Galal Yafai, a 31-year-old fighter, has found himself in a state of frustration as he believes he is not receiving the credit he deserves for retiring Sunny Edwards. In a remarkable display, Yafai dominated every minute of every round against his flyweight rival until the referee stepped in during the sixth round. Edwards, who had only one previous loss to the excellent Jesse "Bam" Rodriguez in December 2023, was widely expected to win in Birmingham, England in November. Rodriguez-Edwards has since been cited as a reason for Edwards' unconvincing performance against Yafai, who proved even more dominant than Rodriguez. The fact that Edwards could be heard telling his corner in the second round that he didn't "want to be in there," along with his recent split from long-term trainer Grant Smith and his post-fight declaration of retiring "win, lose or draw," has raised questions about his performance and therefore Yafai's.

Expectations and Challenges

Yafai, regardless, expects to be rewarded by challenging the WBC champion Kenshiro Teraji in 2025. He expressed his frustration, stating, "It's really frustrating. I've worked hard; I've done something that a lot of people – most people – thought I couldn't do, and I've done it in a fashion they never thought could happen. So it's almost come to the stage that they can accept I battered Sunny Edwards for six rounds, and it's got to be something wrong." The fight was a great night for Yafai as he beat an old foe in Sunny. However, it also showed that many people highly rated Edwards. The fact that many couldn't come to terms with Edwards getting beaten so easily led to various excuses being made. "He weren't right, mentally. He weren't at his best." But Yafai insists that Edwards was fine, just like when he fought Adrian Curiel in June. This has tainted his win and taken some of the shine off it. Only 11 months ago, before he fought "Bam" (Jesse Rodriguez), Edwards was considered a godsend. Yafai hopes to prove in time that he is as good as people might not think he is.

Relationship with Sunny Edwards

Yafai doesn't want to be disrespectful to Sunny as they are alright and get along. They are cool with each other. But Edwards' comments after the second round got the headlines, which was crazy. As a smart kid, Yafai believes that someone as smart as Sunny knows better than to say such things when the cameras are on. He wonders if Edwards did it on purpose or if he actually feels that way. Yafai emphasizes that Edwards is smarter than people think. It was silly for Edwards to say he didn't want to be in the fight when he was fine throughout the camp. Yafai forgot about many things said during camp and even during his warm-up fight in Sheffield when people slagged him off. Sunny was on comms and had different views. But then suddenly in the fight, when Yafai was on top, Edwards said he didn't want to be there anymore. Yafai questions if he is being serious. He had an injection in his elbow 12 days before the fight, and they all have niggles. You just get on with it.

Comparisons and Criticisms

People are going to say, "You're biased," which Yafai understands. He tries not to say too much as he doesn't want to be disrespectful to Sunny. But he admits that it was an easy fight. He trained harder for it than ever before. He can't simply say, "I'm better than [Rodriguez] because I beat him easier" as he beat Sunny Edwards a year later. He knows it's not four, five, or six years later. Edwards looked great in his last fight, and people make excuses like "Bam's made him like this," but four or five months ago, he was fine and brilliant. He was ranked number one with The Ring Magazine and is only 28 years old. It's not like he's had four stinkers after Rodriguez and is 36 years old and past his prime. Eleven months ago, he was the man in the division. Four months ago, he schooled Curiel. He is three or four years younger than Yafai. Excuses are crazy, but people are fickle. Yafai is confident that he will prove himself in time.