SUNNY EDWARDS: "A HARD FIGHT BRINGS THE BEST OUT IN ME"
Sunny Edwards bids to add another belt to his collection on Saturday night, fighting Hiram Gallardo for the vacant IBF international super flyweight title. The impressive twenty-three-year-old Londoner is already the WBO European and WBO international super flyweight champion, picking up both titles in a career that currently only includes eleven pro fights.
Gallardo (12-2-2) is the current WBO youth silver flyweight champion and arrives at the o2 Arena keen to enact an upset. This is his first fight outside of Mexico, and his first at super flyweight since March 2018.
He is tough, durable and has never been stopped, despite fighting as high as super bantamweight. He has a TKO stoppage over bantamweight Miguel Zetina and comes into the contest with a record of six wins and one draw since his last split-decision loss back in February 2017.
Edwards is unfazed by the challenge, however:
“I said I want a hard fight because that is what brings the best out of me and that is what I’ve got. If I am as good as I think I am, I will get in the ring and beat these opponents.”
Witnessing his dominant third round victory over Pedro Matos in April would suggest he is likely to be proven correct. Displaying a rapidly-improving style, which is befitting of his high ranking with both the WBO and soon-to-be-should-he-win-on-saturday IBF, Edwards had hoped instead to be facing fellow British prospect and Commonwealth super flyweight champion Tommy Frank (11-0-0).
Expressing his disappointment at the fight failing to materialise, Edwards said that:
“Frank simply didn’t want to know…they pulled out before the purse bids and weren’t even willing to negotiate.”
Ironically, Frank and his promoter, Dennis Hobson, were looking to secure a world title via the IBF route, but should Edwards win on Saturday, to do that they would need to go through him.
An intriguing fight potentially awaits, therefore, on the horizon, but firstly Edwards must come through Gallardo; and he must do it this Saturday.