Berlanga returns to winning ways as Hitchins, Hackett and Sirenko shine at ZUFFA Boxing 9

Edgar Berlanga overcame adversity to stop Steven Butler in the seventh round of the ZUFFA Boxing 9 main event inside New York's legendary Madison Square Garden.

ZUFFA Boxing's rapid rise within the sport continued in New York, with another stacked card showcasing established names alongside some of boxing's brightest prospects.

The Brooklyn-born Puerto Rican added another victory to his record by closing the show in style, rebuilding momentum after suffering defeat to Hamzah Sheeraz 12 months ago.

It wasn't an easy ride for Berlanga as Butler quickly showcased his power by dropping his opponent with a snappy left hand in the closing seconds of the second round.

With that, Berlanga began to respond by applying the pressure and landing strong combinations. Despite the onslaught, Butler continued to fire back with dangerous shots of his own.

Butler was downed in both the sixth and seventh rounds after a wild barrage of right-handed shots.

The referee stepped in during the seventh round to wave off the contest, awarding Berlanga the stoppage victory.

The win improved Berlanga's record to 24-2 and marked a return to winning ways following his defeat to Hamzah Sheeraz.

With Sheeraz also picking up a victory over Simon Zachenhuber on the Anthony Joshua vs Kristian Prenga card, the stage could now be set for a potential rematch between two fighters whose rivalry still has unfinished business.

Richardson Hitchins put himself in a great position on the world stage with a near-flawless display in defeating Mexico's Ricardo Salas via unanimous decision in the co-main event.

From the opening bell, Hitchins established his jab with ease, controlling the tempo and consistently outboxing Salas.

The Mexican struggled to find any success throughout the contest, with all three judges scoring every round in favour of the American.

Following the victory, Hitchins made his intentions clear that he wants to test himself against the best fighters in the world.

With such a convincing arrival in the welterweight division, the American has positioned himself as a serious threat to anyone holding championship ambitions at 147lbs.

Jalil Hackett marked his move up to the middleweight division with an impressive decision victory over experienced former world title challenger Sergiy Derevyanchenko.

The 23-year-old was immediately tested by the veteran Ukrainian, who looked to use his strength and experience to apply pressure from the offset.

However, Hackett refused to be overwhelmed, standing his ground and responding with his own combinations before an accidental clash of heads opened a cut above Derevyanchenko's eye.

Hackett found increasing success through his speed and accuracy midway through the bout, with sharp combinations late in the fourth round and a brilliantly timed uppercut in the fifth showcasing his quality.

Hackett's cleaner work, combined with his stronger finish to the fight, proved enough to earn a unanimous decision victory as the judges scored the bout 98-92, 97-93 and 96-94, improving his professional record to an impressive 13-0.

Vladyslav Sirenko delivered a devastating knockout on his ZUFFA Boxing debut, stopping the experienced heavyweight Otto Wallin with a stunning two-punch finish in the final seconds of the fight.

The pair shared success during a closely contested opening, with the bout developing into a physical battle at close range as neither fighter was able to establish full control.

In the closing moments of the tenth and final round, Sirenko increased the pressure, trapping Wallin against the ropes before unleashing a devastating two-punch combination that left his opponent unable to continue with just one second remaining.

The spectacular finish earned Sirenko the biggest victory of his career to date, improving his record to 23-1, with 20 wins coming by knockout.

In the penultimate fight of the preliminary card, Emiliano Moreno secured the biggest victory of his young career with a decision win over Arnold Gonzalez.

Despite an aggressive start from Gonzalez, which saw him apply pressure early, Moreno gradually found his rhythm behind the jab.

Moreno landed the cleaner shots as the rounds progressed while also showing impressive defensive awareness whenever Gonzalez attempted to overwhelm him.

His accuracy and composure proved decisive throughout the middle and later rounds, allowing the 21-year-old Californian to earn the biggest win of his career so far.

Kashaun Davis produced a commanding display to defeat the previously unbeaten Mihai Nistor by unanimous decision, extending his professional record to 12-0.

Combining impressive speed with powerful combinations, Davis repeatedly forced his opponent onto the defensive throughout the contest.

Nistor continued searching for a fight-changing overhand right but was unable to trouble Davis consistently.

An accidental clash of heads, followed by a point deduction in the fifth round for persistent holding, did little to help the Romanian, whose unbeaten record came to an end.

Troy Nash maintained his unbeaten record while securing a third successive victory under the ZUFFA Boxing banner with a majority decision win over Ethan Perez.

Nash produced the cleaner, more polished performance, enjoying success with his counter shots while controlling the tempo both at range and on the inside.

Perez continued to press forward but was unable to break Nash's composure, which dictated the majority of the exchanges across eight rounds.

Opening the card, Argentina's Andres Sosa picked up an impressive decision victory over the previously unbeaten Dominique Francis.

Despite a bright start from Francis, Sosa quickly shifted the momentum, flooring his opponent with a left hook in the third round.

Sosa's relentless pressure allowed him to take control of the action before sealing the victory and recording the nineteenth win of his professional career.

ZUFFA Boxing 9 delivered another entertaining night of action inside one of boxing's most iconic venues, Madison Square Garden, with established names continuing to strengthen their reputations while rising prospects enhanced their own.

From Berlanga's stoppage victory to Hitchins' dominance and Sirenko's dramatic last-second knockout, several fighters left New York with their stock significantly higher.

As ZUFFA Boxing continues to expand its presence within the sport despite still being in its infancy, nights like this underline the promotion's ambition to combine proven names with the next generation of boxing talent.

ZUFFA Boxing's next chapter begins in Dublin next week as the 3Arena hosts Aaron McKenna vs Etinosa Oliha for the IBF middleweight world title at ZUFFA Boxing 10.