Super middleweight boxer Edgar Berlanga will headline a Zuffa Boxing event on Sunday at Madison Square Garden, facing Steven Butler in the main event. The preliminary card is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. ET, with the main event set to start at 8 p.m. ET.
Berlanga, a Brooklyn native with a professional record of 23 wins and 2 losses, enters the fight as a significant betting favorite at -360 odds. Butler, from Montreal, holds a record of 38 wins, 5 losses, and 1 draw, and is considered the underdog at +290. This bout marks Berlanga's return to the ring following a fifth-round stoppage loss to Hamzah Sheeraz last July and a previous loss to Canelo Alvarez in September 2024, which ended his undefeated streak.
In the co-main event, Richardson Hitchins will compete against Ricardo Salas in a 12-round welterweight bout. The full fight card includes bouts in various weight classes, featuring fighters such as Dominique Francis, Andres Sosa, Troy Nash, Ethan Perez, Kashaun Davis, Mihai Nistor, Arnold Gonzalez, Emiliano Moreno, Otto Wallin, Vladyslav Sirenko, Jalil Hackett, and Sergiy Derevyanchenko.
Butler, known as “Bang Bang,” has won his last four fights against Canadian contenders. He weighed in at 168.4 pounds with a 75-inch reach, while Berlanga, who tipped the scales at 168.6 pounds, has a reach of 73 inches. Berlanga has emphasized a more technical and precise approach for this ten-round contest, aiming to showcase improved conditioning and a strategic plan from the outset.
This fight is seen as a crucial test for Berlanga's championship aspirations. The notes suggest that if Berlanga can manage fatigue and use his jab effectively, he could control the fight. A key strategy discussed is for Berlanga to adopt a more calculated approach, similar to veteran composure, before employing his power later in the fight.
Butler's last fight in the United States was a May 2023 bout against Zhanibek Alimkhanuly, where he was knocked down three times in the second round. Despite Butler's recent statistical improvements, the prediction favors Berlanga to win by stoppage, citing a lack of top-tier opposition on Butler's record. Berlanga is expected to utilize his career 78 percent knockout power to re-establish his standing in the sport.