Exclusive: Hearn Refuses To Pick Winner Between Edwards And Yafai

Eddie Hearn has refused to pick a winner between Sunny Edwards and Galal Yafai, ahead of the pair’s WBC interim world flyweight title fight in Birmingham this weekend.

Edwards, who previously held the IBF belt before being dethroned in a unification contest by WBO king Jesse Rodriguez last year, meets Yafai, one of the division’s rising stars, at the BP Pulse LIVE on Saturday night.

Hearn, the chairman of Matchroom, is responsible for overseeing the careers of both men and admits the eagerly anticipated domestic contest “genuinely could go either way.”

“I honestly can’t split them,” Hearn told SportsBoom.com. “I don’t think anyone can, with any real confidence or intention.”

“Sunny has been at the top of the tree, but has he had too many hard, tough fights? Galal is fresh and on the way up but is he too inexperienced for this one?”

“If Sunny is really flowing then he can cause Galal all sorts of problems. Real problems. But then Galal has got real momentum behind him and real ability too.”

“You can make a case for either of them to win this and that’s what makes it such a great one.”

“It genuinely could go either way and there’s jeopardy in it for them both - especially with where they are now and what they’re both looking to go on and do after this.”

“It’s crucial for both of them,” Hearn added. “Credit to them both for doing it, especially because of what is at stake.”

One For the Purists

Edwards, aged 28 and a former British champion, will be making his first outing under new trainer Chris Williams after leaving the Steel City gym in Sheffield - the city where he is now based despite hailing from London. 

The defeat to Rodriguez, at the Desert Diamond Arena in Arizona, is the only loss on his professional record which spans 22 bouts - 14 of which were for titles of varying sorts. Edwards returned from that set-back by claiming a technical decision over Adrian Curiel in June - again in the USA.

Yafai, from Birmingham, is three years older than his opponent but has taken part in 14 fewer contests. 

A gold medallist at the 2020 Olympic Games, he has won all his eight outings so far with six of those victories coming inside the distance. Yafai was awarded the MBE in 2022 for his services to boxing, having also secured gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, which were staged in Australia.

“I really want to push this fight because, although it’s one for the boxing purists, it’s also going to be brilliant for the more casual fans,” Hearn said. 

“That’s because it’s between two high-calibre operators and a genuine 50/50. I can’t split them and, like I say, I don’t think anyone else can either with any real certainty.”

“Sometimes, with everything else going on in the sport, these domestic matchups can go a little bit under the radar but, genuinely, I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to this because I know what they both bring to the table with them.”