'Turki, I’m your boss now!' Edgar Berlanga determined to destroy Alalshikh's plans for Hamzah Sheeraz

Edgar Berlanga looks impatient. The 28-year-old sits at a table with his hands together, fingers overlapping, contorting his body in a futile attempt to mask the anger in his face.

“I’ve had my back against the wall for my entire life, this ain’t gonna bother me one bit,” Berlanga says.

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It is the imminent aftermath of a controversial post on X by the man who is bankrolling Saturday night’s boxing card in New York: Turki Alalshikh. The Saudi kingpin stated on the social-media platform he would be “very upset” if Berlanga was to win his super middleweight clash with Hamzah Sheeraz inside the Louis Armstrong Stadium in Queens, as he has “big plans” for the Briton.

“I don’t give a s*** what Turki says,” Berlanga continues. “That s*** goes in one ear and out the other. Turki ain’t fighting in that ring, Turki’s bosses ain’t fighting in that ring. No one is fighting in that ring except for me and Sheeraz. At the end of the day, I am the one that has to go into the ring and take the punches and put my life on the line, so all I need to worry about is myself — and I have complete faith in my ability.

“I have risen to the occasion throughout my career, and this will be no different. It doesn’t matter to me at all how much Sheeraz has weighted in his favor. I couldn’t give a f***. Sheeraz is going to feel that when the first bell goes, as he’s soon gonna realize that it’s just him and me in there.”

Berlanga (23-1, 18 KOs) and Sheeraz (21-0-1, 17 KOs) are making history on Saturday night. Alongside Shakur Stevenson vs. William Zepeda — for the WBC lightweight title — and a wealth of undercard fights, it will be the first time a professional boxing event has taken place inside Louis Armstrong Stadium — most commonly known for hosting tennis’ annual U.S. Open.

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“It’s history, whatever way you look at it,” Berlanga says. “Fighting in front of my people in New York City is everything to me, especially in Queens. I’ve been driving past this stadium for years on the highway, never really thinking that it could be a venue that I would fight in. But here we are. It’s a different venue, different vibe, different energy, but it’s kinda dope.

“In New York, we make examples of people — and that’s exactly what I am going to do to Sheeraz. This is what’s important to me — nothing else. It’s the establishment against me, but I couldn’t give a f***. I’ve known this ever since signing for the fight. The energy was clear straight away and that’s why I’ve had to come into this fight with ultimate trust in myself and in the higher power.”

Back in February, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Alalshikh was criticized for his apparent meddling in Sheeraz’s draw against middleweight Carlos Adames. Alalshikh could be seen ringside bellowing instructions to the Briton, also telling him some form of scorecard in between rounds. Sheeraz escaped with a controversial split draw against the dominant Dominican, despite one judge scoring it as wide as 118-110 for Adames.

“Turki is now showing his true colors to the world,” Berlanga continues. “[Sheeraz] got his ass whooped in his last fight, but still came away with a draw. The thing is, Turki can pay off the referee, the judges, anyone — I don’t give a f***, he isn’t stopping greatness.

“I am the ‘Chosen One’ for a reason. None of this bothers me — not Turki, not his trillionaire bosses, nothing. [Alalshikh] could have kept his mouth shut before this fight, but he couldn’t help himself. Maybe he did it to create a buzz around the fight or something, I don’t know, but at the end of the day it’s all a waste of time. I already know what time it is. I have no respect for any of them.”

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Berlanga will enter the ring for the second time since losing his unbeaten record to Saul "Canelo" Alvarez last September. A bounce-back first-round knockout of Jonathan Gonzalez-Ortiz put him back in the frame at 168 pounds, and he’s already plotting a route back into the path of the Mexican great.

“My story with Canelo isn’t over,” Berlanga says. “Once I beat Sheeraz, he is going to have no choice — [Alalshikh] is Canelo’s boss and will tell him what to do. Once I put Turki’s guy [Sheeraz] in a coffin, then I’ll be the one saying, ‘Turki, I’m your boss now! Let’s go to work.’”

Despite stopping 17 of his opponents in the opening round, Berlanga’s mindset on how to win a fight is one of maturity. Six of his past eight contests have run the scheduled distance and he is adamant he is relying on brains instead of brawn at this stage of his career.

“Sheeraz is just in the way," he says. "I’ll beat him with IQ and skill. Power doesn’t win fights — you gotta be smart. If you come forward looking to brawl and looking for that one shot, it’s not going to work. You’ve got to use this [Berlanga points to his head]. And that goes for every fight, not just this one.

“I’ve already destroyed one of Andy Lee’s guys in Jason Quigley. And this fight ain’t gonna be no different. After this fight, Andy Lee and Sheeraz are both going to be fans of me.”