Hamzah Sheeraz has positioned himself for a future championship match after his performance at Louis Armstrong Stadium in Queens, New York, on Saturday night.
The fight between Sheeraz and Edgar Berlanga was decided in the fifth round, but it could’ve easily been finished in the fourth.
Sheeraz knocked down Berlanga twice in the closing moments of the fourth round before the American boxer was saved by the bell.
Sheeraz carried his momentum into the first 17 seconds of the fifth round with three straight strikes to put away Berlanga.
As a result of the victory, Sheeraz is now the mandatory WBC Super Middleweight Championship challenger. The British boxer may have positioned himself for a future fight with Canelo Alvarez.
Shakur Stevenson and William Zepeda delivered as the co-main event on the card. Stevenson’s accuracy and versatility were on display for the world to see as he overcame a scrappy performance from Zepeda.
Stevenson remains undefeated and retained his WBC lightweight championship.
USA TODAY Sports had updates, analysis and highlights from the main card:
Edgar Berlanga vs. Hamzah Sheeraz result:
Round 1: Both fighters didn’t wait for a ‘feeling out’ process before trading shots with one another. Both had moments in the opening round, but Berlanga may have landed the shots that made the biggest difference.
Round 2: The second round served as more of a feeling-out process for both fighters. Sheeraz showed more variety with his punches and a strong command.
Round 3: Sheeraz lands a strong uppercut in the final moments of the round before a late flurry of strikes from Berlanga.
Round 4: Berlanga comes out swinging as the bell rings to start the round. Sheeraz answered back with a series of punches that knocked down Berlanga. He manages to get back up, only to get dropped by Sheeraz a second time.
Berlanga got up a second time and was allowed to continue the fight. As Sheeraz walks back toward him, the bell sounds to end the round.
Round 5: The bell rings to start the round and Sheeraz lands a quick combination to drop Berlanga to a knee just 17 seconds later. The fight is over.
Shakur Stevenson vs. William Zepeda result:
Rounds 1-4: William Zepeda has been the aggressor in the fight through the first four rounds. In both the third and fourth rounds, Zepeda has managed to force Shakur Stevenson against the ropes and cut off the ring.
Round 5: Zepeda has thrown a large number of punches through the first 4.5 rounds. He’s landed 93 of his 367 punches. Stevenson has landed nearly 50% of his punches (103 of 221).
Round 6: Stevenson got the best of Zepeda in the round, landing some of the bigger shots in the round and staying in the middle of the ring.
Round 7: Stevenson has continued to look sharp and quicker with his shots as the fight has continued. After an aggressive start, Zepeda has started to slow down.
Round 8: Zepeda has slowed down but was able to land some successful shots as well in the round to stay in the fight. Despite a decent showing from Zepeda, the round may have still worked in Stevenson’s favor, nullifying any of his opponent’s momentum.
Round 9: Stevenson’s versatility and speed were on display throughout exchanges with Zepeda. It’s currently Stevenson’s fight to lose.
Round 10: Zepeda continues to show a will to start in the fight and compete despite being slowed down by Stevenson. Both fighters traded blows early, but it was Stevenson who was still landing accurate shots.
Round 11: Zepeda has continued to have moments of success, but he will need to have some power in his punches to pull out a victory as the fight enters the final round.
Round 12: The crowd responds with cheers and approval as the fight comes to an end. Both Stevenson and Zepeda survive the fight and it will come down to the judges. Stevenson was efficient with his punches.
Stevenson walked over to Zepeda’s corner after the fight to tell him, ‘It’s all love and respect. Thank you (for the fight).’
Stevenson remains undefeated after a unanimous decision victory and retains the championship. He has won 24 straight fights (including 11 by knockout).
Alberto Puello vs. Subriel Matias result:
The fight has been even through the first eight rounds with Puello’s WBC super lightweight title on the line.
In the championship rounds, Puello lands a right-handed upper cut in the 11th round that hurts Matias but doesn’t knock him down. Matias appeared exhausted down the stretch and had a visible cut over his left eye.
Matias became the new champion by majority decision victory. Dalton Smith was in the ring after the fight to face off with Matias. The two men will fight for the title on Nov. 22.
