The Zuffa Boxing promotion, now six months into operation, will host its ninth numbered event at the Infosys Theater at Madison Square Garden on Sunday at 8 p.m. ET on Paramount+. The card features two competitive matchups headlined by fighters with significant professional accomplishments.
In the main event, Puerto Rican fighter Edgar Berlanga will challenge Canadian Steven Butler in a 10-round super middleweight bout. Berlanga, with a record of 23-2 and 18 knockouts, previously competed against Canelo Alvarez in a 12-round decision loss in 2024 and suffered a fifth-round knockout to super middleweight titleholder Hamzah Sheeraz one year ago. Butler, aged 30, holds a record of 38-5-1 with 32 knockouts and has compiled a 6-1 record since losing a middleweight title shot against Janibek Alimkhanuly in 2023. The two fighters engaged in a heated confrontation during their faceoff on Thursday that required separation.
The co-main event features Richardson Hitchins moving up in weight class to welterweight after vacating his IBF junior welterweight title. The 28-year-old Hitchins, with a 20-0 record and 8 knockouts, will face Mexico’s Ricardo Salas, who holds a 24-2-2 record with 18 knockouts. Hitchins vacated his title following his signing with Zuffa in April, having previously stopped former champion George Kambosos Jr. in June 2025 in his first title defense. Salas has won his last six fights, including five by stoppage.
According to analysis, Berlanga has demonstrated improved focus in his training regimen after acknowledging previous complacency, positioning this fight as an opportunity to revitalize his career trajectory. Hitchins faces a test at his new weight class against Salas’s aggressive fighting style, though Hitchins’ technical skills are expected to prove decisive.
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