As the upstart Zuffa Boxing promotion continues to rapidly expand just six months into its existence, the big-name signings and new fight locations have become a regular part of boxing's headlines.
On Sunday, the promotion will take another major step forward when it presents a Zuffa Boxing 09 card (8 p.m. ET, Paramount+) from the Infosys Theater at New York's Madison Square Garden featuring a pair of popular and talented fighters with Brooklyn roots.
In the main event, former super middleweight title challenger and Puerto Rican star Edgar Berlanga (23-2, 18 KOs) takes on hard-hitting Canadian Steven Butler (38-5-1, 32 KOs) in a 10-round bout. In the co-headliner, former IBF junior welterweight titleholder Richardson Hitchins (20-0, 8 KOs) moves up to welterweight to face Mexico's Ricardo Salas (24-2-2, 18 KOs), in a fight also set for 10 rounds.
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The 29-year-old Berlanga, who went the 12-round distance in a 2024 pay-per-view loss to Canelo Alvarez, is looking to rebound from his last outing one year ago when he was knocked out in five rounds by unbeaten super middleweight titleholder Hamzah Sheeraz.
"You can expect fireworks," Berlanga told CBS Sports on Wednesday. "I truly feel that Butler has something to prove. Yeah, he has five losses but he's a big puncher like me. I just have to be alert, great defense and great jab. I just have to go out there and do what I do best. I've been in there with the best like Canelo Alvarez. I have the experience and everything it takes to get the victory. I'm ready to take over the 168-pound division and become a champ."
Berlanga has been very outspoken ahead of Sunday about his want to evolve his skill set and be less reliant on his power and present himself as more of a pure boxer with a strong ring IQ. All of that is expected to be put to the test by Butler, a 30-year-old native of Montreal, whose nickname "Bang Bang" is the perfect description of his aggressive fighting style.
Butler, who was knocked out in the second round of a middleweight title shot against then-WBO champion Janibek Alimkhanuly in 2023, is 6-1 since that fight with six knockouts. In 2024, Butler scored a first-round knockout of Steve Rolls, who went the 10-round distance with Berlanga two years earlier.
"I was an underdog all my life," Butler told UFC.com. "I don't try to protect my record, and I like to be the underdog and to create a surprise. It was the same thing when I was young. Nobody knew or believed I would be here today and to make this [fight with Berlanga] happen."
Butler showed plenty of fire in a heated faceoff with Berlanga on Thursday, in which the two fighters needed to be separated.
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"I think it's a bad decision from his team to fight me, with one year out of the ring and coming back from a loss," Butler said. "[Berlanga] is a good opponent. I will not put him down to bring me up. I have respect for him [but] he has had success with his mouth."
The 28-year-old Hitchins headlined the same venue in his last bout in June 2025 when stopped former champion George Kambosos Jr. in the first defense of his IBF title at 140 pounds. But Hitchins vacated the title immediately after signing with Zuffa in April when he announced his intentions of moving to welterweight.
Hitchins, who won his world title in a 2024 split decision over Liam Paro in Puerto Rico, believes he'll be even better at his new weight class and is excited to test his skills against the pressure style of Salas.
"I'm just bringing explosive speed, explosive boxing skills to show the boxing world that I am who I say that I am," Hitchins told CBS Sports on Wednesday. "I have been gone for over a year so I'm excited. For my last fight out, I left off a dominating performance. I sold a great crowd with me and George Kambosos.
"Now, I'm back with Ricardo Salas in a new weight class. He's going to be tough. He's going to bring a lot of heart and do what he can try to do best, which is go to the body and apply pressure. He's a sneaky type fighter who throws sneaky shots so I'm dialed in. I'm in a new weight class now so I feel like this is an opportunity for me to show the world my man strength."
Salas, 27, has won his last six fights, including five by stoppage. He parlayed an upset knockout of Roiman Villa in 2024 into a respectable second-round TKO of Kent Cruz in early 2025.
"I'm a boxer who likes to fight head on," Salas told UFC.com. "We are going to try to keep the streak going but we are also trying to win at any cost. He has great defense and great footwork but we worked hard to counter his abilities in order to win the fight. This is going to be an absolute war."
Zuffa Boxing 09 fight card, odds
Odds via DraftKings
- Edgar Berlanga -370 vs. Steven Butler +275, middleweights
- Richardson Hitchins -800 vs. Ricardo Salas +500, welterweights
- Jalil Hackett -185 vs Sergiy Derevyanchenko +145, middleweights
- Otto Wallin -225 vs. Vladyslav Sirenko +175, heavyweights
- Emiliano Moreno -285 vs. Arnold Gonzalez +220, welterweights
- Kashaun Davis -225 vs. Mihai Nistor +175, heavyweights
- Troy Nash -800 vs. Ethan Perez +500, featherweights
- Dominique Francis -175 vs. Andres Sosa +140, super featherweights
Where to watch Zuffa Boxing 09
Date: July 26 | Location: Infosys Theater at Madison Square Garden -- New York Prelims begin at 5 p.m. ET Main card begins at 8 p.m. ET Watch live: Paramount+ (subscribe now for as little as $8.99 per month)
Predictions
Even though Butler can certainly crack, the polarizing Berlanga has shown at times that he's a much better boxer than his critics want to admit. Now that he's focused on giving more in the gym after revealing he had been lazy in recent years and living off his celebrity name, this fight is the perfect opportunity for him to revitalize his name.
Whether or not Berlanga ever fulfills his dream of becoming a world champion, he has proven in the past that he mops up on this level of competition, even if the much-hyped streak that started his pro career of first-round knockouts in each of his first 16 fights had more of a negative impact on his evolution than it helped.
In the co-main event, Hitchins should have to work a bit to avoid the power of Salas and prove that he's comfortable at his new weight class. But from a skills standpoint, the consistent jab and quick footwork of HItchins should be enough to get the job done.
Picks: Berlanga via TKO8; Hitchins via UD10
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