Sunny Edwards and Galal Yafai clash in an intriguing all-British clash for the WBC interim world flyweight title.
Edwards is a former IBF 112 pound king, but Showtime lost that title when being well beaten by Jesse Rodriguez last year.
Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion Yafai has contested only eight professional bouts, but the Birmingham boxer gets an opportunity at a legitimate world-level opponent for the first time on Saturday night and it will be interesting to see if the 31-year-old can make the step up.
Sunny Edwards v Galal Yafai betting tips
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Proven Edwards can see off Olympic champion
Former IBF flyweight world champion Edwards is working back towards the elite level of the sport and the Sutton southpaw certainly hasn’t taken an easy route to the top by taking on the unexposed Yafai this weekend.
Showtime won the IBF 112 pound strap when beating Moruti Mthalane in 2021 and the 28-year-old made four successful defences of that belt.
Edwards defeated the useful Felix Alvarado two years ago, which is good form, before losing to the impressive, unbeaten and unified flyweight world champion Jesse Rodriguez in December.
The Sutton southpaw returned to the ring to stop Adrian Curiel early this year and the 28-year-old doesn’t look ready to give up his seat at the top table just yet.
Edwards is a slick, skilful and gifted fighter who can land punches from all sorts of angles, and not only does Yafai take a major step up in class on Saturday night, the Birmingham boxer takes on an unconventional and unpredictable opponent.
Clearly, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion is a supremely talented fighter, but the 31-year-old has contested only eight professional contests and peak performances over the likes of Agustin Gauto and Rocco Santomauro are way short of the level of Edwards.
It’s difficult to know the limit of Yafai’s ability and uncertainty doesn’t always have to be a negative, but the fight prices look to give the Birmingham man a little too much credit.
Time is right to side with the Sandman
Former British lightweight champion Lewis Ritson looked to be a fighter on track for the top back in his glory days of 2017 and 2018, but things came off the rails spectacularly for the 31-year-old.
Defeats to Francesco Patera, Jeremias Ponce, Ohara Davies and Paddy Donovan have left Newcastle fighter’s career in a perilous position, but the Sandman may defy time on Saturday night.
Patera, Ponce, Davies and Donovan are all levels above Conah Walker, who burst on to the welterweight scene with a shock victory over Lewis Crocker in June.
However, that is only one victory and it’s dangerous to put too much faith in one standout performance.
At 11/2, a chance can be taken that Ritson may have more left to offer than the prices suggest.
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