British warrior Hamzah Sheeraz will have his US debut along with his 168-pound debut on July 12 in New York, when he will face Puerto Rico’s Edgar Berlanga on the Shakur Stevenson-William Zepeda card. And Sheeraz, 21-0-1(17) and coming off a draw with Carlos Adames in a middleweight title challenge that some fans felt he won, says he wants both a win and a spectacular, or “razzmatazz” performance.

Sheeraz, speaking with The Ring, said he wants to leave America, having left a good, excitement-filled impression on the US fight fans. Berlanga, 23-1(18) and beaten only by Canelo Alvarez, who defeated him a while back, is predicting a KO win over Sheeraz, and “The Chosen One” wants to look good himself. It could prove to be a good fight, maybe even the fight of the night.

Sheeraz Seeks “Razzmatazz” Performance

“It’s not just about winning,” Sheeraz said. “It’s about putting on a performance because the US fans truly appreciate the razzmatazz and the drama that comes with a fight of this magnitude. The buck stops with me at the moment. I definitely have to impress because it’s my first fight in America, so I need to get these fans over here behind me and let them know who Hamzah Sheeraz really is. Winning this fight does everything for my profile in America and more. This is a fight against someone with a loud mouth who talks a lot of smack.”

Berlanga does indeed engage in a good deal of trash talk, and if Sheeraz takes the action to Berlanga when they fight and if he can dominate the fight, it could be that the fans will begin cheering for him, hoping to see him shut Berlanga’s mouth. However, if Berlanga comes out as the aggressor and he either dominates Sheeraz or, worse, makes him fight negatively, the fans will be firmly on the Puerto Rican’s side.

There is considerable pressure on Sheeraz here. Having been referred to by his promoter Frank Warren as a “British Thomas Hearns,” Sheeraz has a lot to live up to and a lot to prove. But Sheeraz seems to understand this fully, and he’s ready to rock against Berlanga. Again, the chemistry here should make for a good and exciting fight. But who wins? You can call this one a 50/50 fight.