EDWARDS BOWS OUT AS YAFAI COMES OF AGE
Former IBF World Flyweight champion Sunny Edwards announced his retirement from boxing on Saturday night after suffering the second defeat of his professional career to former amateur foe Galal Yafai.
Former IBF World Flyweight champion Sunny Edwards announced his retirement from boxing on Saturday night after suffering the second defeat of his professional career to former amateur foe Galal Yafai.
In a fight billed to be a proper 50/50, it was all but that, with Yafai dominating from the first bell before referee Lee Every stepped in during the sixth round to wave the fight off.
A lot of the pre-fight talk centered around the family feud between the Yafais and the Edwardses, with Charlie exchanging numerous back-and-forths with Gamal and Kal both on social media and in person during fight week.
There was more respect than animosity between Sunny and Galal, but as soon as the first bell rang, that respect went flying straight out of the arena.
Olympic champion Galal looked like a man possessed. Despite being an eight-fight novice in the pros, he looked like the one who had previously been an established world champion.
Sunny, renowned globally for his boxing skill, just could not find his rhythm at all in the first round.
He did show signs towards the end of the round that he was building his way into the fight, but like he did at the start of the first, Galal jumped all over him at the start of the second and continued that trend throughout the fight.
It was brutal. It was messy. The Olympic champion, despite his older age, was ‘young-manning’ the former world champion.
Edwards wasn’t afraid to voice his distress to the point that, at the end of the second round, he told his corner team that he didn’t want to be there.
Damning.
As Edwards’s legs continued to slow as the rounds went on, Yafai’s confidence grew, and with every punch, the stoppage seemed like it was getting closer.
Sat on the ropes absorbing Yafai’s relentless attacks, Edwards was like a deer in the headlights. However, when referee Lee Every asked for something from him, he showed that he was still there and was still willing to throw.
It was all in vain, though, and around a minute later, Every decided to wave the fight off, which was, to the disagreement of Edwards, the right decision.
Battered and bruised but, as we thought at the time, saved for another day.
Yafai gave his victory speech to the DAZN cameras, and then it was Sunny’s turn. Out of nowhere, he announced his retirement from the sport of boxing.
A surprise to many, but this is a sport that is dangerous at the best of times— even more so when your heart isn’t in it. From that performance tonight, it’s evident that Sunny’s heart isn’t in it anymore.
A fighter who revolutionized the flyweight division and FINALLY brought casual eyes to the lighter weights, Edwards’s pursuit of greatness has not only led to countless titles, including World and British honors, but it’s also led to him being one of the most highly respected people in the world of boxing.
A credit to the sport and, most importantly, to himself. It wasn’t the fairytale ending he’d dreamed of inside the ring, but no doubt, this won’t be the last time we see Sunny Edwards involved in a huge fight, with his management stable growing by the month.
On the undercard, undefeated prospect Cameron Vuong edged past Gavin Gwynne in controversial fashion, and Conah Walker proved to be a serious threat at 147lbs with a classy win over Lewis Ritson.
There were also impressive victories for Hamza Uddin and Taylor Bevan on the undercard, with Callum Smith making a successful return to the ring with a fifth-round stoppage win over Carlos Galvan.