The temperature wasn’t the only thing rising in Queens on July 12, 2025. As thousands packed into Louis Armstrong Stadium for the first-ever boxing event at the USTA Billie Jean King Tennis Center, the atmosphere was thick with anticipation. Brooklyn’s own Edgar Berlanga was headlining on home turf, and British contender Hamzah Sheeraz was expected to play the role of villain. But by night’s end, roles had flipped—and Berlanga had been left on the canvas.

Sheeraz, long considered one of the UK’s most clinical rising stars, didn’t just beat Berlanga. He stopped him emphatically in round five—after dropping him twice in the fourth—and walked away with the undefeated record intact and the crowd stunned into silence. But for all the fireworks inside the ropes, it was Berlanga’s antics outside them that had drawn just as much attention in the lead-up.

In his post-fight interview with BoxNation, the 6’3″ Londoner was asked about the build-up. The interviewer noted, “He sold the fight brilliantly.” Sheeraz agreed, without hesitation.

“Brilliantly. And I didn’t have to do anything. I didn’t have to do anything. And I think he kind of had to do that because I was coming into his backyard.”

Sheeraz then acknowledged the partisan support Berlanga received. “But to be fair, they showed up for him yesterday. They showed up for him. There was a lot of support for him.”

What really struck him, though, was the difference in crowd reaction once the lights dimmed and the legend Michael Buffer stepped up.

“When Michael Buffer announced his name in the ring and I heard the roar, and then when he announced my name and I heard the boos, I was like, all right, let’s go in a hostile environment. But, you know, I don’t mind that.”

Berlanga tried to take control early on, but Sheeraz’s careful use of power and timing beat him. The stoppage not only stopped the flamboyant Porter puncher, but it also put Sheeraz right in the running for the crown. As many have said, this powerful performance makes him a strong contender for the red-hot Canelo Álvarez, as long as Alvarez gets past his next fight with Terence Crawford.

Oscar De La Hoya wears wig and mocks Edgar Berlanga after Hamzah Sheeraz knockout

Oscar De La Hoya didn’t wait long to break out the petty party hats after Edgar Berlanga’s stunning defeat to Hamzah Sheeraz. The Golden Boy Promotions boss, never one to bite his tongue, took to social media shortly after the bout with a mocking video that left little to the imagination. “Sheeraz, congratulations. Bumlanga, oh my god, you got knocked out! Something Canelo Alveroids couldn’t do,” he jeered, deliberately twisting names for maximum sting.

But this wasn’t just about losing; it was revenge. Before the fight, Berlanga had started a weird and theatrical verbal feud with De La Hoya. At one news appearance, the Brooklyn native threw money, underwear, and even a wig at the former six-weight world champion and called him a “stripper.” The attack was meant to make someone look bad. Instead, it became part of Oscar’s retribution tour.

Never one to miss a punchline, De La Hoya appeared in his post-fight video wearing a wig—a direct jab at Berlanga’s press-con antics. The message was clear: if you try to clown the Golden Boy, you’d better win the fight. Berlanga didn’t.