BoxRec

[quote=Ruthless-RKO
Why’s he blocked him?
[/quote]

no idea didnt really read into it

Press Release

FEROCIOUS PUNCHING SUPER featherweight Ryan ‘The Piranha’ Garner will make his long-awaited return to the ring, with the Southampton starlet having been added to the undercard of the IBF world flyweight title encounter between Sunny Edwards and the decorated champion Moruti Mthalane on Friday April 30, live on BT Sport.

In chief support to Sunny’s shot at the star from South Africa, Belfast favourite Michael Conlan enters into his opening assignment at super bantamweight against the in-form Ionut Baluta from Madrid, plus Troy Williamson and Kieran Smith will do battle at super welterweight in a final eliminator for a British title challenge.

Garner, 23, has long been touted as one of Britain’s brightest prospects and he last saw action in February of last year in the final Queensberry show before lockdown restrictions took hold. Several setbacks over the last couple of years resulted in his promising career threatening to not reach its potential, but the 9-0 Garner is determined to push on and move from strength to strength.

“I cannot wait to get back in there after more than a year and I am in the best shape – both physically and mentally – that I have ever been in,” said the Wayne Batten-trained puncher, who takes on Birmingham’s Paul Holt over six rounds. “It is up to me to make it count and put on a show.

“This is a sort of relaunch for my career and I will give it my absolute best shot. There is no turning back for me and once I get this fight and maybe one more under my belt, I want to jump into big fights that will really show everyone what I am all about.

“I intend to remind people who watch boxing why I was considered one of the best young talents a couple of years ago. My apprenticeship is coming to an end and I want to be in the title mix by the end of the year.

“This is an amazing show to be on, headlined by a big world title fight, which is where I want to be before too long.”

Reading’s Joshua Frankham goes into his third fight at super welterweight, having made his debut in September of last year and moved to 2-0 in November.

“I am so happy and grateful to be out for a third time since restrictions came in last year,” said the 22-year-old. “I know I am lucky and I am being well looked after by allegedly, so it is up to me to repay the faith that has been shown in me and put on a big performance.

“I was pleased with my first two fights, but there is so much more to come from me and I want to showcase the improvements I am making on a daily basis working hard with Wayne (Batten) in the gym.

“It is quite something that three of us from our gym are getting on this show and it is a tribute to the hard work Wayne puts in with us young fighters.”

The third of the Southampton-based Batten’s trio on the card is the debut-making super welterweight Levi Frankham from Cranleigh, who is cousin to Joshua and new Queensberry recruit Charles Frankham.

“This is the most fantastic stage to begin my professional career,” said the 20-year-old former winner of two Junior ABA titles, a Three-Nations, an NABC title and National amateur champion. “I have had to wait for quite a while and be fairly patient, but it will be well worth the wait to get out under the lights on such a massive show.

“The only thing that could make it better would be if my family and friends could be there to see me and fans were allowed in, but that will be something else to look forward to.

“I have worked so hard preparing for this moment and I am determined to make the most of it and make a big impression on my promoter and those watching on TV.”

Completing the card is the debut of Muswell Hill super welterweight Jonathan Kumuteo, who will be trained by Ross Pearce has targeted five fights in his first 12 months as a professional

“I’m not too excited at the moment because I have been waiting for 12 months to make my debut as the pandemic caused a big delay,” said the former London ABA Champion.

“It is what it is, but once I go into the bubble, have my COVID test and jump on the scales to weigh-in I will know it is real.”

In 2016, Kumuteo was diagnosed with a rare skin condition that needed several operations and wearing dressings for two years.

He added: “I’ve been through a lot of at times, but it made me believe and prepared for this.”

I haven't seen Mthalane since he beat Wasseem over here a few years ago, mental to think he's still going, he's getting on a bit though, Flyweights dont tend to last as long as him at top level, he's gotta be the most underappreciated World Champ out there

Edwards is a classy boxer, not that strong and doesnt carry pop in his punches but he's quick and defensively sound, big step up for him here though, i know Mthalane hasn't been active but i still think he wins a close one, hope he doesnt get stiffed in cards

Fight Week

Sunny Edwards: I'm Going To Make Mthalane Work For Every Punch He Throws

Sunny Edwards says he does not mind if people believe he is feather-fisted, but he says he punches harder than he is given credit for.

Edwards challenges Moruti Mthalane for the IBF flyweight title in London on April 30, a big step-up for the unbeaten Londoner and with only four stoppage victories on his record, some will question whether he has the power to make it at the highest level. But the 25-year-old says his power is very under-rated.

