Sunny Edwards proposes ‘boxing brothers’ event’ as he prepares IBF flyweight defence

Sunny Edwards believes a profitable defence of his IBF flyweight world title on Friday would be the launchpad to arrange high-profile bouts in opposition to fighters in smaller weight courses.

Edwards talks as quick as he containers and considered one of his concepts is for a event made up of boxing brothers that includes the likes of himself, Naoya Inoue and Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez and their siblings.

Edwards (18-0, 4 KOs) who faces Mexico’s Felix Alvarado (38-2, 33 KOs) on the Sheffield Enviornment in England on Friday, is ready to maneuver up in weight class to struggle the large names and suggests it could possibly be finished as a part of a singular competitors that includes brothers who’re among the many greatest on the earth at flyweight, junior bantamweight, bantamweight and junior featherweight.

Edwards’ older sibling Charlie (17-1, 7 KOs), 29, made one defence as WBC flyweight world champion in 2019 whereas Texas brothers “Bam” Rodriguez (17-0, 11 KOs) and Joshua Franco (18-1-2, 8 KOs) maintain the WBC and WBA junior bantamweight titles respectively. Franco has been in three fights with Australia’s Andrew Moloney (25-2, 16 KOs), whose twin Jason (25-2, 19 KOs) misplaced to bantamweight world champion Inoue two years in the past.

WBC-WBA-IBF king Inoue (23-0, 20 KOs), from Japan, is without doubt one of the greatest boxers on the earth at any weight, and his youthful brother Takumi (16-1, 3 KOs) can also be extremely ranked at bantamweight and junior featherweight.

Former WBA junior bantamweight champion Kal Yafai (26-1, 15 KOs), from England, and youthful brothers Gamal (19-2, 11 KOs) and Galal (2-0, 2 KOs), who received an Olympic gold medal in Tokyo 2020, is one other household nicely represented within the lighter weight courses.

“We’ve one thing proper now which may not ever be capable to be reciprocated once more, you possibly can put groups of two brothers in opposition to one another in a event with a system for a win,” Edwards, 26, advised ESPN. “Me and Charlie for workforce one, then workforce two could be Kal and Galal Yafai, then workforce three could be Andrew and Jason Moloney, workforce 4 could be ‘Bam’ Rodriguez and Joshua Franco, and workforce 5 could be the Inoue brothers.

“What a spherical of fights between brothers that may be. We’re all in the identical weight courses, there is a storyline, and we may struggle on the identical card. I am going to give Charlie the better struggle if he needs. There’s just one world between us so I must struggle one of the best one.”

Edwards used to spar with Charlie and isn’t ruling out combating in opposition to him sooner or later.

“We had superb spars, they received heated and if that ever occurred it will be considered one of our greatest ever fights,” Edwards added. “For a very long time Charlie agreed I used to be the person, however what ever he’s doing, [his] coach Joe Gallagher has received him considering he can beat me once more. I believed I had knocked that confidence out of him a very long time in the past, but when Charlie needs the struggle, he can come and get it — he would possibly truly settle for it this time.”

For now, Edwards is proud of the problem forward of him in Alvarado, 33, from Nicaragua, who relinquished the IBF junior flyweight title to step up a division.

“I believe he is essentially the most harmful man within the division exterior of me,” Edwards stated. “He is the one particular person at my weight who’s an actual world champion like myself. He was IBF [junior] flyweight champion and moved up with out dropping his title. He is an incredible puncher and solely misplaced in opposition to world champions and it is good to face somebody who set their targets on going through me, it is good to have somebody who’s assured of combating me as a result of I’ve not had that but.”

Edwards, a skillful mover within the ring, is determined to face the highest names after accusing WBC flyweight champion Julio Cesar Martinez and others of avoiding him.

“Not one of the different fighters, champions, need to struggle me,” Edwards stated. “They do not need to unify the titles, it is pathetic. Felix is the final identify I would like to scrub up at flyweight earlier than I transfer up as a result of there are usually not the thrilling fights as there are at tremendous flyweight or bantamweight, which I believe I can go to.

“I chased the Julio Cesar Martinez struggle for the final 18 months as champion and earlier than that as nicely, when my brother Charlie was world champion and received beat up by him. I by no means even received near it. For six weeks we had accepted phrases, date and site, cash, after which after beginning camp he determined he wanted more cash.

“Simply this 12 months I’ve had Martinez make a struggle after which pull out, then Ricardo Sandoval determined to take one other struggle as nicely. [WBA champion] Artem Dalakian did not need to know. [WBO champion] Junto Nakatani is the one different particular person I need to struggle at flyweight.

“I need to compete with the likes of Inoue, Rodriguez, [Roman] Gonzalez, [Juan Francisco] Estrada and Nakatani. I do not need straightforward fights. I am a nightmare for anybody on my day. I must face these guys to get the problem I would like.”