-interesting matchup on the card, but that’s not as strange as Coppinger’s claim that it’s a WBC title eliminator. Berlanga’s no. 9 in their rankings, and while multiple proposed eliminators fell through in recent weeks (Christian Mbilli vs Kevin Lele Sadjo, Mbilli vs Diego Pacheco, Osleys Iglesias vs Sadjo), I don’t see how Sulaiman and co. can justify that.
Though former super lightweight champion Subriel Matias (22-2, 22 KO) earned a shot at Richardson Hitchins earlier this year, he’ll instead challenge WBC titlist Alberto Puello (24-0, 10 KO) in a fascinating clash of styles. Puello has the movement and long-range offense to give Matias fits, but seems pathologically incapable of winning decisively; three of his last four victories have come via split decision, including a controversial one over Sandor Martin last month.
Finally, David Morrell Jr (11-1, 9 KO) fights former Olympian Imam Khataev (10-0, 9 KO) in a very interesting light heavyweight tussle. Both men are in need of a standout performance; Morrell found himself overpowered by David Benavidez in February and Khataev struggled more than expected in last month’s decision over Durval Elias Palacio.
