Edgar Berlanga (24-2, 19 KOs) recovered from an early knockdown to stop Steven Butler (38-6-1, 32 KOs) in a seven-round super middleweight slugfest on Sunday night at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Berlanga began the Zuffa Boxing 9 main event behind his sharp jab and looked to outbox Butler in the early going — something we aren’t used to seeing from the man with 17 Round 1 finishes.
The Nuyorican looked as sharp as ever through two rounds, but at the end of Round 2, disaster struck. Butler connected with a single right hand that sent Berlanga to the canvas, undoing Berlanga’s positive start in an instant.