Sunny Edwards vs. Galal Yafai : Live Updates & Results

23:20:15
THAT’S ALL FOLKS

Thanks for joining us for tonight’s live blog as Galal Yafai serves up a sensational breakout victory over Sunny Edwards, who now says he is retiring from boxing altogether. A big night in Birmingham.

23:17:49
SUNNY EDWARDS RETIRES

After that painful defeat, Edwards reveals that he was planning on retiring tonight regardless of the result. He said: “Galal started really fast but if I’m perfectly honest, win lose or draw I was retiring tonight. I don’t have the same feeling for the sport. I think for the first time ever I’ve been more thinking outside of the sport, my family and my kids.

“I always want to compete with the best and while I was No.1 I wanted to be involved with the biggest events. Sunny Edwards from 12 months ago would have lasted longer than six rounds.,

“I didn’t feel ridiculously hurt but when Galal starts letting his hands go it’s hard to get away from that.”

23:11:51
YAFAI SPEAKS

After blasting his way to a sixth round stoppage, Yafai said: “It means everything. Sunny is a great champion, man. I don’t like to say I was worried but I was worried going into this camp knowing how good he was. I trained my arse off for this fight.

“I just wanted to test him out and see what I’ve got. I think people under-rated me. It was my night tonight, maybe on another night Sunny would have beat me, but tonight was my night. The sparring was brilliant. Sunny is a technical boxer, he’s at the top. We had great spars but fights are different, as we saw tonight.

“Winning gold at the Olympics was the best thing I ever did, but beating Sunny felt better than standing on that podium.”

23:05:52
IT’S ALL OVER!

What a statement from Galal Yafai, who draws a line under months of build up by beating up Sunny Edwards throughout before referee Lee Every steps in to end the punishment after 1:10 of round six. He takes the interim WBC flyweight title in the process and sends a huge message to the rest of the division. That was superb from Yafai.

23:01:08
YAFAI BACK TO IT

Southpaw Yafai smiles at the end of a huge fourth round, where he really starts to turn the screw, keeping Edwards against the ropes for most of the three minutes, landing to head and body. Edwards looks tired already, and it’s no surprise. Surely he cannot withstand this sort of pressure for a full 12 rounds?

22:56:01
THREE DOWN

Edwards has his best round of the fight so far after a difficult opening two but Yafai is still the aggressor. However, despite deciding not to move his feet, Edwards is starting to land on the counter more often although Yafai seems totally non-plussed by what is coming back. Into the fourth we go.

22:51:14
‘I DON’T EVEN WANT TO BE IN THERE’

It sounds as if Sunny Edwards tells his trainer Chris Williams that he ‘doesn’t even want to be in there’ after another tough round in the second. Williams reads him the riot act in response: ‘Don’t be fucking stupid lad, stop feeling sorry for yourself,” he says and sends him out for the third. An incredible admission from Edwards.

22:49:15
BIG START FOR YAFAI

A really fast start for Birmingham man Yafai, who is all over Edwards in round one with almost non-stop pressure. Edwards seems to be caught a little cold and off guard by Yafai, but manoeuvres his way to the end of the round. Definitely 1-0 to Yafai.

22:43:19
ELITE RINGWALK

‘Here Comes the Sun’ by The Beatles plays as Sunny Edwards makes his way to the ring. Genius.

Then, as he emerges on stage, the Beatles stops and he is rapped in by Birmingham artist Jaykae.

22:39:47
MAIN EVENT TIME

Now, nearly a decade on from the first time Sunny Edwards and Galal Yafai first fought, they now come together as professionals. It’s ringwalk time at the Resorts World Arena, Birmingham – Yafai is heading in first.

22:29:42
WALKER UD 10

Unsurprisingly, all three judges give it wide to Walker. Victor Loughlin sees it 98-93 while both Lee Every and Kevin Parker return 97-93 scorecards. Credit to Ritson for hanging tough in there under immense pressure, but that is three straight defeats for the Newcastle man.

22:26:32
DRAMA IN THE 10TH!

After taking a pretty one-sided beating for nine rounds, Ritson decides to go for it in the 10th and most notably lands with two big right uppercuts. For a moment, it seemed as though Ritson was about to clinch the most dramatic of victories but Walker, miles ahead on the cards, manages to soak it all up and hear the final bell. We go to the scorecards, again.

22:18:41
BACK TO BUSINESS

More one-way traffic from Walker in the eighth round, with Ritson spending most of it against the ropes just trying to soak it up. Walker, however, is warned by his corner to be aware of the Newcastle man’s counter left hook off the ropes. Into the penultimate round we head, can Walker find a finish?

22:13:37
PACE SLOWING

There is a lull in the crowd and a lull in the fight during a quiet seventh. Perhaps Walker needed a breather after his relentless pressure early on in the fight. Ritson needed that little break from Walker’s output too and used his jab intelligently in the round. We’ve got three to go.

