An exciting all-British bout is set to occur as Matchroom unveils Sunny Edwards and Galal Yafai will face each other at the BP Pulse Arena on November 30th. The two flyweights, arguably the best two British flyweights in the world, will headline the Matchroom card and further signify a pivotal battle between a rising star in Yafai, and an established and prime veteran in Edwards―who will be looking to move towards a world title fight after.
Though Galal Yafai’s (7-0, 5 KO’s) resume and record pales in comparison to Sunny Edwards’ (21-1, 4 KO’s), Yafai poses a viable threat to Edwards’ ascent up the rankings. Having made his debut just two years ago in 2022, Yafai has rocketed himself up to the top of the flyweight (112 lbs) rankings and is currently ranked in the top 10 by the WBC, WBO and IBF―as well as The Ring Boxing Magazine.
Yafai’s ascent is significant, as despite being three years Edwards’ senior at the age of 31, he had a substantial amateur career that includes him winning the Olympic gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. His amateur pedigree delineates Yafai as an uber-talented boxer who might be one fight away from being considered a generational fighter.
In that sense, Sunny Edwards presents the perfect challenge for Yafai, further epitomized by how Edwards’ own journey through professional boxing depicts him as a significant talent who could potentially unify the entire 112 lbs division. As such, despite the contrasting experience between the two, it still encompasses a worthy domestic battle to decide the next likely challenger for a world title.
According to Matchroom chairman Eddie Hearn, there is an actual possibility the winner of Edwards-Yafai will vie for a title for their next fight.
“This is a huge fight for British boxing,” Eddie Hearn told Matchroom. “I’m delighted to get this one over the line as it’s the right fight for both men. In my opinion these are the best two Flyweights in the world, and they will clash for a shot at the World Title in front of a huge crowd in Birmingham.“
It is yet unknown which sanctioning body they would get a title shot with or whether their fight is ruled as an elimination fight1, but considering Matchroom has no champions in the flyweight division, one of the sanctioning bodies might confirm the Edwards-Yafai bout to be for a mandatory position n the near future.
- Fights to determine the mandatory challenger of a particular division pertaining to a specific sanctioning body. ↩︎