David Morrell vs Imam Khataev result:
Imam Khataev delivered a two-punch power combination that nearly buckled the knees of David Morrell in the second round. It was the first time Morrell was knocked down in his career. Morrell managed to do some damage as well, creating a cut above Khataev’s right eye in the early rounds.
Morrell’s team was overheard discussing the cut between the second and third rounds.
Morrell was on pace to win the fifth round before Khataev landed a right-handed shot that sent the Cuban boxer back into the ropes in the final moments of the round. Morrell was fighting with a sense of urgency in the final 1:30 of the ninth round, landing several strikes to Khataev.
While some thought Khataev would’ve earned the victory, it was Morrell who was tabbed as the winner by split decision. It’s an early contender for fight of the night.
Morrell entered the fight ranked in the Top 5 by the World Boxing Association.
Shakur Stevenson vs. William Zepeda: Time, PPV, streaming for fight
The highly anticipated bout between Shakur Stevenson vs. William Zepeda will take place on Saturday, July 12 and can be watched on DAZN.
Date: Saturday, July 12
Time: 6 p.m. ET
Shakur Stevenson vs. William Zepeda main event ringwalks: 8:40 p.m. ET
Stream: DAZN PPV
Watch Stevenson vs Zepeda with DAZN
Shakur Stevenson vs. William Zepeda main card, ring walk start times
Main card start time: 6 p.m. ET
Stevenson vs. Zepeda ring walks: 8:40 p.m. ET (approximate)
Main event (Berlanga vs. Sheeraz) ring walks: 11 p.m. ET (approximate)
Shakur Stevenson vs. William Zepeda fight card odds
All odds are for moneyline bets as of Thursday, according to BetMGM.
Edgar Berlanga (+110) vs. Hamzah Sheeraz (-135): Super middleweight
Shakur Stevenson (-1100) vs. William Zepeda (+650): for Stevenson’s WBC lightweight title
Alberto Puello vs. Subriel Matias: for Puello’s WBC super lightweight title
David Morrell vs. Imam Khataev: Light heavyweight
Shakur Stevenson vs. William Zepeda Predictions
BetMGM: Shakur Stevenson to win
Staff writes: For this WBC lightweight championship match between Stevenson and Zepeda, I predict that the former will win via unanimous decision against the latter because he already has a blueprint to beat power punchers and has enormous experience in high-level championship fights. Much like he did against Edwin De Los Santos, I expect Stevenson to break down Zepeda with stiff counters and solid jabs that would allow him to score points in the judges’ scorecards while frustrating him at the same time.’
DAZN: Stevenson has the edge
Mark Lelinwalla writes: ‘Masterful at planting his lead foot into the canvas and controlling the distance, Shakur Stevenson is absolutely brilliant working behind the jab, the anchor to his supreme sweet science. On the defensive side, Stevenson is slick and elusive, relying on the hit and don’t get hit brand of boxing. He has the boxing skills to negate Zepeda’s forward fighting and imposing power especially if the Mexican fighter struggles to get inside of Stevenson’s world-class jab, arguably the best in all of boxing.’
Forbes: Stevenson to win via unanimous decision
Trent Reinsmith writes: ‘Zepeda needs to overcome the defense of Stevenson, and that’s a tall order for any fighter. Put simply, Zepeda doesn’t have the style to do that. His best hope is that he can score through volume and convince the judges to give him the nod because of that. Stevenson will prove to be defensively sound, and score with enough counters to get the nod.’
Shakur Stevenson vs. William Zepeda fight card
Main card
Edgar Berlanga vs Hamzah Sheeraz: Super middleweight
Shakur Stevenson vs William Zepeda: for Stevenson’s WBC lightweight title
Alberto Puello vs Subriel Matias: for Puello’s WBC super lightweight title
David Morrell vs Imam Khataev: Light heavyweight
Shakur Stevenson vs. William Zepeda price
Shakur Stevenson will face William Zepeda, which includes the co-main event of Berlaga vs. Sheeraz, will be streamed on DAZN Pay-Per-View. In the U.S., fans can purchase the event for $59.99.
Shakur Stevenson vs. William Zepeda: Tale of the tape
