Edgar Berlanga (23-2) returns July 26: the Boricua looks to reinvent himself against Steven Butler at Madison Square Garden

Boricua boxing has a date circled in red. On Saturday, July 26, Edgar Berlanga (23-2, 18 KOs) -- the Brooklyn Nuyorican who carries the lone-star flag on every ring walk -- returns to action after more than a year away to face Canada's Steven Butler at the Infosys Theater inside Madison Square Garden in New York ¹². For Berlanga, the son of Puerto Rican parents and a childhood fan of Felix "Tito" Trinidad, this is no ordinary fight: it is the first step of a reinvention, in the very Garden where he once dreamed of following in his idols' footsteps ¹³.

Back after a rough year

Berlanga, 29, has not fought since July 12, 2025, when England's Hamzah Sheeraz stopped him by technical knockout in the fifth round in Queens ¹². Before that, in September 2024, he had lost by decision to Canelo Alvarez in Las Vegas in his first world-title shot ⁴. Two defeats at the sport's highest level forced the Boricua to rethink everything. In April he signed a multi-fight deal with Zuffa Boxing -- the new boxing division tied to UFC -- and this bout against Butler is his debut under that promoter ¹². The storyline is clear: rebuild his standing at 168 pounds after stumbling against two of the best on the planet. It's worth remembering that this same fighter opened his career with 16 straight first-round knockouts, a start that made him one of the island's great boxing hopes ².

The numbers of the fight

• Date and venue: Saturday, July 26, 2026, Infosys Theater at Madison Square Garden, New York ¹².
• Weight and distance: super middleweight (168 pounds), scheduled for 10 rounds ¹².
• Berlanga: 23-2, 18 KOs. Brooklyn Boricua, nicknamed "The Chosen One" ¹².
• Butler: 38-5-1, 32 KOs. The 30-year-old Montreal veteran arrives on a four-fight knockout streak since moving up to 168 pounds ¹².
• Co-main: fellow Brooklynite Richardson Hitchins (20-0, 8 KOs), a former super lightweight champion, moves up to 147 pounds for the first time against Mexico's Ricardo Salas (24-2-2, 18 KOs) over 12 rounds ².
• It is an eight-fight card billed as Zuffa Boxing 9, headlined by two Brooklyn fighters ².

Why it matters

Berlanga sees himself as the next face of Puerto Rican boxing, in the lineage of Felix "Tito" Trinidad, Miguel Cotto and Juan Manuel Lopez ³. "Let my Puerto Rican people know that I am proud to be Boricua, that is why I represent my island, its people and my beautiful flag," the fighter has said, noting that much of his family still lives on the island ³. The Garden is sacred ground for Boricua boxing -- Tito shone there again and again -- and seeing Berlanga headline a card on that stage connects directly to that heritage. For fans back home, July 26 is the chance to see whether the world-champion project is still on track or whether expectations need resetting. A convincing win puts him back in the conversation among the best; a slip against a surging opponent would complicate the road back.

How to follow it / What to watch

• Broadcast: the event streams on Paramount+ in the United States, Latin America, Brazil and Canada, and on Sky Sports in the UK and Ireland ².
• Time: the main card starts at 9:00 PM ET, the same time in Puerto Rico ².
• What to watch: Berlanga's early-round power against Butler's durability and recent volume of knockouts. If the Boricua doesn't get him out early, watch how he manages the 10 rounds -- something that has troubled him against elite opponents ².
• How to support: tickets went on sale June 19 through Ticketmaster, so anyone in New York can head to the Garden ². From the island, tuning in and waving the flag online already counts as backing.

What's next

If Berlanga wins as expected, Zuffa would move him into bigger fights toward another title shot at 168 pounds, the division ruled by Canelo and where names like Sheeraz are rising ². The Boricua has repeated that his dream is to one day fight in Puerto Rico and represent the island the way Cotto and Tito did ³. For now, July 26 at the Garden is the test: the comeback begins with Butler across the ring and an entire Boricua fan base watching.