Old amateur rivals Sunny Edwards and Galal Yafai previewed their all-English showdown and went face to face at a launch press conference. The former world champion and the Olympic gold medalist battle it out for the vacant interim WBC flyweight title on November 30 at BP Pulse Live in Birmingham, England. The 12-round contest serves as the main event live on DAZN.
Edwards (21-1, 4 KOs) returned to winning ways in June in Phoenix, where he defeated Adrian Curiel via technical decision in the ninth round. The 28-year-old former IBF 112 lbs champion holds a win over Yafai (7-0, 5 KOs) in the amateurs.
“I’ll be real, I really like Galal. We’ve spent a lot of time sparring, we’ve spent time on Team GB together,” Sunny Edwards said. “And even when he’s your rival because he’s getting picked for stuff over you, it’s not really about that.”
“I’ve had a good relationship with Kal [Yafai], Gamal [Yafai] said a few things on social media. Whether he’s trying to get in my head or sell the fight, or just let me know that he doesn’t like me, it doesn’t really matter to me. The fight is between me and Galal. We’re representing the Edwards name and the Yafai name.”
“It’s a great fight for Birmingham, it’s a massive card for this part of the world. There’s some fantastic fighters up and down this card, and it’s what British boxing should be. I don’t see another British fighter out there around my division that would bring as much to the fight as Galal will.”
‘I’m not going to sit here & bullsh*t and say I beat him up’
31-year-old Tokyo 2020 Olympic Gold medalist Yafai was in action in Sheffield, England in September, scoring the third-round TKO against Sergio Orozco Oliva.
“I know that there were a few complaints about me fighting on Saturday but it’s something that I had to do, I’m selfish,” Galal Yafai said. “I have got to be the best Galal Yafai going in to fight Sunny, and I will make sure that I am the best. He wants to win, I want to win and there will be one winner on the night, and the certain winners will be the fans.”
“I’ll show everyone on November 30. He’s got his game plan, I’ve got my game plan. But if anyone had seen our spars, they’d know it’s a proper fight. I know we’re flyweights and we are small, and people don’t care as much about it, but this is a proper fight. I’m not coming to take the money and live off that, I’m coming to do what I have to do and I’m sure he is as well.”
“They were good spars, 50-50. I’m not going to sit here and bullsh*t and say I beat him up, they were competitive. Sunny is stubborn, I’m stubborn, that’s what is going to make it a good fight. Do you think I’m going to allow Sunny to come to Birmingham and just run rings around me? And do you think he’s just going to let me pressure him and beat him up? It’s not going to happen, we’re both going to do what we can to win.”
“I’m always quiet because the guys that I fight don’t speak English! With Sunny, people don’t really know that we fought nearly ten years ago, this has been bubbling for years and years. He went on to win a world title, I went on to win Olympic gold, we’ve both done our bit and we’re here now at the crossroads, and trust me, I do not want to Sunny, and he doesn’t want to lose to me.”
Among the bouts featured on the Edwards vs Yafai undercard, Cameron Vuong (6-0, 3 KOs) of England and Gavin Gwynne (17-3-1, 5 KOs) of Wales battle it out at lightweight. Also on the card, an all-English welterweight bout between Conah Walker (13-3-1, 5 KOs) and Lewis Ritson (23-4, 13 KOs).
Also in action, England’s Hamza Uddin (2-0, 1 KOs) at flyweight and Aaron Bowen (3-0, 2 KOs) at middleweight. Their respective opponents are expected to be confirmed shortly.