Edgar “The Chosen One” Berlanga will fight Marcelo Esteban “El Terrible” Coceres in a ten-round 169-pound showdown, while Julian “J-Rock” Williams (pictured) will face Mexico’s Vladimir Hernandez in a ten-round junior middleweight bout in Williams' first fight since losing his two title belts. Those two fights will happen on  Saturday, October 9th at T-Mobile Arena in preliminary bouts to be aired on cable before the heavyweight grudge match between WBC champion Tyson “The Gypsy King” Fury and his predecessor Deontay “The Bronze Bomber” Wilder. Berlanga-Coceres and Williams-Hernandez will be televised live at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on ESPN2, ESPN Deportes, FS1 and Fox Deportes, and simulcast on ESPN+. Preliminary bouts will stream live on the ESPN App and Fox Sports App starting at 4:30 p.m. ET/1:30 p.m. PT.

 

The all-heavyweight Fury vs. Wilder III pay-per-view bonanza begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT and features 2016 Nigerian Olympian Efe Ajagba squaring off against fellow unbeaten Frank “The Cuban Flash”; a rematch between Robert “The Nordic Nightmare” Helenius and Adam “Babyface” Kownacki; and the eight-round pay-per-view opener featuring 21 year-old Jared “The Real Big Baby” Anderson versus Russian veteran Vladimir Tereshkin.

 

Berlanga (17-0, 16 KOs), the Brooklyn-bred puncher with Puerto Rican roots, became one of boxing’s most talked-about fighters by scoring first-round knockouts in his first 16 fights. The knockout streak ended in April, as Berlanga knocked down Demond Nicholson four times in eight rounds and had to settle for a unanimous decision.

 

Coceres (30-2-1, 16 KOs), from Argentina, challenged Billy Joe Saunders for the WBO super middleweight world title in November 2019 and was nearly level on the scorecards before being knocked out in the eleventh round. He last fought in June, knocking out Nelson Nicolas Rosalez in the second round.

 

Berlanga said, “I am thrilled to be fighting on the Fury-Wilder III card, and I am coming do what I always do, which is to steal the show and knock out my opponent in devastating fashion. Coceres is in for a rude awakening on October 9th. Do not get up for a snack when I’m fighting. It’s going to be a short, brutal night. Count on it.”

 

“Berlanga can say what he wants about making it a short night or whatever. The biggest talkers are usually the most insecure,” said Coceres. “I know what I bring to the table. I’ve been in there with the better fighters, while he’s feasted on a diet of nobodies. In my mind, it won’t be an upset when I beat this kid. On October 9th, it is man versus boy, and that boy is in for a rude awakening.”

 

Philadelphia’s Williams (27-2-1, 16 KOs) became a unified world champion at 154-pounds in May 2019 when he upset Jarrett Hurd in one of the year’s best fights, winning a close-quarters brawl by unanimous decision. The 31-year-old dropped the titles in his first defense, losing to Jeison Rosario in January 2020. Williams had been riding a five-fight winning streak going into the Rosario matchup, in which he added victories over former champion Ishe Smith and hard-hitting contender Nathaniel Gallimore to his ledger. He returns to action on Oct. 9 against the 32-year-old Hernandez (12-4, 6 KOs).

 

Originally from Durango, Mexico, Hernandez now lives in Denver, Colorado, and most recently earned a decision victory over longtime contender Alfredo Angulo in August 2020.

 

"I’m thankful for the opportunity to compete on this amazing card," said Williams. "I’m excited to be getting back in the ring and starting my journey back to the very top of the division."

 

“I’m very thankful for this opportunity to get back in the ring on October 9th,” said Hernandez. “I expect Julian Williams to be prepared like I am to give the fans a great fight. I have been doing nothing but staying ready and training since my last fight. I promise that I’m going to bring the action when that bell rings.”

 

Other preliminary bouts include a ten-round featherweight bout between two-time Cuban Olympic gold medalist Robeisy “El Tren” Ramirez (21-3 including the World Series of Boxing) and unbeaten Puerto Rican Orlando “Capu” Gonzalez (17-0, 10 KOs), heavyweight Viktor Faust (7-0, 5 KOs) in an eight-rounder against Mike Marshall (6-1, 4 KOs), the pro debut of former U.S. amateur star Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington in a four-round featherweight contest against an opponent to be named, and junior welterweight standout Elvis “The Dominican Kid” Rodriguez (11-1-1, 10 KOs) versus Victor Vazquez (11-5, 5 KOs) in an eight-rounder.