YAFAI: I'VE GOT MORE CHANCE OF KNOCKING HIM OUT
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 29 Nov 2024
Olympic Champion steps up against former World Champion Edwards in Birmingham this Saturday
Galal Yafai faces the toughest test of his professional journey so far when he locks horns with former IBF Flyweight World Champion Sunny Edwards in a blockbuster all-British clash at BP Pulse LIVE in Birmingham this Saturday, shown live worldwide on DAZN.
Olympic Champion Yafai, who headlines in his home city for the second time, has breezed to 8-0 (6 KOs) since turning over back in February 2022, but in 'Showtime' Edwards the Birmingham native is up against his most experienced and decorated opponent to date.
Edwards (21-1, 4 KOs), who holds a win over Yafai in the amateurs, is determined to become a two-time World Champion after suffering the first loss of his career in a blockbuster unification clash with Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez at the Desert Diamond Arena in Arizona last December.
With the interim WBC World Title on the line this weekend, the winner will go on to a likely World Title shot in their next fight - but Yafai insists he his solely focused on the job at hand and putting his long-standing rivalry with Edwards to bed once and for all.
“We knew we’d get to this stage," said Yafai. "We both had to do our bit. I became Olympic Champion, and he became World Champion. We were both on the trajectory to be fighting each other.
“I know he has a story about how he should have been picked for the Olympics, but the reality is I went to the Olympics, and then I went to the Olympics again and won Gold. So, it doesn’t matter to me.
“When I first started boxing, he was one of the first ones that beat me as an amateur, ABA’s at the time – it’s just been brewing since then. It’s not something that I’m that assed about but I’ll say, ‘he beat me on a split decision’. I’ll tell anyone. You’re competing against the best and Sunny was the best in the country.
“Realistically, I’ve got more chance of knocking him out than he has of me, but anybody can be knocked out, and with those little gloves, everyone punches, so I’ve got to be careful and do things the right way.
“I’ve got to be the best version of Galal Yafai. When he boxes he’s a bit more trickier and on the back foot. I come forward and bring pressure. It’s two contrasting styles. I can knock him out, but it doesn’t mean that it’s going to happen."
Edwards vs. Yafai tops a huge night of action in Birmingham, Wolverhampton Welterweight Conah Walker (13-3-1, 5 KOs) takes on Forest Hall's former British Super-Lightweight Champion Lewis Ritson (23-4, 13 KOs) over ten rounds, Northampton's Kieron Conway (12-3-1, 6 KOs) clashes with Birmingham's Ryan Kelly (19-4-1, 8 KOs) for the Commonwealth Middleweight Title, Blyth Lightweight prospect Cameron Vuong (6-0, 3 KOs) steps up against Wales' former British, Commonwealth and European Champion Gavin Gwynne (17-3-1, 5 KOs) in just his seventh fight, exciting Walsall Flyweight Hamza Uddin (2-0, 1 KO)faces Shepshed's Benn Norman (7-5) over six rounds, Liverpool's former Super-Middleweight World Champion Callum Smith (29-2, 21 KOs) returns to a British ring against Colombia's Carlos Galvan (20-14-2, 19 KOs), Birmingham's Troy Jones (11-0, 6 KOs) and Northampton's Michael Stephenson (9-2) collide for the vacant English Middleweight Title, Coventry Middleweight Aaron Bowen (3-0, 2 KOs) returns against Swansea's James Todd (4-3-2), Birmingham Super-Featherweight Ibraheem Sulaimaan (5-0, 3 KOs) fights for the fist time under the Matchroom promotional banner against Nicaragua's Marvin Solano (24-20, 8 KOs) and 2022 Commonwealth Games silver medallist Taylor Bevan makes his professional debut at Super-Middleweight against Horden's Greg O'Neill (7-8-1, 1KO).
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