Edgar Berlanga says he’s going to be back in action in December in his first fight since being knocked out in the fifth round by Hamzah Sheeraz. The super middleweight contender Berlanga (23-2, 18 KOs) is on another rebuild after his humiliating performance in the main event on Turki Alalshikh’s card on July 12th in Queens, New York.

Berlanga’s Promotional Future

Edgar is still a promotional free agent after his multi-fight contract with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom expired with his fight against Jonathan Gonzalez-Ortiz on March 15th. Berlanga’s performance against Sheeraz was so bad that he may have problems finding a new promoter. Not surprisingly, Hearn said he wasn’t interested in re-signing Berlanga to a new contract after his loss to Sheeraz.

Berlanga didn’t give any hints about who he’ll be facing, but it’s likely a non-contender. He’s shown that he can beat actual contenders, yet he’s failed the two times he’s fought at the world level now.

Rebuilding a Boxing Career

It’s going to be a lot tougher this time for the Brooklyn, New York native Berlanga to come back, as he got beaten by the undproven fighter Sheeraz, who he made look better than he is.

Berlanga, 28, is still young, but he doesn’t look like he can improve enough to defeat the talented super middleweight contenders like Diego Pacheco, Christian Mbilli or Osleys Iglesias. Those fighters would likely do exactly what Sheeraz did, but much faster, as they are arguably more talented.

“I had said before that Berlanga is going to have to knock this guy out in two or three rounds. If he doesn’t knock him out in those two or three rounds, he’s going to have some problems,” said trainer Jose Benavidez Sr. to Fight Hub TV, talking about his thoughts about Edgar Berlanga’s fight against Hamzah Sheeraz last month on July 12th.

“He had everything. He just underestimated Sheeraz. It was a big surprise for everybody. He got hit very hard, couldn’t recoup, and Sheeraz took care of business. I like Berlanga. He has a lot of talent,” said Jose Sr.

The reason for Berlanga’s loss wasn’t because he underestimated Hamzah. He’s just not very good, and never was. If you look at Edgar’s past fights, you could see how he struggled against Roamer Angulo, Steve Rolls, and Marcelo Coceres. Those fights showed that he wasn’t the fighter that fans had been led to believe after watching him knockout his first 16 opponents in the first round.

Is Berlanga a Problem?

“He fought with Top Rank. He fought with Eddie Hearn. He fought with De La Hoya. You don’t do those kinds of things. Now, who are you going to fight for?” said Benavidez Sr.

In other words, Berlanga may have burned his bridges with those promotional companies. I think they would all take Berlanga back, but not for a lucrative deal that he would be looking to get. The only way he would do well is if he’s protected with the same soft matchmaking that Hearn and Top Rank did for him. Once they match him tough, he’ll lose because he’s not a super talent. He’s just a basic run-of-the-mill slugger with poor defense and a weak chin.

“I just think a lot of people think that he’s just a problem. People don’t want to deal with that. He has to come humble and respectful now. He’s young. It’s a lesson to be learned. He can definitely come back and come stronger than ever,” said Jose Sr.

It sounds like Benavidez Sr. wants to train Berlanga. I don’t see him being able to work miracles with him, because he’s too inherently flawed to be fixed by Jose. Sr. or any trainer.

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— Edgar Berlanga Jr (@EdgarBerlangaJr) August 10, 2025