Sunny Edwards: “F*ck The World Titles; Put Me In Big Fights”

Sunny Edwards No Longer Cares to Pursue World Titles

What is the value of being a world champion in modern-day boxing? A fighter who feels that a world title has lost its worth is former IBF flyweight champion Sunny “Showtime” Edwards (20-1, 4KOs).

Edwards will face former junior flyweight champion Adrien Curiel on June 29 on the undercard of Juan Francisco Estrada versus Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez in Phoenix, Arizona. It’s Edward’s first fight since suffering the sole loss of his career, an eleventh-round stoppage defeat to Rodriguez in December 2023 in a world flyweight unification clash.

WORLD BELTS DON’T MATTER?

While speaking to Matchroom Boxing, Edwards harkened back on that fight. He was proud of his performance despite losing a terrific battle. Asked if he has a burning desire to win another world title, the response from the 28-year-old will surely raise some eyebrows.

“I spent my whole life desperately aiming towards becoming a world champion. Then I became a world champion, defended it four or five times, and didn’t get no credit. I got more credit for getting my face punched in by Bam and standing there and taking it.

We live in a weird world where being the champion don’t even really mean that much. We live in a world where there’s four world titles . . . Fuck the world titles. Put me in events. Put me in big fights. Put me in a fight that people stop and want to find out the result. Now that I’ve been a world champion, I generally don’t care.”

OLD SCHOOL VERSUS NEW SCHOOL MINDSET

Edwards’s overall assessment is that once you have established yourself as a name of value, you can get the big matchups and paydays without necessarily capturing a world title. Traditionally, a fighter had to work their way up the ranks, make multiple world title defenses, and engage in significant matchups to make a name for themselves and create their legacy. That model could be fading with the advent of social media. Ryan Garcia has shown that you don’t have to win a world title or even be an A-level fighter to get a lot of attention, gain high-profile fights, and make plenty of money.

It’s a very new-age approach and mindset. However, is it sustainable long-term? It’s a topic that has the boxing community in constant debate.

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