Edgar Berlanga climbed off the canvas to stop Steven Butler at 1:19 of the seventh round in the main event of Zuffa Boxing 09 on Sunday night at the Infosys Theater at Madison Square Garden, ending a year out of the ring with the 19th knockout of his career.
Berlanga (24-2, 19 KOs) had not fought since July 2025, when Hamzah Sheeraz stopped him in the fifth round. He was dropped in the closing seconds of the second round by Butler (38-6-1, 32 KOs), a Montreal veteran who arrived on a four fight knockout run at super middleweight, and needed the rest of the fight to take the night back.
“He caught me with a good shot. I recovered good. What can I say, it’s boxing,” Berlanga said, as quoted by The Sweet Science.
Berlanga answered in the third with a sustained volley that left Butler unsteady for the balance of the round, though the Canadian survived to the bell and had his best moments at the end of the third and through the fourth. Butler also attempted a takedown during one exchange. In the sixth, Berlanga closed the round with a run of right hands that put Butler down for the second knockdown of the fight.
“A wounded animal is dangerous. I knew if I hurt him but don’t knock him out clean, he was going to come back,” Berlanga said.
Butler landed a right hand early in the seventh before Berlanga answered with a combination that brought the referee in to stop it.
“It shows I’m a true champion, and I’m not scared of fighting anyone,” Berlanga said afterward, per Sky Sports. “I fought a dangerous fighter, a big knockout puncher to prove myself and show people I am back.”
He then listed the names he wants next. “We want Hamzah Sheeraz, Jaime Munguia, Chris Eubank, Jermell Charlo, Caleb Plant, we want to fight to best prove we belong with the best.”
Berlanga told The Sweet Science the fight served its purpose. “It’s a learning experience. We fought a dangerous fighter, a true knockout puncher,” he said. “I want to fight the best.” The win was his sixth in six appearances at Madison Square Garden.
In the co-feature, Richardson Hitchins won every round against Ricardo Salas in his first fight at welterweight, taking 100-90 scores from all three judges over 10 rounds. Hitchins (21-0, 8 KOs) vacated the IBF junior welterweight title earlier this year, citing the weight cut, and had not fought since June 2025. He controlled the fight behind his jab, bloodied Salas’s nose and swelled the Mexican’s left eye. Salas fell to 24-3-2, 18 KOs.
“The guy was tough, he kept going,” Hitchins said. “I showed what I can do; box.”
Hitchins used his post-fight interview to call out the top of the 147 pound division. “I want the best guys in boxing,” he said, per Sky Sports. “Give me Gervonta Davis, Devon Haney, Ryan Garcia. They say I’m not like that, come show me I’m not like that. 21-0, no draws, no stains on my record. Come get it if you want it.”
Both Hitchins and Berlanga signed with Zuffa Boxing in April and were making their first appearances under the promotion, which was staging its first card in New York.
Jalil Hackett opened the main card with a unanimous decision over Sergiy Derevyanchenko in a 10 round middleweight bout, winning 98-92, 97-93 and 96-94. Hackett (13-1, 9 KOs), a 23 year old from Southeast Washington, D.C., was fighting at 160 pounds for the first time against a 40 year old who has never been stopped and who has challenged for world titles three times. Hackett worked behind his jab early and opened cuts around both of Derevyanchenko’s eyes, but was staggered in the 10th before the final bell. Derevyanchenko dropped to 16-7, 11 KOs.
“I was itching to get him later,” Hackett said. “That’s a guy dog over there.”
The prelim main event produced the most alarming finish of the night. Vladyslav Sirenko knocked out Otto Wallin at 2:59 of the 10th and final round, landing a right hand followed by a left hook with one second remaining in a fight that had been headed to the scorecards. Wallin went down face first and was still on the canvas when medical staff entered the ring. He was removed on a stretcher and taken to Bellevue Hospital Center in Manhattan for examination.
Wallin’s trainer Travia Pierce told Swedish outlet Sportbladet that the heavyweight was okay, according to Göteborgs-Posten. Sirenko (23-1, 20 KOs) had not fought since losing a decision to Solomon Dacres last July. Wallin (28-4, 16 KOs) suffered his first knockout loss since Anthony Joshua stopped him in December 2023.
On the rest of the prelims, Emiliano Moreno took a unanimous decision over Arnold Gonzalez at welterweight by scores of 79-73, 78-74 and 78-74, with Gonzalez pressing early before Moreno took over behind his jab from the middle rounds. Kashaun Davis won the meeting of unbeaten heavyweight punchers, outworking Mihai Nistor over eight rounds for scores of 80-71, 80-71 and 79-72. Nistor was cut above the right eye by an accidental head clash and was docked a point in the fifth for holding.
Troy Nash took a majority decision over fellow unbeaten featherweight Ethan Perez, with two judges scoring it 79-73 and the third seeing it 76-76. It was Nash’s third straight win under the promotion. In the opening bout, Andres Sosa handed Dominique Francis the first loss of his career, dropping him with a left hook in the third round and winning 79-72, 78-73 and 77-73 at super featherweight.
The card streamed on Paramount+ in the United States and on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The eight fight lineup was confirmed last month.
Full Zuffa Boxing 09 results
- Edgar Berlanga def. Steven Butler, TKO 7 (1:19), super middleweight
- Richardson Hitchins def. Ricardo Salas, UD 10 (100-90, 100-90, 100-90), welterweight
- Jalil Hackett def. Sergiy Derevyanchenko, UD 10 (98-92, 97-93, 96-94), middleweight
- Vladyslav Sirenko def. Otto Wallin, KO 10 (2:59), heavyweight
- Emiliano Moreno def. Arnold Gonzalez, UD 8 (79-73, 78-74, 78-74), welterweight
- Kashaun Davis def. Mihai Nistor, UD 8 (80-71, 80-71, 79-72), heavyweight
- Troy Nash def. Ethan Perez, MD 8 (76-76, 79-73, 79-73), featherweight
- Andres Sosa def. Dominique Francis, UD 8 (79-72, 78-73, 77-73), super featherweight
