Edgar Berlanga vs Hamzah Sheeraz Predictions, Picks & Odds for July 12

A high-stakes matchup between two top contenders takes place at super middleweight tonight when Hamzah Sheeraz moves up to face Edgar Berlanga. 

Sheeraz aims to insert himself in the “Canelo” Alvarez sweepstakes while Berlanga looks to score the biggest win of his career. Sheeraz is favored to score a win as a minor -135 favorite over +110 underdog Berlanga.

Here are my best Sheeraz vs. Berlanga predictions and free betting picks from the Louis Armstrong Arena in Queens, NY on Saturday, July 12.

Berlanga vs Sheeraz prediction and pick

• My fight prediction: Sheeraz moneyline (-135 at DraftKings)
  
  
• My best bet: Sheeraz by decision (+200 at DraftKings)

Fight analysis
Hamzah Sheeraz is the prized prospect of boxing’s current power broker, Turki Alalshikh, but was pushed too fast into a middleweight title fight with Carlos Adames, where he received a very generous draw. 

This fight serves a dual purpose in that Sheeraz will get a huge boost in the super middleweight rankings with a win, and also signals the end of Edgar Berlanga’s fifteen minutes of fame.

The Puerto Rican bomber is just one fight removed from a listless decision loss to “Canelo” Alvarez last September in a fight where Alvarez was heavily criticized for choosing the extremely limited Berlanga to begin with.

Berlanga did have some momentum early in his career as a knockout artist, though that period ended the minute he took on sterner opposition, and he’s as crude a brawler as they come.

He’s a front-runner with clubbing shots and devastating power right out of the gates, but as Alvarez demonstrated in their fight, he doesn’t have a Plan B and tends to get sloppy and wild as the fight drags on. We aren’t too far removed from when Berlanga bit Roamer Angulo out of frustration as the veteran was hanging tougher than he had hoped.

Sheeraz turned pro at 18 after a decorated amateur career and has turned into a solid professional entering his prime.

Aside from the draw against Adames, he’s scored 17 knockouts in 21 wins, and he works behind an educated approach with a stiff jab and strong fundamentals. Adames did shake his confidence somewhat by not being phased by his power, eventually outworking him for long stretches until Sheeraz showed urgency in the later rounds, but Adames has far more skill and experience than Berlanga at this stage of his career.

Early on, Berlanga will be dangerous, as he’ll have a pronounced power and size advantage. But as Alvarez did, Sheeraz will stand his ground and beat him to the punch, causing him to expend his energy and get increasingly wilder as the fight goes on.

As long as Sheeraz gets out of the first three rounds, he’ll use his faster hands and movement to leave Berlanga with no other option than to overextend himself in a desperate attempt to stop him in the later rounds.

Best best analysis
The biggest gripe I had with Alvarez’s fight against Berlanga is that he dropped him in the third, and then stepped off the gas when he clearly could have stopped him after clipping him with a huge uppercut in the fifth round. 

Sheeraz may not hit as hard or precisely as Alvarez does, but I can see him following the same blueprint by catching an overly eager Berlanga in the early rounds and working behind his jab to outpoint him.

Sheeraz by decision is my best bet.

Edgar Berlanga vs Hamzah Sheeraz odds

Odds courtesy of DraftKings as of 7-12.

Edgar Berlanga vs Hamzah Sheeraz tale of the tape

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