Edgar Berlanga vs Steven Butler

This one’s got “fun while it lasts” written all over it. Berlanga against Butler isn’t some chess match for the purists, no matter how they dress it up. This is two heavy-handed fellas who are guaranteed to have a tear-up, and enough defensive holes to make the corner men earn their money. Berlanga is meant to win, and win violently, but Butler isn’t coming over from Canada to tap gloves and pose for photos.

Berlanga is the bigger, fresher, more naturally explosive super-middle. When he lets that right hand go, it’s not a scoring shot; it’s a statement. But he does tend to admire his work at times, and when he gets too square, there’s space down the middle. Butler, meanwhile, can whack. He’s got 32 knockouts for a reason, and he doesn’t mind walking through a bit of blood to land his own. Trouble is, his bravery can turn into recklessness, and at this level, recklessness gets you ironed out.

Berlanga’s advantage is timing at mid-range. If he keeps Butler on the end of the jab, takes half a step back, then fires the right hand or left hook as Butler crashes in, he’ll catch him clean on the whiskers. Butler’s chance is to make it ugly early, chest close, hands busy, make Berlanga reset, and test whether the favourite still fancies it when it becomes a brawl.

But I can see Butler pulling off the upset here. He’s on a four-fight winning run since moving up to 168 lbs and has looked so much more destructive with all four coming by way of KO. Also, Hamzah Sheeraz’s stoppage of Berlanga last time out will be on his mind as soon as Butler lands a hard shot.

Prediction: Butler by knockout.