July 12 in New York ain’t your average night, mate — it’s a full-blown military op disguised as a boxing show. Tight timing, loaded card, and a few decisions from the top that make you shake your head. The Ring Magazine card streams live on DAZN PPV at $59.99 in the U.S. and £24.99 in the U.K.
Bell rings at 6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT / 11 p.m. BST, with Shakur Stevenson vs William Zepeda expected around 8:40 p.m. ET / 5:40 p.m. PT / 3 a.m. BST. But the real noise? Brooklyn’s own Edgar Berlanga (23-1, 18 KOs), somehow dropped into a WBC super middleweight eliminator against Hamzah Sheeraz (21-0-1, 17 KOs).
This Fight Stinks of Favors, Not Fairness
You don’t need to be Einstein to smell the setup. Sheeraz hasn’t fought at 168 before and barely scraped by Carlos Adames in February — most had him losing that one. Now he’s getting a crack to become Canelo’s mandatory? Yeah, sure thing. Berlanga, meanwhile, got schooled by Canelo last year and somehow gets rewarded with a shortcut back. Sixth in the rankings, but headlining the show because Brooklyn crowds bring dollars. You see the pattern.
Let’s not sugarcoat it: Berlanga’s got hype, not hierarchy. He sells tickets, not titles. That’s the game now — numbers over merit, noise over skill.
Undercard’s Doing the Heavy Lifting
Now, if you actually care about real fighting, the undercard’s where your eyes should be. Shakur Stevenson defends his WBC lightweight crown against the madman pressure of William Zepeda. Brains versus brawl. If Zepeda drags him into a war instead of a chess fight, we might get fireworks.
David Morrell (11-1, 9 KOs) returns after catching hell from Benavidez earlier this year. He’s in deep against Russian Olympian Imam Khataev (10-0, 9 KOs), who doesn’t waste time playing safe. That one could turn savage fast.
And then there’s Puello vs Matias for the WBC 140-lb strap — a slick boxer versus a tank. That’s your sleeper pick.
Logic Left the Building
Stacked card, no doubt. But logic? Nah. Berlanga earning another shot at Canelo is a joke, and Sheeraz moving up off a dodgy draw just makes it weirder. Still, fans love the chaos, and this one’s dripping with it. Boxing never changes — the politics just get louder.
Shakur Stevenson vs William Zepeda fight card
- Shakur Stevenson vs William Zepeda; Lightweight, for the WBC title
- Edgar Berlanga vs Hamzah Sheeraz; Super middleweight
- Alberto Puello vs Subriel Matias; Super lightweight, for the WBC title
- David Morrell vs Imam Khataev; Light heavyweight