July 12/13. New York will once again glitter with an array of stars. Featuring Shakur Stevenson and Edgar Berlanga, the Big Apple looks poised to host yet another Ring Magazine event. While Stevenson will defend his title against William Zepeda, Berlanga squares up against Hamzah Sheeraz. Thus far, details regarding the undercard fights remain unavailable. However, before they could absorb the news, a surprise caught fans off guard. Reportedly, a beef has erupted between the main cast line.
For the record, there’s an absence of precise information. So, confusion seemingly erupted over the headline/co-main event status. It seems Stevenson explained the situation per his own understanding. However, it ended up offending his long-time friend Edgar Berlanga. Unhappy, he immediately fired back at the lightweight champion. It’s a mix Stevenson, perhaps would have, at best, avoided. Hence, he immediately tried to clear the air by explaining his side of the story.
No insult intended, brother: Shakur Stevenson to Edgar Berlanga
@HighLvlBoxing22, aka ‘A-Side,‘ shared a post. It featured the now-deleted interaction between Edgar Berlanga and Shakur Stevenson. “Edgar Berlanga CHECKS ShaFraud for throwing shade @ him & ShaFraud apologizes right away bitch a** ni**a,” the message read. So what did Stevenson actually say? The row erupted following Shakur Stevenson’s latest comments on the ‘Breakfast Club.‘ Talking about the upcoming event, Stevenson said, “They got me, uh, the co-main event under Edgar. You know Edgar, my homie. I ain’t gonna say nothing bad about him, but, um, I’m the biggest star on the card. I’m the guy that people want to see. I’m in the biggest fight… just to put me on like his undercard, it really doesn’t make no sense.”
Edgar Berlanga CHECKS ShaFraud for throwing shade @ him
& ShaFraud apologizes right away bitch ass nigga pic.twitter.com/xEUj81icZ6
— A-Side (@HighLvlBoxing22) May 7, 2025
So Berlanga reportedly snapped. He warned Shakur Stevenson. He is in his hometown, New York, so he better not shake hands when they meet next time. Berlanga said, “It’s crazy I was really telling people it’s a double main event and 2 superstars on the fight card, but NOW!! KING OF NEW YORK SH*T!” Obviously taking a swipe at Stevenson’s now-infamous fighting style, he added, “Are you going to sleep? Then I’ll be the one to wake ya’ll back up with fireworks!”
Another slide featured Berlanga taunting Stevenson that if he’s so keen about headlining an event, he might as well be competing against Amanda Serrano. The Puerto Rican legend is slated to face Katie Taylor for the third time, around the same time on July 11 at Madison Square Garden.
Perhaps understanding that the situation was going downhill, Shakur Stevenson immediately went for rapprochement. Offering apologies, Stevenson said to Berlanga on DMs, “I ain’t mean it in the way u took it, brudda. My apologies. U know me better than that… My frustration wasn’t targeted at u, it was towards them, but I worded it the wrong way.” In another message, Stevenson laughed it off, saying that he would never beef with Berlanga. Offering a clarification, he highlighted how Berlanga fought on a card he wasn’t supposed to be on.
I do that’s my brudda the internet can’t make me beef wit him https://t.co/BfLICmCLlr
— Shakur Stevenson (@ShakurStevenson) May 7, 2025
Subsequently, when a few users also chimed in to clear the air, Shakur Stevenson added, “That’s my brudda. The internet can’t make me beef wit him.”
The big question: to headline or not?
Sounds like a misunderstanding that should go away as days pass. Edgar Berlanga was quite unhappy when he fought Jonathan Gonzalez-Ortiz on the undercard of the Austin Williams-Patrice Volny card in March. He’s from New York. A city-based event featuring his fight marks a significant milestone for him and his fans. His last fight in New York took place two years ago when he defended the NABO title against Jason Quigley in 2023.
Perhaps he’s looking forward to the event on the lines of how it transpired last June. As co-main events, Gervonta Davis and David Benavidez headlined the PBC-Amazon Prime card. The headline/co-main fight could be a touchy issue to some. Fight fans might recall how, in December 2023, confusion emerged when it appeared that Deontay Wilder would fight on the card headlined by Anthony Joshua, his archrival.
What’s your take on the Stevenson-Berlanga squabble? Between the two, who do you think is the bigger star?
The post After Edgar Berlanga Lost His Cool, Shakur Stevenson Comes Clean on Alleged Beef appeared first on EssentiallySports.
