Edgar Berlanga recovered from a second-round knockdown to stop Steven Butler in the seventh round on Sunday in New York. The victory restores Berlanga’s momentum following his defeat last year, despite a bizarre referee intervention overshadowing the stoppage.
Berlanga established his jab early in the opening round, staying on the outside to manage distance and prevent Butler from closing in. He controlled the rhythm comfortably and exchanged words with Butler prior to returning to his corner. However, the contest altered late in the second round. Although Berlanga landed a left hook to the temple and a straight right, Butler replied before the bell with a sharp right hand that dropped the New York fighter. Berlanga quickly got up and confirmed to the referee that he was unhurt.
Rather than taking a cautious approach, Berlanga pushed forward in the third round with heavy combinations. He maintained pressure behind strong jabs, left hooks, and straight rights. Butler refused to back down, returning fire whenever space opened up to create an entertaining trade of power punches. Berlanga steadily pulled away over subsequent rounds, answering Butler’s rallies with decisive bursts of his own. A clean knockdown late in the sixth round left Butler unsteady heading into his corner.
The end arrived early in the seventh frame.
Berlanga trapped Butler against the ropes with a crushing left hook followed by a straight right. With Butler upright but unable to defend himself, the referee intervened to halt the bout. The official grabbed the Canadian with enough force that both crashed to the canvas together. Berlanga then stepped over the fallen pair and cocked his right hand as if to strike, though he held back from landing the punch. The sequence drew widespread reaction online, even as observers agreed Butler could no longer continue.
The win provides Berlanga with an essential rebound following his loss to Hamzah Sheeraz a year prior. Improving to 24-2 with 19 knockouts, the New Yorker demonstrated composure by overcoming an early knockdown to break down his opponent with relentless forward pressure. For Butler, whose record moves to 38-6-1, his bright early start was eventually eclipsed as Berlanga took total control of the fight.
