Hamzah Sheeraz has accepted a challenging assignment in his first fight at the super middleweight limit.

The hard-hitting English contender will battle Edgar Berlanga in the brash Brooklyn native’s hometown July 12 as part of The Ring’s “Ring III” pay-per-view show at Louis Armstrong Stadium in the nearby New York borough of Queens. For Sheeraz, this represents a high-profile opportunity to demonstrate starpower in a new division against an opponent who has lost only to undisputed 168-pound champ Canelo Alvarez.

Berlanga (23-1, 18 KOs) is dangerous yet flawed, especially in exchanges, and is just the type of opponent Sheeraz (21-0-1, 17 KOs) needs to beat to legitimize himself as he pursues his own shot at Alvarez’s Ring, IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO super middleweight titles.

Last fight: A 12-round split draw with WBC middleweight champ Carlos Adames (24-1-1, 18 KOs) on Feb. 22 at ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Odds: Sheeraz is a slight betting underdog (plus-105) against Berlanga, according to DraftKings.

How does Sheeraz win: Sheeraz must withstand Berlanga’s early onslaught. Berlanga will likely start very aggressively to test Sheeraz’s chin in his first fight at a higher weight. If the taller, rangier Sheeraz settles into a rhythm and gains confidence from taking Berlanga’s power, he has the skills to outbox him and the power to make Berlanga respect him.

What it means if he wins: Beating Berlanga would establish Sheeraz as a legitimate contender in a super middleweight division in which there are plenty of appealing fights in addition to challenging Alvarez. It would also prove that moving up eight pounds was wise after struggling to squeeze his 6-foot-3 frame down to the middleweight limit of 160 pounds for the past few years.

What they’re saying: "I think it’s gonna be very dangerous for Hamzah early because Berlanga is a sharp puncher and punches very hard. … I think [Sheeraz will] be so much better at 168, because he was really struggling [to get to] 160. So, I do think Edgar’s the favorite in the fight, given experience, home turf and all that type of stuff. But it’s a real, live fight.” — Eddie Hearn, Berlanga’s former promoter.

TV/Stream: DAZN Pay-Per-View; $59.99 in the U.S. (6 p.m. ET); £24.99 in the UK (11 p.m. GMT).