Game, Set, and Match for Shakur Stevenson and Hamzah Sheeraz In Ring III Card Victories Saturday

From top to bottom, there were no Toms or Jerrys present in the boxing ring at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York for the Ring III card. The fighters got the message, and they delivered exciting, action-packed fights with outstanding performances in the co-main events.

Hamzah Sheeraz Delivers Impressive KO of Edgar Berlanga

After this first knockdown by Hamzah Sheeraz, Edgar Berlanga pounded his gloves in frustration. Things only got worse. Photo: Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy/Getty Images

Hamzah Sheeraz of England (22-0-1, 18 KOs) took a lot of heat from trash-talking Edgar Berlanga of Brooklyn (23-2, 18 KOs) during fight week. Sheeraz made Berlanga pay the price with a spiteful, epic beatdown, including two knockdowns and nearly a knockout win if referee David Fields hadn’t stepped in to save Berlanga at 17 seconds of the fifth round.

Sheeraz could not have looked better in his first fight at super middleweight. It was a stunning turnaround from a lackluster draw in his first title fight against Carlos Adames. Whether it was the motivation to prove his critics wrong, his new partnership with trainer Andy Lee, or the fire lit by Berlanga’s insults, it was all on display.

“After my last performance, before this, no promoter would have given me the opportunity. His Excellency (Turki Alalshiekh) gave me the opportunity to bounce right back. I spoke to him Monday. He said, put on a great performance for me, and I stuck to it,” said Sheeraz of his win.

Enjoy Sheeraz’s performance here.

After two cautious rounds, Berlanga started to open up his offense, and it invited Sheeraz’s skilled counterpunching.

In the fourth, Berlanga picked up the pace with a solid left hook combination. He was starting to feel himself. But not for long. Sheeraz snapped Berlanga’s head back with a wicked uppercut halfway through the round.

From there, Sheeraz was on a mission and could not be denied. He hit the target with a hard left hook, dropping Berlanga hard on the canvas. Berlanga pounded his gloves together in frustration. He rose badly hurt and bloodied. With less than 30 seconds, Berlanga should have held and survived by any means necessary. Instead, he decided to fight back.

Sheeraz drilled Berlanga again with a vicious left, then right hook to both sides of the head, dropping him face first. Berlanga got to his feet, badly hurt, but saved by the bell and perhaps a generous count by referee David Fields.

At the start of round five, Berlanga stood on wobbly legs in front of Sheeraz. Sheeraz drew and fired a left/right combination to the head, and before Berlanga could collapse, referee Fields stepped in. Sheeraz jumped in the air, then fell to his knees, elated with the victory.

Hamzah Sheeraz reacts after defeating Edgar Berlanga. Photo: Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy/Getty Images

Sheeraz is now the mandatory WBC super middleweight challenger. The world knows this is the lottery ticket to the Canelo Alvarez sweepstakes.

“Listen, Canelo’s always been a boxing hero of mine,” said Sheeraz. “Even for my name to be mentioned in the same sentence as his, that’s a great achievement myself.

“But listen, if I do get the opportunity to fight him, it won’t be one of those where I try to nick it on points. I will stand in the middle of the ring and have it out. Whoever lands first will have done enough talking.”

Sheeraz thanked his new trainer, Andy Lee, who he said put his faith and trust in him. Lee said Sheeraz has brains, a big heart, and a strong left hand. “We’re only scratching the surface. There’s so much potential. It’s scary how far he can go. Take notice,” said Lee.

“I swear to you, whoever was in the ring with me tonight, there was no stopping me,” said Sheeraz, saying the abuse from fans on social media after his poor performance against Adames “made me a hungrier fighter.”

The abuse will now be directed at Berlanga. The only thing worse than this public humiliation is the meme fest now underway letting Berlanga have it, including by Golden Boy promoter Oscar De La Hoya. Berlanga’s future in boxing will be in doubt after a terrible loss made worse by his bad behavior before the fight.

Shakur Stevenson Shines, Proves a Point Against William Zepeda

William Zepeda brought out the best in Shakur Stevenson. Photo: Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy/Getty Images

In the co-main, WBC Lightweight Champion Shakur Stevenson of Newark (24-0, 11 KOs) showed every tool in his toolkit, defeating a solid effort from former WBC Interim lightweight titleholder William “El Camarón” Zepeda of Mexico (33-1, 27 KOs) by unanimous decision.

Watch Stevenson vs Zepeda highlights here.

Zepeda’s style wasn’t any different in this fight than in his prior fights. He is a relentless volume puncher with an engine and stamina that won’t quit. He batters his opponents to the body to break them down in classic Mexican style.

