The Louis Armstrong Stadium in Queens witnessed a decisive knockout by Hamzah Sheeraz over Edgar Berlanga on July 12, which seemed to seal the immediate future of “The Chosen One”. Sheeraz, the British prospect, knocked him down twice in the fourth round before sealing his victory in the fifth. Berlanga, with surprising humility, had accepted defeat and was preparing for a tough rebuild. However, what seemed like a closed chapter now threatens to unleash an unprecedented scandal in boxing.
In an absolutely unexpected twist, Genesis Calderon, the wife of Edgar Berlanga, has burst onto the scene with serious accusations that could blow up the boxing world. If her allegations are true, not only would the integrity of the recent fight be compromised, but so would everyone involved in boxing.
A powerful and delicate accusation
It was through Instagram where Genesis Calderon, visibly dismayed, launched her first attack: “We can accept defeat with grace, but I cannot stay silent about what I saw. There is a difference between losing a fight and being set up to be hurt,” she said. The essence of her shocking claim lies in the wrapping of Sheeraz’s left hand, the same one that connected the blows that knocked her husband down. According to Calderon, only the wrapping on Sheeraz’s right hand was removed for inspection after the fight.
Berlanga’s wife described the wrap on Sheeraz’s left hand as “manipulated, yellow-stained, hard and suspicious”, with an unusually “thick, almost plaster-like” texture. The main suspicion lies in a yellow substance, which Calderon suggests could be resin or epoxy, both of which are completely illegal in boxing. His concern is heightened by pointing out that he has seen “photos of a previous fight… exactly the same thing,” suggesting a pattern. “If that’s true, this goes beyond boxing. This becomes dangerous,” Calderon warned.
Questioning the authorities
Although the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) gave the green light to Sheeraz’s bandages before the match, Genesis Calderon did not hesitate to question the process: “How was this approved, again?” Her outrage is accentuated by comparing her husband’s recovery after this fight with the one he had after his fight against Canelo Alvarez, noting that Berlanga “looked much better after that fight, which says a lot.”
The accusations are quite serious, but for now no one has referred to the issue, so it remains to be seen whether this complaint leads to anything more or is just a post on social networks that generates controversy without substance.
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