Yafai Stops Edwards In The Sixth; Edwards Retires

December 1, 2024
2 months

Galal Yafai stopped Sunny Edwards in the sixth round as the latter announced his retirement.

Yafai’s win made him the WBC Interim Flyweight Champion, making him mandatory for the full champion Kenshiro Teraji. It also avenged Yafai’s loss to Edwards in the amateurs, extending his undefeated record to 9-0. Yafai was on the offensive from the opener. He shook Sunny with a right hook as his knees almost gave way. Yafai used his range to land on the head and body in the second.

Out of nowhere, Edwards was heard telling his trainer, Chris Williams, “Can I be real with you? I don’t want to be in here,” once the second round ended. Yafai backed up Edwards in the fourth, landing at will. Yafai’s pressure told as he landed an uppercut. It was followed by a left on the chin. Edwards was trapped in the corner. After failing to respond with punches, the referee stopped the fight. Sunny then announced he was no longer boxing. 

Post-Fight

“I was retiring tonight. I don’t have the same energy that I had for the sport; for the process. “I’ll be perfectly real. I put so much into the first six, seven years of my career that I just needed a break. I needed a break, really, before this fight, but I always want to compete with the best, and while I was the number one I wanted to be involved in the biggest fights; the biggest events. I knew it was going to be hard tonight, but the Sunny Edwards of 12 months ago would have gone longer than six rounds.

“For the first time ever I’ve been more thinking and concentrating outside of the sport. My family; my kids. I’ve been going through some stuff in my personal life that I’m trying to set up for the future,” Edwards stated 

“I was worried going into camp, knowing how good Sunny was/ That’s how I always approach it. I wanted to test him out. [And] I think people underrated me. [And] I don’t want to brag too much, but I won an Olympic gold [2020]. I was up against the best boxers in the world. The Kazakhs, the Cubans, and great boxers like Sunny. So, I was used to that style.

“It was just my night tonight. Maybe on another night, Sunny would have beat me. Sunny is a technical boxer; he’s at the top. He’s a former world champion. [And] he’s #1 in Ring Magainze. he got there for a reason. We had great spars, but fights are different. Winning a gold in the Olympics is the best achievement I can ever do, but tonight was a better feeling beating Sunny than actually standing on the podium. That’s just how good Sunny is,” Yafai said

Full Card

Galal Yafai beat Sunny Edwards (TKO 6) – Flyweight 

Conah Walker beat Lewis Ritson (UD 10) – Welterweight

Kieron Conway beat Ryan Kelly (SD 12) – Middleweight 

Cameron Vuong beat Gavin Gwynne (UD 10) – Lightweight

Troy Jones beat Michael Stephenson (UD 10) – Light Heavyweight

Callum Smith beat Carlos Galvan (TKO 5) – Light Heavyweight

Ibraheem Sulaimaan beat Marvin Solano (KO 2) – Super Featherweight

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