It didn’t take long for tempers to flare and chilling predictions to be made during Thursday’s press conference in promotion of the Edgar Berlanga vs. Hamzah Sheeraz and Shakur Stevenson vs. William Zepeda doubleheader set for July 12th in New York City, and live on DAZN. After Zepeda, the WBC interim lightweight titleholder, called challenging for Stevenson’s WBC lightweight championship “the opportunity of my life,” he vowed to be ready for any style that Stevenson throws at him in less than two months.

 

Stevenson, a Newark, New Jersey native, shot down that notion. “He can’t do nothing different,” Stevenson insisted on the press conference dais at Palladium Times Square in New York City. “He’s coming in there to throw as many punches as possible, overwhelm me, make me tired and try to bully me, and I’m not going to let that happen. I don’t believe that bulls—t he’s talking about.”

 

When each were asked to give their fight prediction, Zepeda said “I can’t leave this in judges’ hands” to which Stevenson offered: “I’m going to go out there and do what I do best — win — but in spectacular fashion. I’m not going to give you a prediction on the stoppage but I’m coming out there to whip his a—.”

 

Berlanga and Sheeraz were equally forthcoming with their verbal jabs and predictions toward their super middleweight tilt. Sheeraz did not mince words in saying he feels like a few jabs and unleashing a right hand will be enough of a recipe to “knock him the f—k out.”

 

Berlanga counterpunched that idea by predicting that Sheeraz will become his 18th first-round knockout victim. “If he comes to fight the first round, I’m going to knock him out,” Berlanga promised. “Bad, like super bad. I’m knocking him out.”

 

Berlanga (23-1, 18 KOs) rebounded from his first pro loss — a unanimous decision defeat at the hands of Canelo Alvarez in September — by destroying Jonathan Gonzalez Ortiz via first-round KO in March. Seventeen of Berlanga’s knockouts have been generated in the first round.

 

He faces a gritty Sheeraz (21-0-1, 17 KOs), who fought Carlos Adames to a split draw in February.

 

Meanwhile, Stevenson (23-0, 11 KOs) is coming off a ninth-round TKO of Josh Padley in February in recording his second defense of his WBC lightweight world championship.

 

In a rematch with Tevin Farmer this past March, Zepeda (33-0, 27 KOs) scored a majority decision victory to retain his WBC interim lightweight title.