Galal Yafai bullied Sunny Edwards into a sixth-round stoppage defeat in an unexpectedly one-sided contest at Resorts World Arena in Birmingham, England.
In his ninth professional contest he won every minute of every round against his uncharacteristically ineffective rival to establish himself as Britain’s leading flyweight – and perhaps even the world’s.
Edwards looked a dramatically declined fighter from the opening bell, and to the extent he protested little and it was equally little surprise when, again under a sustained assault and struggling to defend himself, the referee Lee Every intervened to rescue him after 70 seconds of the sixth round.
Under 12 months ago the 28 year old entered a unification contest with the great Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez with predictions made by some observers that he would win. He lost for the first time that evening in Arizona, via stoppage, and though he returned in June to earn a victory over Adrien Curiel of Mexico, his performance against Yafai suggested that against Rodriguez he left too much of himself in the ring.
Yafai, 31 and an Olympic gold medallist, impressively and effectively closed down the ring from the opening bell. Edwards, who defeated him while they remained amateurs, had previously been critical of Yafai’s selection for the Olympics over his – contributing to the pressure Yafai was under to make a statement in a way he had previously struggled to in his eight professional wins.
A right hook early in the first round buckled Edwards’ knees, and Yafai thereafter swiftly built a sense of momentum. The composure and intelligence Edwards has long shown meant little had been made of his recent separation from his long-term trainer Grant Smith, but as the fight unfolded it was tempting to conclude that Smith’s influence was increasingly missed.
Yafai, capitalising on his increased range, sustained the same intensity and continued to land hurtful punches to both head and body, and throughout the second round consistently had a similar level of success. “Can I be real with you? I don’t want to be in here,” Edwards could be heard saying to his trainer Chris Williams before the start of the third, and so it increasingly showed.
Not unlike against Rodriguez he was getting bullied and outworked – forced to throw punches to survive but making too little impact when he did.
His decreased mobility and declining footwork enhanced the suspicion that since sharing the ring with Rodriguez he has deteriorated, and in turn contributed to him getting trapped in the corner in the fourth round and struggling again when Yafai seamlessly unloaded with both hands.
Edwards looked exhausted at the conclusion of the fourth, and throughout the fifth Yafai’s size advantage again told and was then captured by Edwards landing an uppercut on the inside but barely making a dent.
He was hurt again by a left hand to the chin and then again trapped in the corner as Yafai again unloaded, and when in a similar position in the sixth, after Every had demanded a reaction, the referee felt he had little choice but to intervene, potentially ending Edwards’ career.
The welterweight Conah Walker had earlier earned his biggest win, when awarded scores of 97-93, 98-93 and 97-93 against his fellow Briton Lewis Ritson.
Kieron Conway had by then won the vacant Commonwealth middleweight title when earning a split decision over Ryan Kelly, via scores of 116-112, 114-115 and 115-113.
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