Brooklyn-born Edgar Berlanga defends his NABO super middleweight title against Steve Rolls at Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City, NY on Saturday, March 19. The pair squares off in a ten-round bout headlining the three-fight Top Rank Boxing fight card live on ESPN and ESPN Deportes, and live stream on ESPN+.
The date when Berlanga vs Rolls airs live in the UK and Australia is Sunday, March 20.
Berlanga, whose family hails from San Juan, Puerto Rico, makes his main event debut in his stiffest test to date. In the co-feature 19-year-old Puerto Rican Xander Zayas meets Louisiana-born Quincy LaVallais in an eight-rounder at junior middleweight. Kicking off the main card US Olympic silver medalist Keyshawn Davis faces Mexican veteran Esteban Sanchez in an eight-rounder at lightweight.
Berlanga vs Rolls tickets
Tickets for Edgar Berlanga vs Steve Rolls go on sale Friday, January 28 at 12 pm ET. Tickets, starting at $51, can be purchased through Ticketmaster.com or MSG.com (as per announcement sent out by Top Rank).
“Edgar, Xander and Keyshawn are future pound-for-pound superstars, and it will be a special evening in front of a sold-out New York City crowd,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum. “All three are in there with the toughest fights of their respective careers, but I expect them to pass with flying colors.”
Edgar Berlanga vs Steve Rolls
Edgar Berlanga (18-0, 16 KOs) took the boxing world by storm with 16 straight first-round knockouts to open his pro career. He went the distance twice in 2021, opening his campaign in April by knocking down Demond Nicholson four times in eight rounds in an ESPN-televised rout. Berlanga returned on the Tyson Fury-Deontay Wilder III card in October, defeating Marcelo Esteban Coceres via 10-round unanimous decision despite suffering a torn biceps in the third round and the first knockdown of his career in the ninth.
Berlanga said, “I’m so excited to fight in my first main event in my hometown. It’s a dream come true for a fighter representing New York City and Puerto Rico. I can’t wait to show the world what I’m truly about. We are going to blow the roof off the Hulu Theater, so grab your tickets early and get your popcorn ready for this performance.”
Steve Rolls (21-1, 12 KOs), a 37-year-old from Toronto, is an 11-year pro who was an undefeated middleweight contender before moving up in weight. In June 2019, he challenged pound-for-pound stalwart Gennadiy Golovkin at Madison Square Garden and found some success in the second round before being stopped in the fourth. Rolls has tallied two wins since the Golovkin bout, most recently knocking out Christopher Brooker in the ninth round last month on the Artur Beterbiev-Marcus Browne undercard in Montreal.
Rolls said, “I’m happy to be back headlining at Madison Square Garden. Training camp has been going well, and I feel very strong with nothing but war on my mind. Berlanga has power, but I’ll be ready for whatever he brings. I’m looking forward to March 19. I’ll see you then.”
Xander Zayas vs Quincy LaVallais
Xander Zayas (12-0, 9 KOs) had a breakthrough 2021, going 6-0 with four knockouts while being mentioned prominently in Prospect of the Year debates. He made his Madison Square Garden debut last December and finished his 2021 campaign by knocking out Alessio Mastronunzio in the first round.
He steps up against Quincy LaVallais (12-2-1, 7 KOs), who notched a December 2020 upset over Clay Collard at the MGM Grand Bubble. LaVallais, who is 2-2 since the Collard victory, has never been knocked out.
Zayas said, “It’s an honor to fight again at Madison Square Garden, where I know my Puerto Rican people will come out to show their support. 2021 was a great year, but I’m looking forward to an even bigger 2022. Quincy LaVallais is a solid veteran, so I can’t overlook him. I want to make a major statement on March 19.”
Keyshawn Davis vs Esteban Sanchez
Keyshawn Davis (4-0, 3 KOs), from Norfolk, Virginia, won three bouts in the first five months of 2021 before journeying to Tokyo and earning a silver medal. He then signed a long-term promotional contract with Top Rank and improved to 4-0 with a second-round stoppage over Jose Zaragoza on December 11.
Davis makes his 2022 debut against Esteban Sanchez (18-1, 8 KOs), a 23-year-old from Ensenada, Mexico, who has won two straight bouts and will be making his American debut.
Davis said, “I put on a show at Madison Square Garden in December, and I’m going to do it again. Esteban Sanchez is supposed to be my hardest fight as a pro, but it’s going to be easy work. The Davis Brothers are coming to represent Norfolk and leave no doubt that we are the future of boxing.”
Berlanga vs Rolls undercard
Berlanga vs Rolls undercard action will stream live and exclusively on ESPN+. The lineup is scheduled to include a host of undefeated talents, including Puerto Rican junior welterweight John Bauza (16-0, 7 KOs) in an eight-rounder, welterweight and Berlanga’s New York City stablemate Pablo “Pretty Boy” Valdez (6-0, 5 KOs) in a six-round attraction, and Puerto Rican junior lightweight Henry Lebron (14-0, 9 KOs) in an eight-rounder. In addition, junior welterweight Kelvin Davis (3-0, 2 KOs) is in anction in a four-rounder.
The finalized Berlanga vs Rolls fight card is expected to be announced in the coming weeks. The current lineup can be found below.
Berlanga vs Rolls fight card
Main Card
- Edgar Berlanga vs. Steve Rolls, 10 rounds, super middleweight – Berlanga’s NABO super middleweight title
- Xander Zayas vs. Quincy LaVallais, 8 rounds, junior middleweight
- Keyshawn Davis vs. Esteban Sanchez, 8 rounds, lightweight
Undercard
- John Bauza vs. TBA, 8 rounds, junior welterweight
- Pablo Valdez vs. TBA, 6 rounds, welterweight
- Henry Lebron vs. TBA, 8 rounds, junior lightweight
- Kelvin Davis vs. TBA, 4 rounds, junior welterweight
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