Not only did Galal Yafai take a risk and come through unscathed tonight (September 28) in Sheffield, he also received news that his next fight, a November 30 battle against Sunny Edwards, will in fact be a WBC interim flyweight title fight.
There were many eyebrows raised when it was confirmed that Yafai would still go ahead with tonight’s fight against Sergio Oliva despite announcing a November 30 date with Edwards. Some feared he would pick up a cut or an injury and that the fight against Edwards would be postponed as a result.
However, despite these fears, Yafai had things all his own way against Oliva and finished the bout with an impressive combination in round three. To start, he landed a nice southpaw one-two, leading with the jab, and then he followed these shots with a right uppercut and a long left cross, both of which snapped back Oliva’s head and saw him slump back into a corner. The fight was duly stopped at the 1:49 mark of the third round.
“He’s (Yafai) been second in every single spar and every single round we’ve shared,” said Sunny Edwards afterwards. “Deep down I think he knows. But at the same time there nowhere else to go. When you get to the end of the road of your contract, it’s either like it or lump it. I think they had to like it.”
Yafai, whose record now reads 8-0 (6), will fight Edwards, 21-1 (4), at Birmingham’s Resorts World Arena on November 30.
Elsewhere on tonight’s Sheffield card, middleweight prospect George Liddard, taking part in his first 10-rounder, stopped George Davey in round five. Davey, Liddard’s best opponent to date, had no answer for the 22-year-old’s speed and punch variety and found himself stopped on his feet. Liddard, from Billericay, moves to 9-0 (5) with the win.
Read the full article here
