Take your pick: Sonny Edwards vs Galal Yafai
When to watch: Saturday, November 2 at 2:00 PM Eastern Time (7:00 PM GMT)
How to watch: Dasn
Why watch: This fight brings a lot to the table. Outside the ring there are long rivalries and drama between families. Inside the ring? This fight is between former world champions in Edwards’ division. with those who are undefeated in the flyweight division They compete for a spot in the flyweight division.
This isn’t the first time Edwards and Yafai have fought, but it’s been a long time coming.
They both became amateur boxers in 2015. When Edwards won a split decision– Yafai made the national team representing Great Britain at the Olympics in August 2016. Edwards returned to the pros that September.
That means Edwards (21-1, 4 KO) has done a lot more in the paid ranks. He won the world title in April 2021, with 112-pound titleholder Moruti Mthalen Edwards successfully defending it four times. But lost his IBF belt in December 2023 in a unification bout against Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez, who stopped Edwards after nine rounds.
There is little shame in losing to a pound-for-pound great like Rodriguez. Edwards, 28, from London, still wants this win. His rebuild began this June with a technical decision shortfall to 24-5-1 Adrian Curiel. This fight with Yafai brings him one step closer – fight. This was for the WBC’s temporary flyweight belt, making the winner the mandatory challenger to Kenshiro Teraji.
Of course, that’s what Yafai (8-0, 6 KO) wants as well. He’s 31 years old and likely in peak physical form. This means he needs to develop faster than most prospects at the start of their careers.
Yafai only turned pro in 2022. That’s because he’s still in the amateur system after being eliminated early at the 2016 Games, where he was sent packing in the tournament’s second fight. Light flyweight Yafai returned for the 2020 Olympics (held in 2021 due to the pandemic) in the flyweight division and fared much better.
He won the gold medal.
This will be the third fight of 2024 for the Birmingham, England resident, and he will perform in front of his home crowd at Resorts World Birmingham in April. Yafai scored a TKO in eight rounds. Over Agustin Mauro Gauto 21-1 in September With Edwards already signed. Yafai kept himself busy with a three-round stoppage of Sergio Orozco Oliva 9-8.
Meanwhile They are not the only members of the family with history. There is the matter of their brother. Former world flyweight champion Charlie Edwards and former junior bantamweight champion Khalid “Kal” Yafai
The two “sparred hundreds of times together during their time on Team GB and their positions overlapped”. wrote John Evans for BoxingScene last year.– “This fight would have been more profitable and famous if they had fought around 2019 when both were unbeaten world champions. which Edwards confirmed he is keen to make happen.”
They have never met and probably never will. Khal Yafai retired last year after being dumped by Jonathan. Rodriguez was eliminated in round one.
But back to Sunny Edward and Kanlaya Fai.
Aside from queuing up to fight with Teraji. The winner will advance to a division where other titleholders include Angel Ayala (IBF), Seiko Yuri Agui (WBA) and Anthony Olascuaga ( WBO)
These are two fighters who share a past. Now they are reunited with a future to look forward to.
Meanwhile The undercard includes a national clash between middleweights Kieron Conway (21-3-1, 6 KOs) and Ryan Kelly (19-4-1, 8 KOs), as well as appeared from many opportunities
More battles worth watching
Wednesday, November 27: Deontae Pettigrew vs. Fabio Maldonado (BXNG TV)
The broadcast begins at 8:00 PM Eastern Time (midnight GMT).
Pettigrew (13-0, 9 KOs) is a heavyweight from Chicago who headlines outside the Windy City at The Dome at Parkway Bank Sports Complex in Rosemont. The 35-year-old is 6-foot-6. Foot and turned pro in June 2021 and is coming off a third-round knockout of Onoriode Ehwareme 20-3 last April.
Maldonado (30-10, 29 KO) has an impressive number of knockouts. But scored against the no-hopers. The native of Sorocaba, São Paulo, Brazil, will have the disadvantage of age (he’s 44 years old) and height (he’s 6 feet tall) in his final fight. Maldonado was knocked out in two rounds in July by a former light heavyweight whose name you’ll remember: Andrzej Fonfara.
Thursday, November 28: Ardi Catompa vs. Before the Wedding (DAZN)
The broadcast begins at 1:00 PM Eastern Time (6:00 PM GMT).
Katompa (6-0, 5 KO) is a 20-year-old from the Democratic Republic of Congo. who lives in Cape Town South Africa He fights at junior featherweight and featherweight. The fight will be in the 122-pound weight class. Last month, Katompa won a split decision over Sange Ngoza 7-4.
Ngebinyana (15-9-2, 11 KO) is a 32-year-old from Cape Town. He hasn’t won a fight in 28 months and is 0-4-2 in his last six. In July, Ngebinyana lost a unanimous decision to Fadhili Majiha 32-14-4.
The fight will take place at Sandton Shul Hall in Johannesburg.
David Greisman, who has been covering boxing since 2004, is on Twitter. @FightingWords2 and @United BoxingPod– He is a co-host of United Podcast– David’s bookFighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing” Available on Amazon
