NEW YORK — Hamzah Sheeraz realized what he had just accomplished.

The unassuming Englishman transformed himself from pretender to contender on a huge stage just 4½ months after a suspect split draw with WBC middleweight champ Carlos Adames in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, enabled him to remain undefeated.

Destroying Edgar Berlanga didn’t just strengthen Sheeraz’s star power in the UK, a market that strongly supports boxing, it legitimized him as a potential opponent for undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez.

Sheeraz, 26, was about as calm while suddenly discussing the real possibility of facing Alvarez afterward as he was when he adjusted to his slow start and tore through the trash-talking Berlanga.

“A massive, massive performance from myself,” Sheeraz said during his post-fight press conference. “I’m keeping my feet on the ground. I don’t wanna get too ahead of myself. Listen, in boxing you have your good days and you have your bad days. I’ve had a bad day and now I’ve had a good day, so I’m always thankful to the lord above. I’m buzzing to be fair, I’m absolutely buzzing.”

Sheeraz (22-0-1, 18 KOs) was a buzzsaw earlier Saturday night, when he dropped Brooklyn’s Berlanga twice late in the fourth round.

Berlanga (23-2, 18 KOs) never really recovered from the first knockdown, which was caused by a left hook with 42 seconds to go. Sheeraz’s left-right combination sent Berlanga to the canvas again, the second time when there were 16 seconds remaining.

The bell saved Berlanga, but Sheeraz attacked the vulnerable Berlanga as soon as the fifth round started. The Ilford, England, resident rocked Berlanga with a right-left combination that forced referee David Fields to step between them and halt their 12-round main event only 17 seconds in.

Berlanga’s only loss had been a 12-round, unanimous points defeat to Alvarez (63-2-2, 39 KOs) on Sept. 14 in Las Vegas. Alvarez dropped Berlanga with a left hook early in the third round, but he recovered and went the distance with the Mexican superstar.

The 6-foot-3 Sheeraz attributed his career-altering performance to moving up from the middleweight limit of 160 pounds to the super middleweight maximum of 168 to battle Berlanga, 28, and to hiring his new trainer, former WBC middleweight champ Andy Lee.

Sheeraz felt fresher and stronger at his new weight and took more than enough from his first training camp with Lee to batter Berlanga in the main event of “Ring III,” a pay-per-view show DAZN streamed from Louis Armstrong Stadium in Queens.

“We knew we had [only] eight or nine weeks together, so we couldn’t complicate anything,” Sheeraz said of working with Lee. “It was just about throwing more punches, throwing the right punches and doing what is required of me in the fight. Like the first couple rounds I was losing them, and I knew I was losing them.

"But I was adjusting, and that was a massive learning experience from my last fight against Adames. So, I think that’s what makes ... a good fighter — adapting from fights to fight. And yeah, this was a good day for me.”