Zuffa Boxing 09 start time: Berlanga vs. Butler tops NYC card
Zuffa Boxing 09 hits Madison Square Garden on July 26, with Edgar Berlanga and Richardson Hitchins leading the Paramount+ card.
By Deshawn Carter · Sports Writer
3 min read
Zuffa Boxing 09 start time is set for Sunday night in New York, where Edgar Berlanga meets Steven Butler in the main event at the Infosys Theater inside Madison Square Garden, according to CBS Sports.
The card is the promotion’s first at Madison Square Garden, CBS Sports reported, and it arrives six months into Zuffa Boxing’s run. The main card streams on Paramount+ at 8 p.m. ET, with prelims beginning at 5 p.m. ET.
What time does Zuffa Boxing 09 start?
Zuffa Boxing 09 begins with preliminary bouts at 5 p.m. ET on July 26, followed by the main card at 8 p.m. ET. CBS Sports lists Paramount+ as the live streaming home for the event.
The top bout is a 10-round fight between Berlanga, a Puerto Rican star from Brooklyn with a 23-2 record and 18 knockouts, and Butler, a Montreal puncher who is 38-5-1 with 32 knockouts.
Berlanga, 29, is trying to answer a rough stretch. CBS Sports noted he went the distance with Canelo Alvarez in a 2024 pay-per-view loss, then was stopped in five rounds by unbeaten super middleweight titleholder Hamzah Sheeraz one year ago.
Speaking to CBS Sports, Berlanga said fans should expect “fireworks” and called Butler “a big puncher like me.” He also said he has the experience needed after facing Alvarez and wants to become champion at 168 pounds.
Butler, 30, has his own danger label. CBS Sports reported he is 6-1 since being stopped by then-WBO middleweight champion Janibek Alimkhanuly in 2023, with all six wins coming by knockout.
Butler told UFC.com that he has been an underdog throughout his life and likes the chance to “create a surprise.” He also said Berlanga’s team made a bad choice taking the fight after a year away from the ring and a loss, while adding that he respects Berlanga as an opponent.
Who else is fighting on the Zuffa Boxing 09 card?
The co-main event sends Richardson Hitchins into his welterweight debut against Ricardo Salas in another 10-round fight. Hitchins, a 20-0 former IBF junior welterweight titleholder, vacated that belt after signing with Zuffa in April, CBS Sports reported.
Hitchins told CBS Sports he wants to show “explosive speed” and “explosive boxing skills” after more than a year out. He said Salas brings pressure, body punching and “sneaky shots,” and called the move up in weight a chance to show his strength.
Salas, 27, is 24-2-2 with 18 knockouts and has won six straight, five by stoppage, according to CBS Sports. He told UFC.com that he likes to fight head on and said his team worked to counter Hitchins’ defense and footwork.
DraftKings odds listed by CBS Sports have Berlanga at -370 against Butler at +275. Hitchins is a larger favorite at -800, with Salas at +500.
- Edgar Berlanga vs. Steven Butler, middleweights
- Richardson Hitchins vs. Ricardo Salas, welterweights
- Jalil Hackett vs. Sergiy Derevyanchenko, middleweights
- Otto Wallin vs. Vladyslav Sirenko, heavyweights
- Emiliano Moreno vs. Arnold Gonzalez, welterweights
- Kashaun Davis vs. Mihai Nistor, heavyweights
- Troy Nash vs. Ethan Perez, featherweights
- Dominique Francis vs. Andres Sosa, super featherweights
CBS Sports’ Brian Campbell picked Berlanga to beat Butler by eighth-round TKO and Hitchins to beat Salas by unanimous decision over 10 rounds.
This story draws on original reporting from CBS Sports.