Major Canelo Alvarez rival reveals plan to fight at heavyweight

Edgar Berlanga is set to have his hands full this weekend, but that hasn’t stopped the Puerto Rican puncher from looking ahead. 

On July 12th, Berlanga will welcome Hamzah Sheeraz to the super-middleweight division in an intriguing clash between two fighters eager to prove themselves. 

Last year, Berlanga aimed to become undisputed champion, but his efforts were thwarted by Canelo Alvarez, who defeated him decisively on the scorecards. 

For Sheeraz, his world title ambitions also suffered a setback earlier this year when he was bullied by Carlos Adames at 160lbs before escaping with a controversial draw. 

Now, competing at super-middleweight, Sheeraz faces a dangerous test in his new weight class, but it appears Berlanga has even bigger plans. 

Despite not yet fulfilling his potential at 168lbs, Berlanga is already eyeing a move to heavyweight—but he knows he must first get past Sheeraz. 

Several fighters throughout history have made the leap from super-middleweight to heavyweight, and Berlanga is confident he can be next. 

“I want to fight at heavyweight—two fights. I want to fight at heavyweight for sure because I’ve got the power and I think I’ll be a lot stronger at heavyweight,” said Berlanga when speaking to BoxingScene. 

“It’s for fun. It’s something I want to accomplish. A lot of guys who fought at middleweight and super-middleweight back in the day fought at heavyweight. 

“Roy Jones fought at heavyweight. If he can do it, why can’t I? Didn’t James Toney do it too? So it’s like, ‘Come on, bro,’ and these guys were at 160.”