Sheeraz Crushes Berlanga, Stevenson Defeats Zepada

On July 12, 2025, Louis Armstrong Stadium in Queens, New York, hosted an electrifying night of boxing for The Ring III card, broadcast live on DAZN Pay-Per-View. The main event, a WBC super middleweight title eliminator, saw Hamzah Sheeraz deliver a career-defining performance against Edgar Berlanga, while the undercard featured thrilling title fights and standout performances. Here’s a recap of the results and key moments.

Main Event: Hamzah Sheeraz def. Edgar Berlanga via KO (Round 5, 0:17)

Hamzah Sheeraz (22-0-1, 18 KOs) made a thunderous super middleweight debut, stopping hometown favorite Edgar Berlanga (23-2, 18 KOs) in the fifth round. Sheeraz, moving up from middleweight, overwhelmed Berlanga with precision and power. In the fourth round, Sheeraz dropped Berlanga twice with devastating combinations, including a left hook and a three-punch flurry, leaving Berlanga wobbly but saved by the bell. Just 17 seconds into the fifth, Sheeraz landed another brutal three-punch combo, dropping Berlanga to a knee, prompting referee David Fields to stop the fight. Sheeraz’s victory positions him as a mandatory challenger for Canelo Alvarez’s WBC super middleweight title, with a potential 2026 showdown looming. Berlanga, who entered with Fat Joe and high expectations, now faces a setback after his second loss in four fights.

Co-Main Event: Shakur Stevenson def. William Zepeda via Unanimous Decision

Shakur Stevenson (24-0, 11 KOs) retained his WBC lightweight title with a masterful unanimous decision over William Zepeda (33-1, 27 KOs), with scores of 118-110, 118-110, and 119-109. Stevenson’s surgical jab and defensive prowess neutralized Zepeda’s high-volume pressure, though Zepeda landed significant shots in rounds three and four. Stevenson’s clean counterpunching and ring control shone in the later rounds, earning him a dominant win despite some crowd boos for his cautious style. The victory sets up potential unification bouts or a clash with Floyd Schofield.

Undercard Highlights

• Subriel Matias def. Alberto Puello via Majority Decision (114-114, 115-113, 115-113): Matias claimed the WBC super lightweight title in a competitive bout, overcoming a draw on one scorecard with relentless pressure to edge out the defending champion Puello.

• David Morrell def. Imam Khataev via Split Decision (94-95, 96-93, 95-94): In a light heavyweight thriller, Morrell survived a fifth-round knockdown to outlast Khataev, landing cleaner combinations to secure a narrow victory.

• Reito Tsutsumi def. Michael Ruiz via TKO (Round 2): The Japanese featherweight prospect Tsutsumi (2-0, 1 KO) overwhelmed Ruiz (2-8-1) with body shots, scoring three knockdowns before the referee stopped the fight early in the second round.