It might be the best thing that ever happened to Stevenson, because Zepeda forced him into a fight. Stevenson proved he’s been capable of going toe to toe without abandoning the brilliant boxing skills that made him one of today’s elite talents.

“I came here to prove a point. It wasn’t the performance I was looking for because I came here trying to prove a point and I was trying to fight. So I took more punishment than usual,” said Stevenson.

“But at the end of the day, I told y’all, whatever it takes to get the job done. I got dog in me. I’m not no puppy, I’m not no poodle. I’m a tough guy. I got dog in me. I fought,” said Stevenson.

William Zepeda dug down to the body, but Shakur Stevenson stood in tough. Photo: Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy/Getty Images

Stevenson said he watched opponents get in the ring with Zepeda and he saw his toughness. “He came here, he pushed me to another level. I had to go in my bag, he just kept coming.

Early in the fight, Zepeda had success pressing Stevenson back into the ropes and unleashing his punches. “He tried to pin me again the ropes, so I had to switch it up and not sit against the ropes too long … I had to stay off the ropes, pick my punches, and make sure I come out victorious,” explained Stevenson.

During Fight Week, Stevenson wore a baseball cap decorated with the cartoon characters Tom and Jerry, a sly nod to the criticism about being a fighter who runs like the cat and mouse. Stevenson said after the fight, “Jerry came here and did what he had to do.”

At the post-fight news conference, Stevenson called out Gervonta Davis. With Davis facing legal trouble ahead of his planned rematch with Lamont Roach Jr., it’s not likely to come to pass anytime soon. But with Stevenson riding high, now is the time to put Tank on notice.

Subriel Matias Hands Alberto Puello His First Loss

Subriel Matias is now a two division champion. Photo: Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy/Getty Images

Former IBF Junior Lightweight champion Subriel Matias of Puerto Rico (23-2, 22 KOs) is now a two-time champion with a hard-fought victory over Alberto Puello of the Dominican Republic (24-1, 10 KOs). Matias wins the WBC Super Lightweight belt.

The scores reflect a competitive fight: 115-113, 115-113, and 114-114.

Matias and Puello delivered a slick action fight with high volume and swings in momentum. Puello has held off all his challengers to date including several fights where he was the underdog. Puello punches and moves to avoid most incoming fire while scoring with crisp punching.

But he couldn’t keep Matias away, who forced so many of his opponents to simply retire in their corner due to his relentless pressure and pace.

“I’m very happy with everyone that came out to see us,” said Matias. “When I lost in 2024 (to Liam Paro of Australia in a homecoming fight in Puerto Rico), a lot of people laughed about me. But I told them I would come back and be a world champion,” and Matias did just that.

Matias added, “Puello is a great champion and without him, this would not have been possible.” Matias is already booked for a fight with undefeated Dalton Smith of England on the November 22 Riyadh Season card.

Watch highlights from the fight here.

David Morrell Gets Past a Tough Challenge from Imam Khataev

David Morrell is fortunate to escape from New York witha win over Imam Khataev. Photo: Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy/Getty Images

Imam Khataev deserved far better from the judges in Queens after showing himself to be a serious king of power punching in the light heavyweight division.

See fight highlights here.

Khataev (10-1, 9 KOs), a Russian native training in Australia with Jim Kambosos, seemed well on his way to a definitive win over Morrell of Cuba (12-1, 9 KOs) in an impressive performance. Khataev came out strong, finding the target against Morrell, including the first knockdown of Morrell’s pro career in the fifth round from a looping right hook.

But Morrell rallied when he finally decided he needed to win rounds with his boxing skills. He stepped up his effort when he saw Khataev fading in the final two rounds and got back at Khataev by buzzing him hard in both rounds. It still seemed Khataev did enough to prevail, but Morrell won by split decision by winning the tenth and final round. Scores were 95-94 and 95-94, 96-93 for Khataev.

“You know, I was training hard every day in Houston,” thanking his team and the fans for their support. “It was my boxing, I moved, I feel great.”

Khataev is more than a simple power puncher. His ring generalship, solid chin, and defensive responsibility give his power lots of backup. Unlike in some of his previous fights, he didn’t gas out in the later rounds. Despite losing, Khataev won over a lot of fans and he will be welcome back in the ring.

Featherweight Reito Tsutsumi of Japan (2-0, 1 KO) got the knockout win he’d hoped for in his pro debut, taking out Michael Ruiz of New Jersey (2-8-1) with ease behind some wicked left hooks to the body. Tsutsumi dropped Ruiz twice in the first round, but Ruiz made it to the bell.

Credit to Ruiz who took the fight on short notice, but it only meant he had to take one more wicked shot before the fight was over.

Watch the highlights here:

Tsutsumi shows he’s learning quickly in the training camp of Robert Garcia training alongside Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez.