By Rob Tebbutt
ROB McCracken has heaped praise on Galal Yafai following his dominant sixth-round TKO win over Sunny Edwards in Birmingham and has earmarked the flyweight star as a potential Hall of Fame fighter.
Yafai (9-0, 7 KOs) produced a career-best performance in dissecting former IBF flyweight champion Edwards (21-2, 4 KOs) on Saturday night, turning what was billed as a fascinating ’50-50’ match-up into something of a mismatch with a stunning display of pressure-fighting and combination punching.
“Yeah, he boxed very well,” McCracken told BN.
“He had a really, really good training camp, really good sparring. Was in really good shape, and had boxed not long ago, a couple of months ago, so he was really sharp.
“I thought it was the right fight at the right time for Galal. Frank Smith initially brought it up, we discussed it for a number of weeks, then we agreed a deal. Galal was happy with it and it’s pushed his career forward. [He] took it deadly serious in preparation and wanted to deliver a really good performance. I think he’s done that and, obviously, against a top fighter in Sunny.”
Rob McCracken and Galal Yafai
With the bout pitting Yafai’s all-action style against the fleet-footed, outside boxing skills of Edwards, the onus was on the Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion to force the pace from the opening bell – and he would do so with devastating effect; racing out of the blocks and hurting Edwards inside the opening thirty seconds of the contest with a thudding right hook to the head.
“He [Yafai’s]’s very good at closing the gap.
“He’s Olympic champion. If you’re a British boxer and you become Olympic gold medallist, you have to be a little bit special to close the gap. He [Yafai] knows how to close the gap.
“Sunny is very tough. He took some big shots in there and he was answering back all the way through. But when you’re getting hit around the temple and you’re getting hit with big body shots from somebody who’s not just relentless, but he’s very fit and knows what he’s doing, it’s very difficult for the opponent.”
Away from Yafai’s performance, one of the major talking points to come from the fight was the behaviour of Edwards, 28, who announced his retirement in the ring immediately after the fight.
Having coached both Yafai and Edwards during their stint as part of Team GB, McCracken admitted his surprise at Edwards calling time on his career, but stated that he hoped to see the Croydon man return to the ring at some point in the future.
“Yeah, it’s a surprise,” McCracken admitted.
“But look, he’s his own man, Sunny Edwards. He always has been. Hopefully, from my point of view, it’s not the last that we see of him. Maybe on reflection he has a look at it and thinks ‘I can come back and get to the top’ because he has the ability to.”
McCracken was, however, resolute in his belief that Yafai possesses all of the necessary tools to reach the top of the sport, even hinting that he felt Yafai could follow in the footsteps of long-time disciple, IBHOF inductee and former super-middleweight champion Carl Froch,
“Galal Yafai has delivered again and he goes onwards and upwards.
“He’s motivated, he’s driven and he’s determined – so it’s a really good journey to be on. Me and Lee Pullen, we’ve been working with Galal and Gary Hale, who couldn’t make it tonight, and long may it continue.
“Galal’s continuing to gain experience at world level and let’s see if, hopefully, he can follow Carl Froch, who was here tonight, he was in the changing rooms… let’s see if Galal can follow in Carl’s footsteps and become world champion, fighting these unification fights and who knows? One day, he [Yafai] could join Carl in the Hall of Fame.”