Fleet-footed slickster Sunny Edwards will put his IBF flyweight title on the road for the second time when he faces Muhammad Waseem on the Obligation Free Tennis Stadium in Dubai on Saturday.
Edwards, who’s rated No. 3 by The Ring at 112 pounds, has his recurring air of confidence heading into this battle.
“I sparred Waseem eight rounds,” Edwards (17-0, 4 knockouts) informed The Ring. “I wasn’t taking boxing too critically at that time. After I sparred him, I wasn’t 70-percent of what I’m now. I’ve developed and matured. My confidence, my strategy, the [seriousness with which] I take fights, how I weight-reduction plan, the whole lot is completely different.”
Edwards (17-0, 4 KOs) drove the 4 hours from his Sheffield base to Glasgow for the session.
“I jumped straight right into a boxing ring and handed him his arse,” he mentioned, pulling no punches. “All of the onlookers together with his coach, Danny Vaughan, pulled me apart just a few days later and mentioned I gave them goose bumps with what I can do in a boxing ring.
“I’ve walked into conversations different fighters have had with my brother, saying they’ve seen Waseem do a whole lot of rounds and never as soon as have they seen anybody batter him like I battered him. In a 14-foot ring, with a steel bar in entrance of his face, I punched his head far and wide. I’ve bought a variety of confidence from that. I pieced him up.”
The 26-year-old had hoped to face WBC counterpart Julio Cesar Martinez, however that was placed on ice when the Mexican stepped as much as junior bantamweight for an unsuccessful problem towards the legendary “Chocolatito” Gonzalez.
Edwards’ group moved rapidly and secured a battle with Waseem, and former discord between the 2 has given him an additional edge.
“I envision stopping this child, I consider I can, and have the intention to harm him – bust him up,” mentioned Edwards ominously. “He mentioned he’d beat me and my brother on the identical night time.
“All this being mentioned, he turned the battle down twice. I’m glad, as a result of every week earlier than I accepted the [IBF flyweight title fight against] Moruti [Mthalane], I accepted the Waseem battle. I’m getting over 5 occasions the quantity for what I’d have boxed him for then.”
All going properly, Edwards reaffirmed that his intentions to push forward with a unification battle towards Martinez.
“I don’t assume there’s one other profitable battle like me for Martinez as a flyweight,” he mentioned. “The buildup, with him beating three or 4 British fighters, lots of people know him on these shores, historical past with my brother.
“They don’t need the battle. One factor Eddie [Hearn] can’t abdomen is me going over there, robbing the financial institution with the belts, and smiling my little goofy tooth all the best way again to the outlet I got here from.”
Waseem turned skilled in 2015. The Pakistani-born fighter moved rapidly and turned again the problem of the-then unbeaten Giemel Magramo (UD 12).
In simply his eighth outing, he narrowly misplaced to Mthalane (UD 12) for the vacant IBF 112-pound title. Since then, the 34-year-old has gained 4 fights to take his report to 12-1 (8 KOs).
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