Edgar Berlanga was his usual self today, littering his Grand Arrival comments with expletives and threats toward his opponent Hamzah Sheeraz ahead of their WBC super middleweight title eliminator this Saturday, July 12th, in Queens, New York.

Sheeraz Intimidates Berlanga Face-Off

You could tell by looking at Berlanga (23-1, 18 KOs) that he’s worried about what could happen to him against the big puncher Sheeraz (21-0-1, 17 KOs). During the face-off, Edgar looked intimidated by the taller fighter.

It wasn’t until Hamzah started walking away that Berlanga began yapping at him in a manner that had a dog-like quality to it. It would have been fun if Sheeraz had charged him to see what his reaction would have been.

In some ways, Hamzah is more dangerous than Canelo Alvarez due to his combination punching and the way he goes for the kill when he has someone hurt.

Berlanga knows what’s at stake in this fight. He wants that “big bag” in a rematch with Canelo. With a knockout victory over Sheeraz, the New Yorker Berlanga can, at the minimum, stay in his good graces with Turki Alalshikh and potentially get a rematch with the Mexican star in the second half of 2026.

Sheeraz’s Chance to Silence Critics

“I’ve got a lot to prove, and it’s my first one in America,” said Hamzah Sheeraz during today’s Grand Arrivals in New York. “Come Saturday night, they’ll all know who I am.”

Hamzah knows that many fans are down on him after his last performance against WBC middleweight champion Carlos Adames in February. Collectively, fans saw him gifted a draw, and they don’t understand why he’s being given a headliner gig against Berlanga after that fight.

Berlanga’s Unfiltered Message to Sheeraz

“I’m ready to show this dude this weekend. It’s a big night. July 12th, I’m about to turn up,” said Edgar Berlanga. “I don’t give a f*** about them. F*** them. They already know the vibes. On July 12th, I’m about to kick his a** and then move on to the next. I don’t give a f*** about his plans and what they’ve got planned. They got to go through me first.”

That was Berlanga’s message when asked about his thoughts on Sheeraz. When he was talking, he kept looking left and right, as if checking to see if Hamzah would emerge and jump him. You could tell that Edgar was nervous about talking trash while his British opponent was still in the building. That nervousness took away from his message because his words didn’t match his physical affect. It was like he was reciting something, but not acting in a way to match his words.

“July 12th is the night I’m looking forward to. There’s a lot in the future. A lot of big fights to be made. But like I said, this weekend, I’m going to f*** this mother f**** up. That’s it. Beat him up and go on to the next,” said Berlanga.

If Edgar is victorious, Turki might set him up with the past his best 35-year-old Jermall Charlo. That one would resonate with older boxing fans who remember when Jermall was still an active fighter five years ago. It wouldn’t be a match-up that younger fans would care about because they have no idea who Charlo is, because he stopped fighting in 2021 and has fought just once since.

“If he goes for the knockout, that’s going to benefit Sheeraz. This is an important fight for Berlanga to shut a lot of people up after that Canelo criticism,” said commentator Sergio Mora.