MIKE DROP BOXING AT ITS BEST By Mike Coppinger
it was a gift for the Englishman, that Adames deserved the decision. Sheeraz listened as he was called a fraud and then laughed in the face of his polar-opposite foe, Edgar Berlanga. Berlanga crowned himself the King of New York and vowed to finish off Sheeraz with a spectacular knockout in the early going. It was Berlanga who was planted on the canvas twice. The second time, he was deposited face-first just in front of me as I sat on the apron for ringside commentary. I was surprised – and impressed – that Berlanga beat the count. He wasn’t happy with me saying that I believed he was just there to
after Times Square. Shakur Stevenson was another fighter with plenty to prove. There’s little doubt about his tremendous boxing ability, but he hasn’t always entertained, even when his opponents were overmatched. Shakur played along as Turki Alalshikh called for the end of “Tom and Jerry fights” as Stevenson wore a hat depicting the classic cartoon at the weigh-in. In the ring, Stevenson thrilled fans with his ability to make William Zepeda miss and make him pay. That second part is key. Stevenson never had any issues evading punches. This time, he punished his foe, one who had long waited for a shot at Stevenson’s WBC lightweight title.
that’s not used nearly often enough in boxing: setting up the next fight right then and there while momentum is high. Too often, a fighter scores a big win and then you sit around and wonder for months what’s next. Not this time. The first of the four featured bouts was another slugfest that could have gone either way. David Morrell was coming off the first loss of his career, a spirited decision setback to David Benavidez in February. Usually such rising stars on the heels of a defeat will ease back in. Morrell enjoyed no such luxury against rugged Russian puncher Imam Khataev. Khataev didn’t arrive in New York until days before the fight as he
survive against Canelo Alvarez in September 2024 – a fight Canelo won by a very wide unanimous decision. Against Sheeraz, he might have lost, but he left no doubt about his fighting spirit. Now it’s Sheeraz who could land his own shot against boxing’s
dealt with visa issues, but there were no signs of trouble in the ring. He dropped the decision but scored a knockdown (the first of Morrell’s career) and will no doubt be back in another big fight. As for the Cuban, Morrell could be lined up for a fight with former
The Ring’s next installment of fights, on November 22 in Riyadh, has a lot to live up to.
top star following the fifth-round TKO. During our post-fight interview, he called for the opportunity, and there are plans to make it happen in February, when Alvarez is slated for the third fight of his Riyadh Season deal. Sheeraz looked like a new fighter both in his first bout at 168 pounds and with trainer Andy Lee. With his good looks, charisma and knockout power, Sheeraz has a genuine chance to reach stardom. He doesn’t need to defeat Canelo; he just needs to fight him and make a good account of himself. “Canelo’s always been a boxing hero of mine,” Sheeraz told me. “So even for my name to be mentioned in the same sentence as his, that’s a great achievement [for] myself. If I do get the opportunity to fight him, it won’t be one of those where I try to nick it on points. I will stand in the middle with him and have it out. And whoever lands first, I suppose [they] get knocked out, don’t they?” Music to the ears of boxing fans, and especially Canelo after what he endured with William Scull in Riyadh the night
Zepeda was fighting on the elite level for the first time, and while he suffered his first career defeat, he showed he could hang with the best. His nonstop pressure and relentless pursuit has made him one of boxing’s top action fighters, and the performance only strengthened that status. The other title fight on the card was arguably the best of the night: a back- and-forth battle between Alberto Puello and Subriel Matias for the WBC junior welterweight title. Matias was written off by many observers and fans after his lackluster decision loss to Liam Paro, who the Puerto Rican conceded was an inferior boxer to Puello, in June 2024. Against Puello, Matias was up for the task as he pulled out a close decision win in a grueling fight to become a two-time titleholder. During our post-fight interview, we welcomed Dalton Smith to face off with Matias. Smith is the WBC mandatory, and that fight is now planned for November in Riyadh, with Puello in line for the winner. It’s a refreshing wrinkle
champion Callum Smith. And most of all, he showed that the traditional boxing method of babying fighters following losses is unnecessary. Now the loss to Benavidez is a distant memory and we’re only thinking of his fantastic action win and what’s next. The Ring’s next installment of fights, on November 22 in Riyadh, has a lot to live up to. But on paper, the four scheduled title fights all promise to deliver action. Benavidez will defend against Anthony Yarde, Haney will meet Brian Norman, and Abdullah Mason will face Sam Noakes. In addition, Bam Rodriguez will defend his Ring Magazine championship vs. fellow titleholder Fernando Martinez. The fighters have been presented with an opportunity and, as we know too well, it's now up to them to deliver. Just as they did on a July evening in Queens. Mike Coppinger is The Ring’s senior insider. He was previously ESPN’s lead boxing reporter. Follow him on X/ Instagram: @MikeCoppinger.
H amzah Sheeraz dropped to his knees in a heap of emotion, the exclamation point on a May night in New York City that featured eight boxers with something to prove. Better yet, they all fought like it. In boxing, you can make matchups that look great on paper, but the styles must mesh inside the ring. Not just the way the athletes fight, but the passion (or lack thereof) they exude. The Ring’s first stateside offering, in which a ring was erected literally in the middle of Times Square, also featured a host of fighters looking to reclaim status. Only those fighters, by and large, lacked urgency inside the squared circle.
The habitually durable Berlanga couldn’t handle Sheeraz’s power.
Ryan Garcia was listless in the final fight of the night as he was floored in Round 2 and then rarely threw combinations in a dreary upset loss to Rolly Romero. Garcia was competing for the first time since his one-year ban was lifted for performance-enhancing drug use. That was in connection with what was his career-best victory, an April 2024 fight where he dropped Devin Haney three times. The majority decision was overturned to a no contest. Haney, too, fought with little fire as he cruised to a wide decision win over Jose Ramirez in the Times Square event. Two months later and seven miles to the east in Queens, at the site of the
annual U.S. Open of tennis, The Ring delivered a rare show, one where all four featured fights delivered action, drama and entertainment. How often does that happen? Sure, there might be some perceived bias when talking about an event with our logo on it, but in this case, there were no shortcomings to spin. This was boxing at its best; even the critics agreed. Sheeraz was looking to rebound from February’s draw with Carlos Adames in Riyadh. The court of public opinion said
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