​NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JULY 12: Edgar Berlanga looks on prior to fighting Hamzah Sheeraz for the super middleweight title eliminator at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on July 12, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy/Getty Images) | Getty Images
“The Chosen One” is back. Edgar Berlanga will seek to rebound by blasting his way back into the win column when he meets Canadian super middleweight Steven Butler in a 10-round Zuffa Boxing 9 event on Paramount+, officially set for Sunday, July 26, 2026 at the Infosys Theater in Madison Square Garden. Berlanga, now 23-2 with 18 knockouts, is hoping to recover from a fifth-round knockout loss to Hamzah Sheeraz about a year ago, part of a rough 1-2 stretch that also included a decision defeat to Canelo Alvarez in late 2024. Butler, at 38-5-1 with 32 KOs, has won four straight, most recently stopping Ramadan Hiseni in the second round in March.
Also announced for Zuffa 9 is a welterweight bout between Richardson Hitchins and Ricardo Salas, each set for 12 rounds. In addition, Sergiy Derevyanchenko will clash with Jalil Hackett in a 10-round opener on the main card. More preliminary bouts and matchups are expected to be announced in the coming days. For more boxing news and notes, stay tuned.