Galal Yafai Sends Sunny Edwards to Retirement

No feeling out round was needed for Galal Yafai in his flyweight matchup against former IBF champion Sunny Edwards. Yafai thrilled his hometown fans in Birmingham, England, with a definitive sixth-round TKO victory against former world champion Edwards.

Yafai won the WBC interim flyweight title, setting himself up for a potential title fight with current full WBC champion Kenshiro Teraji of Japan.

Galal Yafai was relentless in his attack against a lackluster Sunny Edwards. Photo: Mark Robinson, Matchroom Boxing

“Sunny’s a great champion. I had to train my ass off for Sunny. I don't like to say I was worried, but I was worried going into camp against someone like Sunny. I knew how good he was,” said Yafai, who thanked his fans for supporting him.

“I’m not gonna lie. Winning gold in the Olympics was the best achievement I’ll ever do. But tonight was a better feeling beating Sonny than actually standing on the podium, and that's just how good Sonny is,” said Yafai of his longtime former amateur teammate and sparring partner.

Galal Yafai Defies Odds In Beating Edwards

Longtime amateur teammates and sparring partners Sunny Edwards and Galal Yafai were expected to have a highly competitive fight. Photo: Mark Robinson, Matchroom Boxing

The betting odds were razor thin based on the pair’s long history sparring “hundreds” of rounds as amateurs by Edwards’ estimate. It didn’t play out this way. The Tokyo Olympic gold medalist Yafai (9-0, 7 KOs) went straight at Edwards (21-2, 4 KOs) like he was shot from a cannon.

Yafai caught Edwards by surprise. It threw him off balance, and he never recovered. His game plan flew out the window.

Yafai borrowed the successful approach taken by American Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez last December, when his nonstop work rate, pressure, and angles let him repeatedly drill Edwards, stopping him in nine rounds.

“That’s the way I always approach it, test out and see what’s he got,” said Yafai. “I think people underrated me. I don’t like to brag, but I won Olympic gold up against the best group of boxers in the world. I fought Kazakhs, Cubans, and great boxers like Sunny, so I was always used to that style.

“It was just my night tonight. Maybe another night Sonny would have beat me, but this night was my night,” explained Yafai.

Edwards: ‘I don't want to be here'

Sunny Edwards announced his retirement after the loss, saying his focus was no longer on the ring. Photo: Mark Robinson, Matchroom Boxing

After the second round, Edwards said to his trainer Chris Williams, “Man. I gotta be real with you, I don’t want to be here.” The 28-year-old Edwards looked like the shot veteran against the 30-year-old Yafai.

Edwards seemed resigned to his fate. Williams, working with Edwards for the first time, delivered firm but encouraging instructions to Edwards to adjust his head movement and get his offense moving. Yafai continued to press forward with no fear from anything coming at him.

Edwards couldn’t keep Yafai off him. Yafai pinned Edwards to the corner in the last minute of the fourth round, pounding him with hooks from both sides to the head, with an occasional body shot. Edwards fired back at the bell, his last gasp.

The fight was over, but Edwards continued through the fifth round into the sixth round as Yafai kept up the pace. Seconds into the sixth, referee Lee Emery told Edwards to show him something. Edwards had nothing to offer. As he took multiple blows, Emery stepped in to stop the fight at 1:10 of the sixth round.

Retirement From The Ring for Edwards

A dejected Sunny Edwards alone in his dressing room after the loss to Galal Yafai. Photo: Dave Thompson, Matchroom Boxing

Asked what happened, Edwards made no excuses and announced his retirement from boxing.

“Galal started really fast, we knew he would. But if I'm perfectly, perfectly honest, win, lose or draw, I’m retiring tonight, I don't have the same energy that I had for the sport, for the process.

“I put so much in the first six, seven years of my career that I just needed a break,” Edwards explained. Whilst I was the number one, I wanted to be involved in the biggest fights, the biggest events. I said the whole way that it was going to be hard tonight, but Sunny Edwards from 12 months ago would have got longer than six rounds.”

Edwards said his focus in recent months was outside the sport on his family and looking toward setting up his future in boxing outside the ring. “Props to the best man, he more than won tonight. He just beat the number one in the division very conclusively.

“When you don’t have the same fire in your belly, and you come across the evidence in there tonight. I’m sure he’s going to get a lot of confidence, a lot of motivation from this. He’ll go on to beat Teraji and look good doing it.”

Future Title Fights For Yafai against Teraji, Rodriguez

Galal Yafai is now the WBC Interim World Flyweight titleholder, and will likely fight full champion Kenshiro Teraji. Photo: Mark Robinson, Matchroom Boxing.

“Sunny’s been the top dog at our weight for years. Going through the Olympics, I’ve always seen Sunny there. He’s the world champion, he’s man in our division. I fought him to become the man. It’s one-one now. All jokes aside, it’s been a great fight and a great advocate for our weight (division).

Matchroom Sport chairman Eddie Hearn had nothing but praise for the way Edwards has conducted himself over his career.

“Sunny Edwards’ mantra is Real Fights only. He’s given everything tonight.” Hearn said Edwards would play a key role as part of the Matchroom Boxing commentary team, where his gift of gab and entertaining personality will shine to the benefit of boxing fans.

Hearn said the next goal is for the Teraji vs Yafai championship fight to be made, and eventually a unification fight between Yafai and Bam Rodriguez, who are both part of the Matchroom stable.

Undercard Wins for Walker, Conway, Vuong, Callum Smith

Conah Walker dispatched veteran Lewis Ritson. Photo: Mark Robinson, Matchroom Boxing

In the co-main event, welterweight Conah Walker of Wolverhampton (14-3-1, 5 KOs) won a solid decision against veteran Lewis Ritson of Forest Hall (23-5, 13 KOs) in a must-win situation for both men. Scorecards were 98-93, 97-93, and 97-93.

Walker was the busier fighter and had more to offer than the veteran Ritson, who couldn’t successfully keep Walker back.

Kieron Conway won his fight for the Commonwealth middleweight belt against Ryan Kelly. Photo: Mark Robinson, Matchroom Boxing

Kieron Conway of Northampton (21-3-1, 6 KOs) won a split decision over Ryan Kelly of Birmingham (19-4-1, 8 KOs). The scores were 116-112, 115-113 for Conway, and 115-114 for Kelly. Conway wins the Commonwealth Central title, with a British title fight ahead.

Cameron Vuong got a narrow, controversial decision win over Welsh veteran Gavin Gwynne. Rematch?
Photo: Mark Robinson, Matchroom Boxing

Lightweight prospect Cameron Vuong of Blyth, England (8-0, 3 KOs) expected a tough test against veteran Gavin Gwynne of Treharris, Wales (17-5-1, 5 KOs). He got one. Gwynne, the former European, Commonwealth, and British champion, pressured Vuong, delivering more offensive output and controlling the fight for most of the ten rounds.

Nevertheless, Vuong won a unanimous decision against Gwynne, met with a chorus of catcalls from the fans. Scores were 97-94, 96-95, and 96-94 in favor of Vuong. It was close enough to call for a rematch.

Callum Smith delivered a knockout win over Carlos Galvan. Photo: Mark Robinson, Matchroom Boxing

On the streaming undercard, veteran light heavyweight Callum Smith of Liverpool (30-2, 22 KOs) scored a good-looking knockout win over Carlos Galvan of Columbia (20-15-2, 19 KOs). Smith lost by seventh-round stoppage against Artur Beterbiev in January, but the scorecards were close. Smith, age 34, intends to continue and position himself for a possible title fight in the future.