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Nick Parkinson
Galal Yafai proved he was more than ready for Sunny Edwards as he stormed to a sensational sixth-round stoppage win over the former world flyweight champion, who afterwards announced his retirement.
Yafai captured the WBC interim flyweight title with the TKO one minute and 10 seconds into Round 6 in only his ninth professional fight on Saturday and took a huge step towards a world title shot.
Yafai (9-0, 7 KOs), 31, ranks the win over his British rival Edwards in front of his home city fans at the BP Pulse LIVE (formerly known as the NEC) in Birmingham, England, as the highlight of his career alongside his Olympic gold medal triumph in 2021.
“I was worried going into camp because of how good Sunny is and I trained my a— off,” Yafai said.
“I boxed Cubans and Kazakhs as an amateur so I was used to that style like Sunny’s. Sunny is a technical boxer, he’s No. 1 in division. We had great spars in the past [as amateurs and professionals] but fights are different. Beating Sunny tonight was a better feeling than standing on the podium [after winning Olympic gold in 2021].”
Avenging a points defeat to Edwards nine years ago when they were amateurs, was a sweet moment for Yafai. Victory also secures Yafai a shot at Japan’s Kenshiro Teraji (24-1, 15 KOs), 32, the WBC world flyweight champion, next.
But while Yafai’s career moves to the next level, Edwards is finished. Edwards (21-2, 4 KOs), 28, had a three-year reign as world champion and claims he has lost his desire to continue boxing.
This was Edwards’ second defeat in three fights, following a ninth-round stoppage to American Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez in a title unification fight a year ago, which ended his reign as IBF world flyweight champion after four defenses.
“Win, lose or draw I was retiring tonight, I don’t have the same energy for the sport,” Edwards said.
“I put so much energy into my first six or seven years. I need a break. Sunny Edwards 12 months ago would have gone longer than six rounds.
“For the first time ever I have been thinking about stuff outside of boxing. When you don’t have the fire in the belly anymore, the evidence is in the ring.”
Edwards looked like he did not want to be in the ring at times as Yafai bullied him from start to finish to settle their rivalry in his favour.
Yafai, who trains in Sheffield, was selected over Edwards to compete at the 2016 Olympics and the episode still bothers Edwards.
Edwards wanted to make a statement, but he was in danger of being overwhelmed amid a ferocious start from Yafai. The Birmingham-based southpaw unloaded a stream of incessant hooks in the opening three rounds, and Edwards came very close to hitting the canvas early in the first round as his knees dipped.
Edwards, who is from south London but trains in Liverpool and lives in Sheffield, connected with some single shots late in the third round, but it was a brief salvo. Yafai maintained the relentless pressure in the fourth round and Edwards took some big shots on the ropes.
Yafai, whose elder brother Kal ruled as WBA world junior bantamweight from 2016 to 2020, offered Edwards no respite from start to finish of a relentless onslaught and when he landed a barrage of unanswered punches in the sixth round, the fight was sensibly stopped.