22:05:35
HALFWAY HOME

Walker grins at Ritson as the bell sounds to end round five, which was another good one for the Wolverhampton man. He knows he is having it nearly all his own way here as Ritson looks unable to force him backwards at all. Will the pattern continue into the second half of the fight? There’s only one way to find out.

22:01:14
MORE OF THE SAME

It’s essentially one-way traffic in the fourth, with Walker really turning the screw and starting attack the body with more purpose. Ritson is standing up to it well but, under so much pressure, he has not been able to get much of his own work off. Into the fifth we head.

21:56:54
WALKER IN CONTROL

Roared on by his noisy legion of fans, Walker is starting to assume control of this fight and is landing more regularly on Ritson, who already starting to look out of ideas. He absorbs a lot of punishment in the third, can he turn the tide in the fourth?

21:49:09
BIG FINISH FROM WALKER

After a reasonably close first, Walker just starts to close the gap at the end of the round and lands with a big left hook just before the bell. Can he carry that momentum into the second?

21:43:31
ALL ON THE LINE

Everything to play for here as Walker is coming in off the back of a defeat, against Lewis Crocker on points in June, while Ritson has not won a fight since March 2022, with stoppage defeats against Ohara Davies and then Paddy Donovan coming since then. Who can breathe new life into their career here?

21:39:00
CHIEF SUPPORT TIME

Right, before we get to decide who is Lord of the Flys in the main event, we’ve got what looks like a tear-up waiting to happen as Wolverhampton’s Conah Walker faces Lewis Ritson over 10 in the chief support.

21:29:53
AND THE NEW… KIERON CONWAY

It was tight on the cards as Kieron Conway wins the title via a split decision. Lee Every has it 116-112 to Conway, while Kevin Parker has him a 115-113 winner too. Judge Mark Lyson, meanwhile, scored it 115-114 to Kelly.

21:27:53
WE GO TO THE SCORECARDS…

Great effort from both men, but just like in the previous fight, the judges are required. We await the decision…

21:24:09
INTO THE LAST

Another good round for Conway in the 11th and it looks like he can secure victory if he makes sure he takes the 12th. But Kelly is reminded by his corner that he can still win the Commonwealth title here if he can produce something special in the final three rounds. Here we go…

21:19:52
TWO TO GO

Conway landing well to both head and body in the 10th round as he continues to try to make a dent in Kelly. There are just two rounds left now and this one could still go either way.

21:13:53
KELLY BATTLING BACK

Despite that rallying cry from the corner, Conway seems unable to take charge of this fight against his smaller opponent. Instead, it is Kelly who seems to be growing into this fight as we enter the championship rounds. Even so, both men are having success while not really budging from the punishment coming their way.

21:08:08
CONWAY THE MONSTER?

Conway is told by his corner that he ‘looks like a monster’ when he takes centre ring and dictates the distance. But Kelly is doing well to knock Conway out of that rhythm and press him into the ropes. Into the eighth we head with this one very delicately poised.

21:06:12
GWYNNE ROBBED?

Quick break from the action in the ring to reflect on the last showdown, where Cameron Vuong beat Gavin Gwynne via UD. But a whopping 75 per cent of Boxing News app users had Gwynne winning the fight. If you haven’t downloaded it yet, sort your life out and get involved.

21:03:09
HALFWAY MARK

“Right, second half of the fight now…I’ve got this very close here,” Kelly is told by his trainer. There has been very little to choose between the two fighters through the first six, can someone pull away and take control in the second half now? Into the seventh we go.

20:53:46
FOUR DOWN

Conway is just starting to use his size advantage to good effect against his shorter opponent, controlling the distance with a stiff jab and then uncorking the punch of the fight so far, a big right hand early in the fourth. But Kelly replies with one of his own and seems to damage Conway’s nose. This one is heating up nicely.

20:46:46
‘EASY WORK’

…Is the cry from the Kelly corner as the Birmingham man ends round two. It was a good one for him too, as he forces Conway back towards the ropes before landing with one particularly eye-catching right hand. Conway, however, wears it well.

20:43:22
EVEN MONEY

Both men straight into their stride in the opening three minutes, with Kelly landing a crisp right hand while Conway responds with a left hook. Into the second we go.

20:37:14
NEXT UP: COMMONWEALTH MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLE

After those entertaining 10 rounds, we head straight into our first of two 12-rounders this evening. The vacant Commonwealth middleweight title is on the line as 21-3-1 Kieron Conway takes on local favourite Ryan Kelly (19-4-1). This could be another one that goes long.

20:27:19
VUONG UD 10!

The scorecards read: Victor Loughlin 97-94, Lee Every – 96-95, Mark Lyson – 96-94 – all in favour of the still-undefeated Cameron Vuong. Gwynne looks gutted, and there’s no surprise given how he pressed the action throughout. There are boos in the crowd when the decision is read out by Vuong roars with delight. He passed this test, just, and he marches on.

