LIVE BLOG: Edgar Berlanga-Hamzah Sheeraz, Shakur Stevenson-William Zepeda

Official time, 0:17 of round five. Hamzah Sheeraz, 22-0-1 (18 KOs) enjoys a successful U.S. debut and is now the WBC super middleweight mandatory challenger. The win comes five months after he was considered fortunate to have escaped with a draw against WBC 160lbs titlist Carlos Adames on February 22 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Berlanga, 23-2 (18 KOs) has now lost two of his last three starts, this being his first knockout defeat. He previously dropped a lopsided twelve-round, unanimous decision to unified super middleweight king Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez last September 14 in Las Vegas. A knockout in a soft-touch matchup returned Berlanga to the win column in March but it's now all the way back to the drawing board.

Referee David Fields briefly calls for time before allowing the fifth round to begin. Berlanga was still unsteady and seemingly a knockout waiting to happen. Sheeraz did not at all play with his food as he sent the brash Nuyorican to the canvas for a third time, courtesy of a brutal right hand and left hook. There were no more opportunities to beat the count, as Fields immediately waved off the contest.

Hamzah Sheeraz wakes up in a big way. Edgar Berlanga barely made it out of the round after being floored hard twice in the final minute. A combination upstairs was capped by a left hook to send Berlanga to the canvas. He beat the count but was then pinned against the ropes as a right hand put him back on the deck. HUGE round for Sheeraz

Sheeraz puts his height and reach advantage to good use as he sticks out his jab and then lands a hook around Berlanga's guard. Berlanga crouches and attempts to counter, but to no avail. Berlanga works his jab and comes back with a wide left hook that scores. Sheeraz lands a left uppercut and then a left hook. Berlanga unbothered by either shot but also unable to respond.

Berlanga opens with a jab as both fighters take turns stepping on each other's foot. Sheeraz misses with his right hand, while Berlanga was short with a jab. Sheeraz doubled up on the jab. Berlanga makes a defensive adjustment, though neither fighter really lands anything meaningful for the second straight round. 

Hamzah Sheeraz opens behind a high guard as he sports emerald green, no doubt a shout to new head trainer and former WBO middleweight titlist Andy Lee. The fight is also Sheeraz's first since his controversial draw with WBC 160lbs titlist Carlos Adames, who most felt deserved the nod. Action was slow through the first two minutes before both fighters picked up the pace. Sheeraz just missed with a right hand, while Berlanga landed his own right. Berlanga misses with a leaping left hook just before the bell. 

Time for the "second" main event of the evening. 

England's Hamzah Sheeraz quickly makes his way to the ring for his U.S. debut. Edgar Berlanga - who was raised in nearby Brooklyn - was more deliberate with his stroll down the aisle, accompanied by hip hop icons Fat Joe and Remy Ma. 

Their scheduled 12-round bout doubles as a WBC super middleweight eliminator. The winner will become the mandatory challenger to the WBC title - though with a more realistic path to interim titlist Christian Mbilli than undisputed champ Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez, who next faces Terence Crawford.

Shakur Stevenson remained perfect as a pro in, by far, his most entertaining performance in more than two years. Still, his lopsided unanimous decision win over previously unbeaten William Zepeda, 33-1 (27 KOs) was less about filling up his résumé than it was about disproving the notion that he's just a featherfisted boxer.

"It wasn't the performance I was looking for, because I came here to prove a point," Stevenson, 24-0 (11 KOs) told DAZN's Chris Mannix after his latest win. "I took more punishment that I wanted to. But I wanted to show that I'm a dog. I'm no poodle. I'm a dog."

Stevenson is now 7-0 in title fights spanning three weight divisions. The total does not include a June 2021 interim title victory over Jeremia Nakathila or a 12-round decision over Robson Conceicao in September 2022 when he missed weight and had to vacate his WBC and WBO 130lbs titles.

Nothing but respect between Stevenson and Zepeda as they awaited the scorecards... which is now here.

Scores were 119-109, 118-110 and 118-110 for Stevenson, 24-0 (11 KOs), who retains his WBC 135lbs title for the third time. 

Zepeda, 33-1 (27 KOs) suffers his first career defeat, as his short-lived WBC interim title reign comes to an end.

