Many expected this to be tactical and tense over twelve rounds. Instead, Olympic champion Galal Yafai wasted no time with a clinical showing en route to the seventh stoppage win of his career, clinching the WBC’s interim world flyweight title after a dominant display to banish Sunny Edwards’ revival ambitions. His ex-amateur rival announced an immediate retirement post-fight.
Edwards ends career after sobering second defeat
- Yafai’s speed advantage was immediately evident as he wobbled Edwards in the first half-minute, dominated their contest with volume and relentless pressure for large periods against a former world champion who quickly realised he wanted to be anywhere but the ring on fight night
- Held in high esteem… Yafai admits this feeling surpasses clinching Olympic gold in 2021: “It means everything, Sunny’s a great champion and I had to train my ass off for him. I wouldn’t say I was worried but I was, going into camp [training for this fight]. We had great spars but fights are different. Winning Olympic gold is the best ever achievement, but this was a better feeling than standing on a podium, that’s how good Sunny is!”
- All class! Edwards wishes for Galal to win full version now vs. Japan’s Kenshiro Teraji (24-1, 15 KOs): “To bring seven or eight thousand in here tonight is a surreal dream come true but when you haven’t got the same fire in your belly, facing someone who still has it all to do [in the sport], you see the difference. Hopefully he dethrones Teraji and looks good doing it.”
GALAL Yafai flew out of the blocks en route to a sixth-round stoppage win (1:10) many didn’t see coming to win interim WBC gold, as former long-reigning IBF world flyweight champion Sunny Edwards announced his immediate retirement post-fight.
350 days removed from disaster in the desert saw Edwards dethroned by Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez and suddenly, the mystique surrounding Showtime disappeared. He no longer had a world title for challengers, contenders, unproven prospects to target and needed to rebuild. That process continued five months ago Stateside.
Having started the process against former light-flyweight world titleholder Adrian Curiel, a mere 19 miles from the scene of his first professional defeat, Edwards had some pressing questions to answer of his championship mettle. We quickly found answers but not in the manner anyone could’ve expected, nor predicted.
Flyweights rarely take centre-stage. Yet it felt fitting this long-awaited night was built around him and an old amateur rival he’d sparred hundreds of rounds with, a domestic duel tabbled Bloodline, yet behind-the-scenes his energy had been zapped.
“I don’t have the same energy for the process that I used to, I’ve put so much into this — six or seven years, I’ve always wanted the biggest fights — Sunny from twelve months ago would’ve gone much longer than six rounds, I haven’t got the same fire in my belly and the evidence is there for all to see. He [Galal] can go all the way,” the Sutton-born retiree revealed in his post-fight interview.
Matchroom chief Eddie Hearn bullishly declared Galal wasn’t even breathing hard at the time of the stoppage and truthfully, he barely broke a sweat.
The savvy southpaw wobbled Edwards hard with a straight left within the first half-minute, Sunny unwise to stand-and-trade on unsteady legs against an Olympic champion who whipped power punches with mean intentions.
Edwards landed a few nice body shots but besides that and some last-gasp signs of resistance late in two rounds as the damage continued to mount with ease, this quickly became a comfortable night’s work for the Rob McCracken-trained pupil from Birmingham as he produced a career-best display in his ninth professional fight.
Rest of the card’s results, noteworthy news
- Former super-middleweight world titleholder Callum Smith named WBO interim world champion Joshua Buatsi and WBC’s interim titlist David Benavidez as options he’d like to explore in 2025, as both routes would get him closer to becoming a two-weight king. Buatsi a more likely target
- Newly-minted IBO super-bantamweight world champion Shabaz Masoud meanwhile, who ripped up the script with a SD12 win vs. Queensberry’s Liam Davies on Nov. 2, confirmed on the broadcast he hopes to return again before the holy month of Ramadan begins on February 28
- Following a fantastic debut appearance at super-middleweight, Welsh talent Taylor Bevan set for January 31 return on London card TBA, while his friend and 2024 Olympic heavyweight Pat Brown is slated to make his own professional bow at cruiserweight sometime in March
- Hearn confirms Ibraheem Sulaimaan plan to box for titles by the end of 2025, having shrugged off injury concerns from a nasty cut caused by head clash during his September 28 bout in Sheffield to become the fastest man to finish journeyman Marvin Solano – on home turf no less
Main card
R6, 1:10 — Galal Yafai bt. Sunny Edwards, wins WBC interim world flyweight title
Welterweight: Conah Walker bt. Lewis Ritson via UD10 (97-93, 98-93, 97-93)
Kieran Conway bt. Ryan Kelly via SD12 (116-112, 114-115, 115-113) to win vacant Commonwealth middleweight title
Lightweight: Cameron Vuong bt. Gavin Gwynne via UD10 (96-95, 97-94, 96-94)
Flyweight: Hamza Uddin bt. Benn Norman over six rounds, 59-56
Undercard
Troy Jones (c) bt. Michael Stephenson via UD10 (98-91, 97-93, 98-91) to retain English light-heavyweight title
Middleweight: Aaron Bowen bt. James Todd, R5 KO
Super-feather: Ibraheem Sulaimaan bt. Marvin Solano, R2 KO
Super-middleweight: Taylor Bevan bt. Greg O’Neill, R2 KO
Light-heavy: Callum Smith bt. Carlos Galvin via R5 TKO
Picture source: Getty Images, quotes via DAZN broadcast
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