It feels good to reach the top.

According to Edgar Berlanga, he’s put in enough work to be considered one of the best and brightest stars in the world. And while he did lose to Canelo Alvarez in September 2024, that only reinforced his line of thinking.

Outside of his matchup against Alvarez, oddsmakers love Berlanga. That love affair continues as they've pushed him as a slight favorite over Hamzah Sheeraz on July 12 at "Ring III", The Ring's third boxing event, which takes place at Louis Armstrong Stadium in Queens, New York City.

Having expectations is a good thing, but at times, complacency can creep in. Sitting back and believing everything will fall at your feet has led to numerous fighters dropping the ball.

Berlanga (23-1, 18 KOs) has been around the game long enough to see it happen, but he promises to remain locked in on Sheeraz, despite other things floating around in the background.

“I’m at that elite level already,” said Berlanga via his YouTube channel. “I don’t overlook no fighter. I’m going in there focused.”

It could be a sign of respect. It also could be weariness. Berlanga wouldn’t call himself a fan of Sheeraz (21-0-1, 17 KOs), but he has watched him closely over the years, including his most recent ring appearance.

The 26-year-old Londoner got off to a less-than-ideal start to 2025. Instead of being crowned the middleweight division’s WBC champion, he settled for a split decision draw against Carlos Adames. An immediate rematch was in play, but another arduous weight cut played a factor in Sheeraz moving up to face Berlanga instead.

For the hard-hitting star, Berlanga wants even more respect than he’s been given. That, however, will only come if he’s able to win world titles or, at the very least, take down names such as Sheeraz. If beating him will lead to bigger and better things, Berlanga wants to do more than simply grabbing a points victory.

“I wanna break every bone in his face.”