Zepeda let his hands go like a fighter determined to narrow the gap in a hurry. Stevenson continued to make him miss and make him pay, as with a counter right hook following a Zepeda volley. Chants of 'Me-Xi-Co' broke out in the final minute in one last gasp to rally Zepeda. Stevenson never allowed his challenger to gain any momentum at a point when a knockout was likely needed for the title to change hands. The bell sounds as we go to the scorecards. The perception is that Stevenson comfortably won, though the scoring of the previous two fights is a reminder that anything's possible.

Zepeda continued to struggle to find the target but was able to return to his swarming style. Stevenson effortlessly avoided the incoming and used a pawing jab to counter with straight lefts. Zepeda looked for any opening, launching right hands up top and left hands to the body even as Stevenson covered up. Stevenson stood in the corner and stared down Zepeda as he eyed all of the incoming. 

Stevenson moved from corner to corner, daring Zepeda to come in. Zepeda obliged and enjoyed moments of success but struggled to consistently land clean on the defensively-gifted Stevenson. Combination punching by Stevenson drove back Zepeda, whose high volume attack was sorely missing in this frame. 

Stevenson's precision punching was key to offsetting Zepeda's greater activity. It was best reflected in this round as Stevenson waded through Zepeda's swarm of punches to connect with crisp combinations. Zepeda drove Stevenson to the ropes but missed with nearly all of his shots. Stevenson connected with an uppercut that snapped back Zepeda's head. 

Action slowed in the middle rounds, understandable given the hectic pace during the first half. Zepeda continued to apply non-stop pressure, no matter how unbothered Stevenson was by his challenger's activity. That changed near the final minute of the eighth, when Zepeda was able to land to the body and drive Stevenson to the ropes.

Alberto Puello didn't get the decision and seemingly won't get a rematch with Subriel Matias.

However, Turki Alalshikh is prepared to offer him the next best thing - a shot at the winner of Matias' WBC 140lbs title defense against mandatory challenger Dalton Smith. 

The update was provided during the Shakur Stevenson-William Zepeda WBC lightweight title consolidation bout as part of the DAZN Pay-Per-View. 

Action slowed for a bit, as Stevenson effectively moved around the ring while Zepeda was not in a position to mount an attack. Zepeda used any moment where they were at close quarters to fire off combinations but Stevenson continued to land the cleaner - and, often, the harder - punches. 

Both fighters targeted the body. The crowd continued to throw its support behind Zepeda, though Stevenson was still outlanding his challenger and at a higher clip. Stevenson used subtle movement to momentarily throw off Zepeda's rhythm. Zepeda adjusted and fired off right hooks and wide left hands. Stevenson moved back and pawed with his jab before he slammed home an uppercut. The moment was followed with a combination, capped by a straight left and a right hook.

Stevenson landed a stab jab to Zepeda's midsection to begin the fourth. Zepeda responded with his high octane offense. Stevenson grinned but was trapped in a corner and Zepeda continued to let his hands go. Stevenson slipped a swarm of punches and responded with a straight left and a right hook. Zepeda's chin was briefly tested as Stevenson landed flush upstairs. Stevenson used his shoulder roll to pick off Zepeda's left and landed a counter right hook. 

Both fighters let their hands go, beginning with Stevenson connecting to the body. Zepeda relied on his volume punching to force the action, which worked as Stevenson obliged and returned fire as action remained at close quarters. Zepeda connected with a left uppercut that drew a rise out of the crowd. A right hand power shot by Zepeda seemed to briefly stun Stevenson as fans roared with approval despite the venue being much close to Stevenson's hometown (Newark, New Jersey) than San Mateo Atenco, Mexico.

Stevenson continued to land the more telling blows and at a much higher connect rate. Zepeda stood directly in front of the unbeaten three-division titlist as he absorbed right hooks to the body and straight left hands. Action shifted to the center of the ring, where Zepeda fired off a body shot combination. Stevenson slid back and then shot his jab and left hand. Zepeda threw a flurry of punches on the inside, even if most were picked off. Stevenson landed a seemingly clean looping hook to the body, though referee Eddie Claudio cautioned him as if it was ruled a low blow.