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Zuffa Boxing 09 confirms Berlanga vs. Butler and Hitchins vs. Salas, which will take place on July 26 at Madison Square Garden

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Zuffa Boxing on Tuesday announced its Novel York debut on July 26, confirming a double main event for the Infosys Theater card at Madison Square Garden, which until now has only been presented in the form of reports and a trailer. Brooklyn’s Edgar Berlanga and Richardson Hitchins will headline separate fights on an eight-fight card, with Berlanga facing Montreal’s Steven Butler and Hitchins moving up to welterweight against Mexico’s Ricardo Salas.

The Zuffa Boxing 09-branded event will take place in the smaller of Madison Square Garden’s two main venues, the building where they have hosted boxing championships for decades, through the Felt Forum and Hulu Theater eras. The promotion set a date and location for the end of May with a poster and promotional tape that did not feature any competitors. Tuesday’s post marks the first official reveal of any matchups on the show. The main card starts at 9:00 PM ET / 6:00 PM PT.

Berlanga comes home against a live punch

Berlanga (23-2, 18 KO) makes his Zuffa Boxing debut in a 10-round super middleweight fight, about a year after his last appearance. The 29-year-old Puerto Rican, who started his career with 16 consecutive first-round knockouts, has not fought since July 2025, when Hamzah Sheeraz stopped him in the fifth round. This result followed his decision loss to Canelo Alvarez in September 2024. Zuffa signed Berlanga and Hitchins in April, and the promotion viewed Berlanga’s arrival as a chance to reset his position at 168 pounds.

The opponent is the real test for returning home. Steven Butler (38-5-1, 32 KO), a 30-year-old veteran from Montreal, has had a four-fight knockout streak since moving up to super middleweight. The Canadian has shared the ring with elite names in a career that began in 2014, and he arrives in Novel York with a record that makes a fight for a rematch risky rather than ceremonial.

Hitchins moves up to welterweight

Hitchins (20-0, 8 KO) is the more prominent name on the roster, and the fight against Salas marks his own Zuffa debut, a 12-round welterweight bout. The undefeated former super lightweight champion will fight at 147 pounds for the first time in his career. The 28-year-old Brooklyn native won the title via split decision over Liam Paro in behind schedule 2024 and successfully defended with an eighth-round knockout of George Kambosos Jr. at the same Infosys Theater in June last year, which means July 26 will be a return to the arena where he last fought.

Salas (24-2-2, 18 KO), a 27-year-old from Mexico, has earned the job thanks to his recent form. He scored a spectacular knockout of Jesus Saracho in the Zuffa Boxing 04 co-main event in March, allowing him to capitalize on his high knockout rate in the biggest opportunity of his career.

How to watch and tickets

The full card streams live on Paramount+ at no additional cost to subscribers in the US, Latin America, Brazil and Canada, and the event is broadcast on Sky Sports in the UK and Ireland. Tickets go on sale Friday, June 19 at 10 a.m. ET/7 a.m. PT via Ticketmaster, preceded by a UFC Fight Club pre-sale on Wednesday, June 17 and an additional exclusive pre-sale on Thursday, June 18.

Zuffa has not revealed the rest of the eight-fight card and additional fights are expected in the coming weeks. Reports leading up to the announcement also linked veteran Sergei Derevyanchenko to the July 26 date, although he was not among Tuesday’s confirmed fights.

The Novel York card is the clearest signal yet of how quickly the TKO-backed promotion intends to enter a market long controlled by Matchroom, Top Rank and Premier Boxing Champions. Building the debut around two recognizable hometown stars rather than prospects is a deliberate statement of intent. More information about the players can be found in the official documents on the website BoxRec.

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Moses Itauma Calls Out Next Opponent After Stunning Loss to Filip Hrgovic

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"Moses Itauma Calls Out Next Opponent After Stunning Loss to Filip Hrgovic"

Moses It will hurt suffered a surprising defeat to Filip Hrgovic on Saturday, and the 21-year-old has now revealed who he wants to face upon his return.

Itauma looked to be fulfilling his destiny and dominating his Croatian opponent during the opening rounds at the O2 Arena over the weekend, but his success soon turned to desperation when Hrgovic’s chin held up and his own stamina did not.

An exhausted Itauma eventually collapsed in round nine of the contestwith Hrgovic pulling off a remarkable upset to throw the heavyweight scene a huge curveball, hand Itauma a first career loss and get his hands on the IBF heavyweight world title.

In an interview with talkSPORT Boxingpromoter Frank Warren revealed that Itauma has already asked for a rematch with ‘El Animal’.

“In that last round, he was still firing back. He has got a firing heart, he is a very brave young man, very brave. It’s now about what he does, how he prepares, he is saying to me, ‘can we get the rematch on?’, which is a natural reaction.”

