Galal Yafai believes he is capable of following in the footsteps of Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez by stopping Sunny Edwards.
The former amateur rivals fight on Saturday at the Resorts World Arena in Birmingham, Yafai’s home city.
They trained alongside each other as amateurs and fought on the same card in December 2023, when the 28-year-old Edwards lost for the first time when sacrificing his IBF flyweight title in the fight with the then-WBO champion Rodriguez to determine the division’s number one.
Yafai, 31, had by then defeated Rocco Santomauro in his sixth professional contest. He has since fought and won twice more; Edwards returned from his only defeat to win against Adrian Curiel in June.
If Rodriguez, in victories over Juan Francisco Estrada and Pedro Guevara, has since established himself as one of the world’s finest active fighters, observers have questioned whether Edwards will ever again be the same.
Perhaps it is that perceived vulnerability Yafai recognises. Yafai, regardless, is under pressure to prove his potential as a professional, having at flyweight at Tokyo 2020 won Olympic gold.
“We knew we’d get to this stage,” he said. “We both had to do our bit. I became Olympic champion, and he became world champion. We were both on the trajectory to be fighting each other.
“I know he has a story about how he should have been picked for the Olympics, but the reality is I went to the Olympics, and then I went to the Olympics again and won gold. So, it doesn’t matter to me.
“When I first started boxing, he was one of the first ones that beat me as an amateur, ABAs at the time – it’s just been brewing since then. It’s not something that I’m that arsed about but I’ll say, ‘He beat me on a split decision’. I’ll tell anyone. You’re competing against the best and Sunny was the best in the country.
“Realistically, I’ve got more chance of knocking him out than he has of me, but anybody can be knocked out, and with those little gloves, everyone punches, so I’ve got to be careful and do things the right way.
“I’ve got to be the best version of Galal Yafai. When he boxes he’s a bit more trickier and on the back foot. I come forward and bring pressure. It’s two contrasting styles. I can knock him out, but it doesn’t mean that it’s going to happen.”
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