Golden Boy/Cris Esqueda
Edgar Berlanga plans to bounce back in a big way.
On July 26th, Berlanga will face off against Steven Butler at Zuffa Boxing 09 at Madison Square Garden in his first fight since he lost to Hamzah Sheeraz.
We spoke with Berlanga about his upcoming fight against Butler, what he’s been up to over the past year, and his future in boxing.
It’s been a year since your last fight. How are you feeling leading up to fight week?
“I’m excited, you know, I’m anxious, I’m happy. I got a lot of feelings, you know. My nerves are good nerves.that I know that I’m about to touch down in the city, and it’s gonna be a big weekend. You got Fanatics Fest that we’re doing, fight week, and then fight night, man. I’m just excited, I’m anxious, I’m happy. Ready to perform.”
What do you know about your opponent, Steven Butler?
“I know he’s gonna come and try to wi.. All these guys, man, I tell everybody, I’m like his Canelo, you know what I mean? I’m his step up, I’m his biggest fight. So, you know, I know he’s coming in there, and he’s gonna come to fight, he’s coming in shape, and he’s coming to win. And that’s the type of fighters we need, you know, this boxing at the end of the day. I know he’s not gonna sit down there and lay, lay down on me and, you know, take a, take a beating. He’s gonna come to fight, you know, he knows he’s in my backyard, and he has to come in. He knows he’s gotta try to knock me out, and that’s not gonna happen.
You’ve taken the last year off after your loss to Sheeraz, what have you been up to?
I was in a bad place mentally, and with all the promoters arguing with each other, we didn’t know what was going on until a couple of months ago. There were a lot of things going on with the promoters. They were beefing with each other. There were a lot of things going on. Top Rank, and with the networks, and just a lot of things were going on.
I knew one thing, I knew I was gonna bounce back. I always knew I was gonna bounce back. So I just made sure that I was training at least three times a week, in the gym. Running, hitting the bag, just staying active, you know, getting closer with the Lord, just trying to get my mind right, and just stay positive here because, you know, coming off a loss sometimes it could break fighters.
Considering you’re coming off a loss, do you feel that you need to make a big statement against Butler?
Absolutely, absolutely. This fight can’t go the distance. Like, it can’t. I don’t think it— I don’t think it should go the distance. I think I got to make a statement for real, like a real statement, you know what I’m saying? To really shock the 168 division, like, oh sh-t, he’s back. Let these dudes know that I’m here, and I want to become world champion.”
If you win this fight, what plans do you have for the rest of the year?
“I want to fight at the end of the year, you know. I want to line up that Chris Eubank fight in London, at the end of the year, you know, November, December, but definitely I want to get in 2 fights this year for sure,”
Berlanga is set to face off against Butler on Sunday, July 26th at Madison Square Garden.
Locked in for #ZuffaBoxing09 🤩
What fight are you looking forward to the most?
🎟️ https://t.co/nQvOtEh4h9 |📍@InfosysTheater pic.twitter.com/u9z1ALxczg
— Zuffa_Boxing (@Zuffa_Boxing) July 8, 2026