NEW YORK — When it comes to confidence, Edgar Berlanga has enough to pass around.

The 27-year-old is young, strong, flamboyant and a bit cocky. He’s also cognizant of what’s going on.

Berlanga (23-1, 18 KOs) is on a mission. He hates what took place in September 2024 and desperately wants to rewrite history.

Losing is something he didn’t believe was possible, but Canelo Alvarez forced him to snap into reality. With Berlanga losing a wide unanimous decision, revenge has been the only thing on his mind.

Well, almost.

Running things back with Alvarez is his biggest goal, but Berlanga also wants to mix it up with some of the bigger names at 168 pounds. To a certain extent, he’ll do that come July 12 on The Ring's card, when he takes on Hamzah Sheeraz at Louis Armstrong Stadium, a tennis venue in Queens where the U.S. Open is played each summer, on DAZN pay-per-view.

It’s a step in the right direction, but it’s also just one step. Facing Sheeraz will shift the narrative that Puerto Rican doesn’t take on tough fights. Facing Sheeraz would do wonders for his profile, but beating him, and beating him badly, could unlock a whole new world for him.

“I know what I have to do,” Berlanga told a group of reporters today during their first press conference. “To get these big fights, to get the Canelo rematch, to get that [Jaime] Munguia fight, I have to knock this dude out. I have to embarrass him. I have to do him dirty.”

Sheeraz, 25, lost a bit of that glow he once had. Just a few months ago, he struggled mightily against Carlos Adames.

Following their split decision draw, Adames said the hell with making the 160-pound weight limit and has moved up. Officially, this will be his first fight at 168.

Berlanga will be waiting for him.

It’s unknown how Sheeraz (21-0-1, 17 KOs) will react to facing a bigger man. It’s also unknown how his body will fill out at 168. Those question marks, however, aren’t salient to Berlanga. He knows the type of talent Sheeraz possesses and won’t take him lightly, even if he has bigger plans lined up.

“Sheeraz is a tough,” Berlanga said. “I’m not overlooking anybody.”