Galal Yafai Beats Sunny Edwards, Secures WBC Flyweight Shot

Galal Yafai delivered a dominant performance, defeating long-time rival Sunny Edwards to claim the interim WBC flyweight title. Yafai controlled the fight for six rounds before the referee stepped in to halt the action at BP Pulse Live in Birmingham. Edwards, the former IBF flyweight champion, announced his retirement after the defeat. The victory extends Yafai’s unbeaten record to nine wins with seven by knockout, positioning him for a future shot at WBC champion Kenshiro Teraji in 2025.

Yafai, who won Olympic gold in 2020, expressed his pride, calling the win over Edwards more rewarding than his Olympic achievement. “This was my night tonight,” he said. The two fighters had met before in 2015 as amateurs but Edwards struggled to match Yafai’s intensity this time. Edwards, whose body had been battling wear and tear, retired with a record of 21 wins and two losses. “My body is falling apart,” he admitted, citing injuries in his wrists, ankles and back.

Yafai, long regarded as a future world champion after his Olympic success, showed no signs of nerves despite facing a major step up in competition. From the opening bell, he overwhelmed Edwards with precision shots, dominating every round. Edwards, unable to find a rhythm, showed signs of frustration, even telling his trainer, “I don’t want to be here.”

The fight ended in the sixth round when Edwards, backed against the ropes and unable to defend, took a barrage of punches. Galal Yafai’s impressive victory marks a major step in his career as he continues to rise through the ranks of flyweight boxing. Meanwhile, Edwards, who has battled injuries, closed the chapter on a career that shaped the British flyweight scene.