20:24:19
IT’S ALL OVER

What a superb fight and tremendous effort from both men, who gave everything over the course of those 10 rounds. But one of them has got to lose – or are we looking at a draw here? We await the decision…

20:19:06
VUONG FIRES BACK!

Vuong produces a superb ninth round, right when he needed it. Although it is Gwynne moving forward throughout, Vuong manages to keep his shape and pick his opponent off with a number of hard right hands. Gwynne ends the round bleeding from a cut beneath his right eye now, too.

20:16:05
TWO TO GO

Another energy-sapping round goes by, with Gwynne still on the front foot and Vuong just trying to work himself an opening. Vuong back pedals and grins at Gwynne in one of the short breathers he is afforded during the eighth. Before sending Vuong out for the ninth, Moore tells Vuong: “This is f***king close, we need these two rounds.”

20:12:11
INCESSANT PRESSURE

There is not much on the punches, but Gwynne is landing constantly on Vuong, who spends most of the seventh round against the ropes but just trying to defend himself. He manages to fire back with a couple of right hands towards the end of the round but is that enough to win it in the eyes of the judges?

20:09:11
‘ALL OR NOTHING’

Lockett tells Gwynne ‘it’s all or nothing now’ as we head into the seventh round but the damage around his left eye is now looking more and more troublesome. Even so, he continues to pour forward and does not seem to be fading whatsoever. Vuong is having to work for every second of every round just to keep him at bay but he is defending himself well.

20:04:38
GWYNNE CUT

Gwynne is cut around the left eye and it is confirmed by the referee that it was sustained via a punch. The corner, led by Gary Lockett, have done a great job on it as he heads out for the sixth round. At the halfway mark, this is still anyone’s fight.

20:00:18
WE KNEW IT WOULD BE LIKE THIS

“We knew it was going to be hard,” says Jamie Ward to his boxer Vuong in the corner – and that’s exactly what it is with Gwynne still refusing to ease the pressure. We will see exactly what 22-year-old Vuong will be made of here, as we enter round five of 10.

19:53:09
GWYNNE PRESSURE

This is a fast start from Gwynne, who is not giving Vuong a second to breathe, constantly walking him down with his hands up and looking to close the gap. The question is, can he keep it up for 10 rounds if Vuong does not crumble? This could be a risky strategy from the Welshman.

19:48:18
PATIENT START

Gwynne straight onto the front foot, marching forward and trying to put the pressure on Vuong, forcing him to work. But the 22-year-old handles it well, using his jab to good effect to settle into the first round comfortably.

19:44:21
GWYNNE RETURNS…

This is only Gwynne’s 21st fight but he has managed to cram British, Commonwealth and European titles into his resume already. This is his first fight since he was stopped by Mark Chamberlain in four in August, can he bounce back here? Round one is about to begin.

19:42:28
HERE COMES VUONG

In an interview with Boxing News earlier this year, Eddie Hearn suggested Cameron Vuong is among a small clutch of fighters in Britain who could turn into pay-per-view stars. Tonight is the hardest fight of his career to date as he takes on former European champion Gavin Gwynne over 10.

19:32:56
WE GO TO THE SCORECARD…

And it’s victory for Uddin, who wins this one 59-56 on referee Pete McCormack’s card. A solid victory for Uddin, who moves to 3-0. And full credit to Benn Norman, who only won one round there according to the ref, but that was a spirited display from him too. Next up, a step up for Cameron Vuong…

19:29:00
FINAL HURDLE

A good fifth for Norman reminds Uddin that this fight is not won yet. He comes out early in the sixth and lands a big right hand. Can he cement victory with a good final round here?

19:24:03
TWO TO GO

Four down, two to go here with Uddin ahead. He lands a low blow right on the bell to end the fourth but apologises for it. Norman told by his corner he’s got two rounds to change his life, let’s see if it fires him on here.

19:19:46
ACTION FIGHT

Norman is clearly not just here to make up the numbers and is with Uddin every step of the way, and even lands a big left hook of his own in the third round. Uddin is ahead here, but this is no cakewalk. Into the fourth we go.

19:11:26
FAST START

Uddin straight into business, looking to lead with a right uppercut and then land a big left hook behind it, which he does a few times, but Norman holds everything throughout the first. This one is scheduled for six.

19:07:32
PROOF IS IN THE UDDIN

A former eight-time national champion as an amateur and now a 2-0 pro, Hamza Uddin looks the business. His aim is to become the first British-Bangladeshi world champion in history – and I would not put it past him. The next step on that journey is this clash with Norman, whose dad Shaun once boxed Naseem Hamed!

19:05:39
WELCOME ALONG

Good evening and welcome to tonight’s live blog from Birmingham, where Sunny Edwards and Galal Yafai tangle in the most significant all-British flyweight fight of the generation. The prelims are done and dusted and we are onto the first fight of the main card, starting with Hamza Uddin – another flyweight – who takes on Benn Norman over six to get us started here.