Despite the 21-year-old’s desire to take on Hrgovic for a second time, it seems as though the latter will be made to face Cuba’s Frank Sanchez, who agreed to a step-aside deal to allow Itauma and Hrgovic to fight for the IBF title under the condition that he would face the winner.

Continuing, Warren seemed to confirm that a scrap between Hrgovic and Sanchez will be next, advising Itauma to take some time off before rushing into a second shot at the heavyweight throne.

“I told him, ‘you have got to just switch off from boxing, go and chill out, go and spend some time with your family and then come back, recharge your batteries and then we will get to work again,’

“The landscape is what it is, he is a a part of it, he has shown that he belongs at that level and provided that we learn and he learns some lessons from the fight, I think that he can go on and do some great things.”

In his post-fight interview, newly-crowned IBF champion Hrgovic spoke of his desire for a bout on home soil in Croatia; where he has not fought since 2019.

As a result, Warren may next target Zagreb for a clash between Hrgovic and Sanchez, which should take place within the next six months.

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Shawn Porter Expects a Dazzling Comeback from Canelo Against Explosive Prospect Mbilli

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"Shawn Porter Expects a Dazzling Comeback from Canelo Against Explosive Prospect Mbilli"

Canelo Alvarez is hoping to regain one of his former super-middleweight titles at the first time of asking when he makes his comeback this October against WBC champion Christian Mbilli. Two-time welterweight ruler Shawn Porter has revealed his prediction for the fight.

Alvarez lost all four of his belts at 168lbs to Terence Crawford last September and has since been sidelined due to an elbow injuryas Crawford’s retirement saw the coronation of four new world champions.

One of those beneficiaries was Mbilli, who had been in possession of the WBC Interim crown when ‘Bud’ decided to hang up the glovesallowing him to be elevated to full champion and then lined up for a showdown with Canelo.

Canelo’s remaining quality at the age of 36 is an ongoing debate amongst fans and analysts, leading many to predict an intriguing and potentially even fight. Yet, speaking on The PorterWay Podcast‘Showtime’ said that Alvarez will look like an ‘A++ fighter’ come fight night.

“Canelo truly does have that fast twitch; he is explosive, but he is explosive with speed and quickness and that fast twitch is going to get Canelo to that mark a little bit quicker.

“Yeah, I think [he can still do it] at 36. If you think about it, even though Canelo is not that ‘A++’ fighter that he used to be, he is still a solid ‘A’ and that solid ‘A’ will beat a solid ‘B’ [in Mbilli].

“That solid ‘B’ will make a solid ‘A’ look like an ‘A++’, so I think that he is going to look ‘A++’.”

Canelo-Mbilli takes place on Saturday, October 31, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The super-middleweight duo will top a ‘Mexico vs. The World’ themed bill, which could feature a bantamweight title unification between WBA champion and pound-for-pound sensation Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez and WBO titleholder Christian Medina.

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Undefeated KO Artist Moves Closer to Canelo Fight After Latest Stoppage: Its Going to Happen

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"Undefeated KO Artist Moves Closer to Canelo Fight After Latest Stoppage: 'It’s Going to Happen'"

Canelo Alvarez could be ordered to enter an immediate title defence if he emerges victorious against Christian Mbilli on October 31.

The Mexican has not fought since September 2025, when he was relieved of his undisputed super-middleweight crown after losing a unanimous decision to Terence Crawford.

On that same card, Mbilli retained his WBC ‘interim’ strap following a 10-round draw against Lester Martinezmaintaining his position as one of the top contenders at 168lbs.

The Frenchman was then upgraded to full world champion in December, with Crawford having relinquished his four major titles and announced his retirement as a three-division undisputed king.

Canelo will therefore have the opportunity to reclaim one of his old belts in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with Mbilli making a first defence of his WBC title.

The winner of their showdown may then be ordered to face Martinez, as the unbeaten mandatory challenger comes off two successful defences of his WBC ‘interim’ strap.

Most recently, the 30-year-old scored a 10th-round stoppage of Luka Plantic last weekend, which followed his unanimous decision victory over Immanuwel Aleem in March.

Speaking at the post-fight presser following his win against Plantic, Martinez said through a translator that he expects to eventually face both Canelo and Mbilli.

“No, look, at the end of the day, I’ve said it before: the second fight [with Mbilli] will happen, possibly next year or the year after. But either one of those fights makes sense for us.

“We know the eyes of the world are going to be on [Mbilli-Canelo]and because we’re going to be there, we’re going to take advantage of all of that. But both fights are going to happen.”

Having already created the “blueprint” to defeat Canelo, Crawford trainer Brian ‘BoMac’ McIntyre said afterwards that he is supremely confident in guiding Martinez to victory against either Alvarez or Mbilli.

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