Edgar Berlanga & Richardson Hitchins Are The Latest to Sign Deals With Zuffa Boxing

Zuffa Boxing continues to expand its roster with the latest signings of two fighters who have name recognition. Super middleweight Edgar Berlanga and IBF junior welterweight champion Richardson Hitchins, both managed by Keith Connolly, were announced on Wednesday as having signed with the boxing promotion led by Dana White and Nick Khan.

The 28-year-old Berlanga (23-2, 18 KOs) has been sidelined since being knocked out by Hamzah Sheeraz in July. Berlanga was signed specifically for that fight, but there was no long-term commitment after he didn’t renew his deal with Matchroom Boxing earlier that year. With no promoter and limited options due to past public remarks about other major promoters, Zuffa Boxing was one of the few routes available to him. Since Zuffa Boxing doesn’t have a super middleweight division, Berlanga will likely move up to light heavyweight as he aims to make an impact in the new promotional company.

The 28-year-old Hitchins is currently the IBF junior welterweight champion, but that will probably change now that he signed with Zuffa Boxing, which doesn’t have a 140 lb division. Hitchins was scheduled to face Oscar Duarte on January 31, but after making the required IBF second-day weigh-in, according to his team, he fell ill, leading to the fight being canceled. With this signing, fight fans are already beginning to side with Oscar De La Hoya’s theory that Hitchins had second thoughts about fighting Duarte and pulled out because of it. Hitchins will debut with Zuffa and fight at 147 this summer, along with Berlanga.

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The press release suggests that both fighters will remain in their respective divisions, but as we’ve seen with Zuffa Boxing before, plans can change, so it’s worth watching.

Below are some quotes from Berlanga and Hitchins regarding their signings.

“Zuffa Boxing is changing the game,” said Berlanga. “I’m here for the biggest fights on boxing’s best platform. I’m here to put the super middleweight division on notice. ‘The Monster’ is back! Thank you to Dana White, Nick Khan, and the entire Zuffa Boxing team for believing in my talent. I also want to thank my father, Edgar Berlanga Sr., and my manager, Keith Connolly, for always guiding me in the right direction, and this move is no different. This is going to be a special journey.”

“This is a major step forward in my career,” said Hitchins. “I’m very grateful for this opportunity, and I want to thank Dana White, Nick Khan, and my manager, Keith Connolly, for giving a kid from Brooklyn the opportunity to fight on the biggest stage against the world’s best fighters. With Zuffa Boxing in my corner, I’m going to show the world that I am a pound-for-pound, generational fighter.”

On Friday, April 10, Berlanga and Hitchins will do a live Q&A with Zuffa Boxing’s Max Kellerman ahead of the UFC 327 ceremonial weigh-ins at the Kaseya Center in Miami at 4pm ET. The event will be live streamed on Zuffa Boxing’s YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, in addition to UFC and WWE’s YouTube channels. More details on the Zuffa Boxing debuts for Berlanga and Hitchins will be announced in the coming weeks.

Abraham Gonzalez

Abraham Gonzalez is a 2x award-winning writer, International Boxing Hall of Fame voter, founder and publisher of FightsATW. His journalistic work has been published and used across several platforms, including online, network TV, and promotional companies. He is an alumnus of an American Public University and a full member of the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA). Abraham was the Managing Editor for NYFights, Big Fight Weekend, and contributed to The Ring Magazine, FanSidedMMA, and ProBoxTV.

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