Zuffa Boxing
Steven Butler Is Ready To Break Cover | Zuffa Boxing 09
Canadian Knockout Artist Is Looking To Spring A Big Upset In The Big Apple When He Faces Edgar Berlanga At Zuffa Boxing 09.
More than 40 fights into his professional boxing career, Canada’s Steven Butler is ready to announce himself on the big stage. Montreal-native Butler will make his Zuffa Boxing debut on Sunday night when he takes on former super middleweight title challenger Edgar Berlanga in the main event of Zuffa Boxing 09. The matchup, which takes place at Infosys Theater at Madison Square Garden, represents only the third time he’s fought on American soil, and his fifth bout outside of his native Canada.
Indeed, his preference for fighting close to home led to him and his team pushing Dana White to book the bout in his hometown of Montreal. But instead the bout has landed in Berlanga’s, and Butler is ready to step into enemy territory to claim the biggest win of his career.
“We asked for the fight to fight Berlanga at the beginning,” he explained. “My manager called Dana White to try to make the fight with Berlanga happen in Montreal, and after that, the negotiation turned to come to New York and fight here, so that's the reason why we're here.”
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Butler has a record of 38 wins, five losses and one draw, with 32 of his victories coming via knockout, It demonstrates that, when he finds his mark, he has fight-altering punch power. But against one of the super middleweight elite in Berlanga, he knows he’s stepping into the ring with the oddsmakers siding with his opponent. He’s not too bothered by the underdog label, mind you. As he explained, he’s become accustomed to it.
“I was an underdog all my life,” he said. “I don't try to protect my record, and I like to be the underdog and to create a surprise. It was the same thing when I was young. Nobody knew or believed I would be here today to talk with you, and to make this [fight with Berlanga] happen.”
Butler has gradually moved up weight classes through his career, and after a TKO loss to Patrice Volny in June 2024, he decided to step up to the super middleweight division. Since then, it’s been wins all the way, with four successive stoppages in his bouts since.
It suggests the move up in weight has suited him well, and Butler agrees.
“At 168, I'm feeling much stronger,” he explained. “I have less weight to lose, and I think that's a new beginning for myself.”
Steven Butler Fight Week Interview | Zuffa Boxing 09
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Steven Butler Fight Week Interview | Zuffa Boxing 09
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That new beginning kicked up a gear when he signed with Zuffa Boxing, where he’ll look to continue his win streak at 168 pounds with a statement win over former title challenger Berlanga, who took Canelo Alvarez the distance in a losing effort back in 2024.
Berlanga may have elite-level experience, but Butler said “The Chosen One” is not ready for what he’s bringing to the ring on Sunday night.
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“I think it's a bad decision from his team to fight me, with one year out of the ring and coming back from a loss, and that's what I'm gonna show everybody Sunday night,” he said. “He’s a good opponent. I will not put him down to bring me up. I have respect for him [but] he has had success with his mouth. He’s rich now, and I appreciate the fact that he has success in his life, and his son is going to have a good life. So it’s all respect and love.”
Butler sees the fight as a clear opportunity to open new doors and push himself towards even bigger fights under the Zuffa Boxing banner. And for the fighter known to his fans as “Bang Bang”, Butler said he’s ready to show his boxing superiority over a more recognizable name in Berlanga on Sunday night.
“You're gonna see that I’m better than Berlanga in all aspects of boxing,” he said. “That’s what [the fans] are gonna see on Paramount, or watching the fight live.”
Both fighters have fight-ending power at their disposal, but Butler said it's highly unlikely the pair will deliver a cagey encounter where they’re both too respectful of each other’s power.
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“No, we're gonna see,” he said. “We don't know yet, but I'm gonna see what he’s gonna bring me in the first round. Maybe I'm gonna knock him out in the first round.”
Confident of victory and ready to deliver, Butler looks ready for his New York City moment, and said the fans will crown his victory with a simple statement: “A new star is born.”
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