Zuffa Boxing’s first event in New York is facing sluggish ticket sales heading into fight week on July 26. The card, featuring local fighters Edgar Berlanga and Richardson Hitchins, has sold just 2,462 primary tickets at Madison Square Garden’s Infosys Theater.
The figures point directly to the quality of the opposition. Berlanga is returning from a knockout loss to face Steven Butler, a Canadian fighter who has been defeated in four of his most significant bouts since 2019. This matchup is seen as a considerable step back for the Brooklyn super middleweight, who was previously on a trajectory toward top contenders like Jaime Munguia or Osleys Iglesias. Instead of a high-stakes return, fans are being offered a recovery fight against a known quantity.
The situation is similar for co-headliner Richardson Hitchins. He abruptly withdrew from a compelling title defense against Oscar Duarte earlier this year. Rather than rescheduling that fight, Zuffa has matched him against Ricardo Salas, an opponent with little name recognition, in a move up to welterweight that has generated minimal interest. Neither booking provides a strong incentive for fans to attend.
The slow demand highlights a disconnect between the fighters’ ambitions and their current placement. Hitchins has been involved in public exchanges with top names, with reports that Gervonta Davis told him to “Send Me A Contract” to make a fight happen. At the same time, he faces criticism from rivals like Devin Haney, who has dismissed him as the “King Of Hypothetical Wins.” Booking a low-profile opponent does little to counter that narrative or build momentum for the major fights he seeks. For Zuffa, a weak gate in a major market like New York presents an early challenge for its new boxing venture.
