Zuffa 09 Results: Edgar Berlanga Stops Steven Butler in Seven; Hutchinson & Hackett Victorious

Photo - Ed Mulholland/Zuffa Boxing

New York’s own Edgar “The Chosen One” Berlanga closed the show in style as he claimed victory in a fight filled with bad blood with a seventh-round stoppage of Canada’s Steven “Bang Bang” Butler.

The tension was palpable as the two noted knockout artists got the action underway, and it was Berlanga who seemed to settle the fastest, working well behind an educated jab.

Then, in Round 2, we saw the high-wire act being walked by both men as, after a round that had been dominated by Berlanga, Butler dropped him in the closing seconds of the round with a solid left hand.

That knockdown lit the touchpaper for a wild third round, as Berlanga loaded up and came storming back, as he battered Butler around the ring with a succession of heavy, clubbing shots. Butler did his best to avoid the stoppage, holding, dipping through the ropes, and even launching into an MMA-style takedown, before clipping Berlanga with a pair of huge shots of his own just before the bell sounded to end the round.

The back-and-forth action continued through Rounds 4 and 5, with Berlanga landing the better, heavier shots, and in the sixth, Berlanga finished strong with a barrage of big right hands that eventually forced Butler to the canvas for a knockdown.

Such was the punishment Butler took at the end of the round, the referee warned him in the corner between rounds that he would give him 60 seconds to show that he’s still in the fight, and Butler landed a big right hand in the opening minute to show that he still had power in his hands. But, moments later, Berlanga loaded up and connected with a multi-punch salvo that repeatedly rocked Butler’s head backwards. The referee decided he’d seen enough, and dived in to call an end to the fight at 1:14 of the Seventh.

It extended Berlanga’s unbeaten record at Madison Square Garden to 6-0, and improved his overall record to 24-2, 19 KOs. But, more importantly, it saw Berlanga move on from his knockout loss to Hamzah Sheeraz in his previous fight. And with a stoppage win added to his resumé, Berlanga said he’s setting his sights on the super middleweight division’s big names once again, including a possible rematch with Sheeraz.

Richardson Hitchins Dominates

In the night’s co-main event, former super-lightweight world champion Richardson Hitchins announced his arrival in the welterweight division with a near-flawless display to defeat Mexico’s Ricardo “Magic Man” Salas via unanimous decision.

Hitchins decided to move up a division upon his arrival in Zuffa Boxing in order to compete in a more natural weight class, and he delivered a hugely impressive performance to immediately put the welterweight elite on notice.

“Africa” quickly established his jab, and it was apparent that he had a significant speed and accuracy advantage to go along with his three-and-a-half-inch reach advantage. Hitchins used those tools to great effect as he comprehensively outboxed Salas, whose only two prior losses had come via split decision.

That wasn’t the case this time, however, with Hitchins’ dominance reflected in the scorecards as he pitched a shutout, with scores of 100-90 on all three scorecards.

Hitchins’ victory immediately throws him into the mix with some of the top fighters in the sport, and he wasted no time in calling out the division’s big names as he confirmed his intention to take on, and beat, the best in the world at 147 pounds.

Hackett Impresses

Jalil Hackett’s debut at middleweight threw him in with a grizzled veteran of the game as the 23-year-old scrapped all the way to the scorecards with 40-year-old former world title challenger Sergiy Derevyanchenko in a smash-mouth battle of generations at 160 pounds.

The action was aggressive from the start as Derevyanchenko quickly looked to bully his younger opponent, but Hackett stood his ground and fired back in kind. The early exchanges eventually led to an accidental clash of heads that opened up a cut on Derevyanchenko’s brow.

By the time the action had reached the fourth round, both men were planting their feet and throwing with full power in almost every exchange as the pair engaged in a battle of wills, with Hackett lighting up the Ukrainian with a blurring combination right at the end of the round.

Hackett continued his good work in the fifth as his pace and pressure started to bear fruit. His shots seemed to be having a greater effect on the 40-year-old, then a beautifully-picked uppercut sent Derevyanchanko staggering backward just before the bell.

Hackett kept his foot on the gas as he pushed the pace through the remaining rounds, but found Derevyanchenko to be every bit as tough and stubborn as he was as they battled all the way to the final bell.

In the final reckoning, Hackett’s superior work through the second half of the fight proved decisive as he earned scores of 98-92, 97-93, 96-94 to claim the 13th win of his career.