Edgar Berlanga, Richardson Hitchins want big fights after winning at MSG
Photo by Carlo Estonactoc/NJBoxingNews
NEW YORK — Edgar Berlanga and Richardson Hitchins left The Theater at Madison Square Garden on Sunday night with victories, but both had higher aspirations in mind for the future.
For Berlanga, he hopes his win over Steven Butler earns him a return match with Hamzah Sheeraz, the man who finished him in four rounds last year. For Hitchins, he hopes his shutout win over Ricardo Salas is enough to persuade the top names at welterweight to get in the ring with him.
Before pursuing that rematch, however, the Brooklyn super middleweight says he wants to win a world title and turn their second meeting into a unification fight.
“I want Chris Eubank. I’ve been talking about him for a long time. I think that’ll be a big mega fight in London. We could get it on in November, December,” Berlanga (24-2, 19 knockouts) said Sunday, while also naming Jaime Munguia, Caleb Plant and Jermall Charlo as possible targets.
Each of those options would offer Berlanga a lucrative fight. None, however, carries the same personal significance as Sheeraz.
“We want that fight, man. I want that smoke,” Berlanga said. “But before I get that smoke, I want a world title, and I want to take it from either Munguia or one of these guys, so that when we do meet up with Hamzah Sheeraz, he’s gonna have the WBO, I’m gonna have a world title, and we could do a unification fight.”
It is an ambitious plan for a fighter who is still rebuilding after consecutive losses.
Berlanga’s victory over Butler was his first since the Sheeraz defeat and provided the kind of drama that has kept him relevant through the uneven portions of his career. Butler dropped him near the end of the second round, only for Berlanga to respond by overwhelming the Montreal contender with power punches over the ensuing rounds.
“I was actually upset in the corner,” Berlanga said of the knockdown. “I was like, damn, I got hit. Like, fuck. All right, now let’s regroup. Now the fight starts.”
Hitchins (21-0, 8 KOs) did not produce a knockout against Salas but he controlled nearly every moment of the 10-round fight. Hitchins’ speed, timing and accuracy left Salas’ face swollen and allowed him to complete a near-shutout without taking any unnecessary risks.
Hitchins revealed afterward that a right hand injury had bothered him during training camp and worsened during the fight. Once the pain returned, he abandoned his pursuit of a stoppage rather than risk another long period of inactivity.
“I wanted to stop the guy, but I just felt like I could have really hurt my hand even worse,” Hitchins said. “I already suffered a whole year layoff, and I want to fight again before the year’s over.”
Hitchins hopes to return in November or December against a significant name.
“I’ve been saying it for years that I’m better than Devin Haney,” Hitchins said. “I’ve been telling Devin Haney for years. Whatever he says, he says go get a world title. I said, okay, I’m gonna go get a world title. He said come to 147. I said, okay, here I am at 147.”
Hitchins won the IBF junior welterweight title by defeating Liam Paro and defended it once before relinquishing the belt and moving to welterweight. He says that should satisfy every condition Haney had previously placed in front of him.
“This is the fight that the fans want: Richardson Hitchins versus Devin Haney,” Hitchins said. “It’s a fight that gotta happen.”
Hitchins has little interest in revisiting Paro, who has since won a title at 147 pounds, having defeated Lewis Crocker last month by unanimous decision to lift the IBF welterweight title. In Hitchins’ view, defeating him a second time would do less to advance his standing than facing one of the fighters perceived to be a bigger star.
“Nah, that’s like bullying,” Hitchins said of a possible Paro rematch. “I want the other guys, the guys that y’all say are the stars. The Devin Haneys, Ryan Garcia, Conor Benn, Teofimo Lopez. Just intriguing fights that fans will be happy with.”
Brian Norman Jr. is another name Hitchins would consider, especially because a comparison could then be made between his performance and Haney’s against the same opponent.
Hitchins also expressed interest in Gervonta “Tank” Davis and said he would be willing to meet him at 144 pounds, though he made it clear that he would not accept a rehydration clause.
“I want the best guys out there,” Hitchins said. “Tank Davis is one of the best guys out there, and he’s one of the biggest punchers in the sport of boxing. If Dana brings Tank over here, let’s work something out.”
White offered no immediate commitment regarding Hitchins’ next opponent, saying he had not yet begun thinking specifically about future matchmaking.
“But man, that kid was impressive,” White said.