Super middleweight Edgar Berlanga returned to the win column in style, stopping Steven Butler in the seventh-round of an electrifying firefight.
Fighting in the Zuffa Boxing 09 main event at the Infosys Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York, and live on Paramount+, Brooklyn’s Berlanga, 24-2 (19 KOs), got up off the canvas from a partially blocked right hand from the powerful Butler, 38-6-1 (32 KOs), in the final seconds of round two to take over and wobble Montreal, Canada’s Butler repeatedly before the exciting finish.
Berlanga, who was 1-2 in his last three fights coming in, after having lost to Canelo Alvarez by decision in September 2024, and Hamzah Sheeraz by fifth-round knockout in July of last year, came out looking to box and use his jab and was doing a decent job of it before running into Butler’s right hand and getting knocked down late in the second.
29-year-old Berlanga abandoned his careful boxing approach in round three and initiated a dangerous firefight between the two proven punchers.
The gamble paid off, as Berlanga landed a series of clubbing right hands and left hooks that had Butler reeling around the ring on wobbly legs. To his credit, the tough Canadian never went down, doing just enough to make Berlanga miss the potentially fight-ending blows.
The doctor checked on Butler before a rock ‘em sock ‘em round four that saw Butler land some of his own powerful right hands, despite still standing on legs weakened from the previous round’s beating.
The slugfest continued in the fifth with both men having their moments until Berlanga landed a bomb of a straight right hand midway through the round that once again had Butler staggered.
30-year-old Butler was again checked by the ringside physician before round six.
The resilient Canadian was having a good comeback round in the sixth before running into a Berlanga left hook that dropped him for the first time late in the session.
Cornerman John Scully told the badly dazed Butler he had sixty seconds to “show him something” before round seven.
106 seconds later, Berlanga landed a series of four jackhammer left hooks that had Butler out on his feet. Referee Eric Dali wisely jumped in and stopped it at 1:14.
At the time of the stoppage, Berlanga was winning by scores of 57-55, 58-54 and 57-55.
“It’s a learning experience every time…” said Berlanga, post-fight. “It just shows that I’m a true champion, you know, and we’re not scared to fight anybody. We fought a guy that was a dangerous fighter, a big knockout puncher, you know, that’s what I wanted to bring back to the city. just to prove myself and show people that I’m back.”
Berlanga, who showed improved maturity by not wading into Butler at the first hint of a possible finish, said he knew going in what Butler would try to do if he was hurt.
“I didn’t want to rush. You know, a wounded animal is dangerous, and everybody should know that. I watched his past videos, even when he got stopped, he was always aware, he was always alert, you know? So, I knew that if I hurt him… If I didn’t knock him out clean, but I hurt him, he was gonna look for a big shot.
“That’s what the fans want in New York. You know, it’s gritty. It’s a concrete jungle here. You know, everybody that was born and raised over here knows that it’s hard and that’s why I wanted to pick a hard opponent. And I’m just glad to perform in front of my friends, supporters here.”
