Edgar Berlanga vs Hamzah Sheeraz Keys to Victory: Breaking down tactics of each fighter

Berlanga (23-1, 18 KOs) and Sheeraz (21-0-1, 17 KOs) will look to make good on that promise Saturday night when they clash in the main event of Ring III at Louis Armstrong Stadium in Corona, Queens, New York, and live on DAZN PPV. The winner will put himself in line for a world title opportunity in the near future.

The Brooklyn, New York-bred Berlanga rebounded from a September loss to Canelo Alvarez by dismantling Jonathan Gonzalez Ortiz via first-round knockout in March.

Meanwhile, Sheeraz battled Carlos Adames to a split draw in February, failing to claim the WBC middleweight title, and will be fighting at 168 pounds for the first time this weekend.

With bad blood setting in, will Berlanga unceremoniously welcome Sheeraz to New York City with a highlight-reel KO? Or will Sheeraz, fighting in the U.S. for the first time, set his own liftoff with his biggest victory to date?

The stakes are high and DAZN News analyzes the keys to victory for both super middleweights in this pivotal matchup.

Edgar Berlanga’s Keys to Victory

Pressure, walk Sheeraz down

A brawling, thunderous puncher, Edgar Berlanga cannot allow Hamzah Sheeraz to use his slight height and reach advantage to box from the outside.

From the opening bell, Berlanga has to pressure and walk Sheeraz down with activity and by putting the British fighter on notice of his power.

Launch the body-uppercut combination

Watch Berlanga’s fight footage and he delivers a pounding body shot-uppercut combination. Considering how high and disciplined Sheeraz keeps his guard, Berlanga attacking the body might get the British fighter to lower his defense just enough for the New Yorker to blast him up the middle with an uppercut.

Split the guard, detonate right hook

When he willed himself to doing it, Berlanga had some success splitting Alvarez’s guard last fall.

If he blasts that jab through Sheeraz’s guard forcibly, Berlanga’s best bet is to detonate the right hook around and to the former middleweight title challenger’s temple in what could be the shot needed to have “The Chosen One” reigning as the king of New York on Saturday night.

Hamzah Sheeraz’s Keys to Victory

Assert the jab early

Hamzah Sheeraz digs his lead foot into the canvas well to begin asserting the jab.

Doing this effectively against Edgar Berlanga is a major key.

The weapon continuously finding a home will buy Sheeraz time and ring real estate to operate from the outside where he could accumulate points and rounds, before piecing together something more damaging later.

It all starts with establishing the jab early.

Catch Berlanga in traffic with the counter overhand right

Berlanga sometimes has a penchant of slightly leaning forward or lunging into his punches.

Doing this against Alvarez made him susceptible to a left hook knockdown and he suffered a knockdown courtesy of an overhand right against Marcelo Coceres in October 2021 as well.

If Sheeraz recognizes Berlanga doing this in real time, he must catch him in traffic with a counter overhand right.

This shot across the jaw could be just what Sheeraz needs to score a knockdown.

Let hands go

One of the cries from Sheeraz’s corner late against Adames was to let his hands fully go.

Sheeraz did not oblige as much as his team would have liked him to and had to settle for a draw.

Against Berlanga, who will be fighting forward and making an impression on judges in the process, Sheeraz must show an uptick of punching output in order to have his hand raised in victory.

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