Prediction: Sunny Edwards Will Outbox An Aggressive Galal Yafai

Sunny Edwards Will Defeat Galal Yafai with Speed and Skill

The stakes for the November 30 flyweight battle between former IBF champion Sunny Edwards (21-1, 4 KOs) and Galal Yafai (8-0, 6 KOs) are high. A world title shot in 2025 is likely for the winner. On a mission to become a two-time world champion, Edwards will take care of business and show he’s a level above Yafai.

The two combatants sparred regularly as teenagers. Edwards’ older brother, Charlie, and Yafai’s older brother, Kal, were former world champions who spent years hurling insults at one another. However, it was a fight that never occurred. So, in many aspects, this fight between the younger siblings is rooted in a personal and family feud that’s carried on within British boxing circles for many years.

A CONTRAST OF STYLES

Yafai is a boxer-puncher. The 2020 Tokyo Olympic gold medalist prefers to keep the action towards the center of the ring. He wants to overwhelm you with an assortment of combinations to the head and body.

Edwards is a slickster who rarely stays still. However, don’t fall into the trap of calling him a runner. In the sole loss of his professional career, an eleventh-round stoppage loss to Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez in December 2022, Edwards displayed a willingness to stand, trade, and go to war. Just days away from the upcoming grudge match with Yafai, the 28-year-old spoke exclusively with Matchroom Boxing and said he’s confident of victory.

“I think as long as I can establish discipline with my feet, I think I can hurt him. I can definitely outbox him . . . I think that it’s there for me to win.”

WHAT WILL BE THE DIFFERENCE

Fighting in Yafai’s backyard in Birmingham, England, Yafai believes he holds the advantage in strength and power. He will be the aggressor from the opening bell and on a mission to slow and chop down his rival.

Here’s the problem. If you’re not elite at cutting off angles, consistent with your work-rate, and accurate with your punches, you become susceptible to Edwards’ speed and boxing skills. Yafai doesn’t have the footwork and ring generalship of Rodriguez. Edwards outboxed Yafai en route to a decision victory during their amateur days. It will be a similar result this time around.

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