Boxing fans were left stunned when former world champion Sunny Edwards announced his retirement shortly after losing to amateur rival Galal Yafai.
The pair squared off at the Resorts World Arena in Birmingham, England, where Yafai produced a scintillating performance to claim the WBC interim flyweight title.
And yet, ahead of last night’s battle, many believed that the experience of Edwards would be too much for the explosiveness and relentless aggression of his opponent.
But in the end, ‘Showtime’ had no answer for Yafai’s extraordinary pressure, finding himself on the receiving end of a six-round beatdown before calling it quits on his decorated career.
Sunny Edwards claims he was injured ahead of his showdown against Galal Yafai
During his reign as the IBF world flyweight champion, Edwards put on a series of comprehensive 12-round performances that showcased his fluid movement and crafty offensive skills.
But then, after making four defenses of his title, the Brit suffered his first professional defeat against pound-for-pound star Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez last year.
His loss to Yafai, though, proved to be a far more one-sided spectacle, with Edwards displaying a lack of impetus to disrupt his opponent’s high tempo rhythm.
Sure enough, the 28-year-old gave an honest assessment of his performance shortly after failing his assignment, claiming that he simply no longer possesses the same desire he once had.
More than that, Edwards has now revealed that his preparation was hampered by several injuries, citing this as another reason for his somewhat surprising retirement.
“I don’t want to make excuses but, this training camp, I had to sit out for two or three weeks with ankle injuries at different times of the camp, [as well as problems with my] shoulders, back [and] wrists,” Edwards told IFL TV.
“It’s been like that for years if I’m honest, but it was getting me down this time. Before, I got into world title fights with one bad hand absolutely snapped in half pretty much, and then all I’m thinking is, ‘when the adrenaline kicks in.’
“This time I’m thinking, ‘oh, my shoulder’s hurting.’”
Sunny Edwards tells his corner he doesn’t ‘want to be here’
Prior to the fight, the news that Edwards had been planning his retirement would have left the majority of boxing fans in disbelief.
However, after a punishing second round, it was clear that the fan-friendly slickster was not his usual self, telling his corner that he did not want to continue fighting.
But while Edwards admits that this was perhaps his worst performance, it is important to not take anything away from Yafai’s victory.
The Olympic gold medallist has, after all, just catapulted himself into the conversation for a world title shot.