“People who have been in the ring know I am much more heavy-handed than journalists or fight fans give me credit for,” Edwards said.

“I will happily let everyone thing I am a little feather punches that carries no weight in my hands, because when they are trying to break me down, they will get stung by shots. I’ve faced good level fighters and put them on their arse.

“I don’t need to prove anything to anyone apart from getting that win because I am not going to risk my percentages just to stand and trade with someone, because with a big puncher, they could land a lucky punch and I could get knocked out.

“But when I need to bit down on my gumshield, when I need to plant my feet and let my hands go and get some respect, I do get it. I’ve faced guys who are bigger than me, stringer than me and more athletic than me, but how many times have they ever walked through me? Because when I do hit them, it stops them in their tracks.”

Edwards’s style is not based around power, though. It is very seldom in his career that he has been dragged into a tough fight and he sees no reason why his style will not transfer to a higher level.

“I don’t mind me classing me as a non-puncher,” he said. “I have had 101 professional rounds and I have lost very few of them. It is a reputation I think my platform and reputation is building well. If II wasn’t attractive to watch, I wouldn’t have been on TV as much as I have.

“I’ve had 15 pro fights, at least half at a decent level. How many times have you seen me under intensive pressure where they have built on it and built on it? People have knocked me down with a flash shot and still lost the rest of the round.

“If I do need to sit down on my punches, I can, like against Pedro Matos, who went the distance with Dennis McCann, who is a big-punching bantamweight. I may have shipped a few more punches than usual, but I busted him up and got him out of there.”

The South African champion has been around so long, that Edwards was only 12 when he first boxed for a world title.

“He has boxed countless rounds in world title fights, but with that comes a sort of pattern,” he said. “I don’t think he has ever had a fight against someone like me. I am going to show him something he has never faced before. I’m not going to stand and trade, I am going to make him work for absolutely every punch he throws.

“A lot of the time he fights, he doesn’t really think about what he has to do. Because he's so good at coming forward, normally fighters will stand and trade and then try and move around.

“I’ve got the legs and freshness that can cause him nightmares. He is very good at what he does. He is good at breaking down and busting up opponents and making world class fighters look very ordinary.”

Mthalane: Edwards will run all over

‘Baby Face’ Mthalane in top shape for weekend title defence When Moruti Mthalane steps into the ring at London’s York Hall this weekend, it will be six days shy of 500 since he last defended his IBF flyweight championship. It’s a massive gap for a man who makes his living as a fighter, but, as with everything in Mthalane’s life, he’s learned to roll with the punches.

“What can you do?” he asks philosophically. “Covid has messed everything up.”

For his fourth title defense, against England’s Sunny Edwards this weekend, the man they call “Baby Face” had to stage a phase of his training camp in unfamiliar Tunisia before heading for London via Paris, all because of the restrictions on South African travelers.

Getting to actually fight will be a mini-triumph in itself. Five months ago, he wrapped up a 10-week training camp for a December defense, only for the show to collapse.

His last fight was thus in December 2019, when he stopped Akira Yaegashi in a nine-round war in Tokyo.

He isn’t overly concerned with inactivity – it’s been a regular feature of his career thanks to promotional hiccups – and points to his first fight back in 2017 after a similarly long hiatus. He knocked out Genesis Libranza in double-quick time to emphasize his class.

He’s grateful to MTK, his management company, for putting this fight together and easing his preparations with a first-class training facility in Tunis. He wrapped up sparring this past weekend, having worked mainly with unbeaten stablemate Cayden Truter, a clone of the slick-hitting Edwards.

Trainer Colin Nathan marveled at the work ethic of his 38-year-old pupil.

“Moruti isn’t human when he’s in beast mode,” he said from Tunis on Sunday. “At his age, he’s a freak of nature; his intensity is insane.” Mthalane has much riding on this weekend’s outcome, and not just his championship credentials. He is South Africa’s reigning sportsman of the year and is a national hero whose exploits are closely followed.

“I feel it a little bit,” he says modestly. “I’m only doing what I know, doing my job as a boxer.” He rates Edwards as a dangerous challenger and won’t be underestimating his skills this weekend.

“I’m expecting a lot of movement, he’ll run all over.”

Mthalane is unbeaten in 16 fights dating back to 2008, a remarkable run that includes defeats of quality names like Zolani Tete and John Riel Casimero. It’s been four years since he last fought on home soil, so he is undaunted by what awaits in London.

“It’s different levels,” says Nathan. “Sunny is a really good fighter up against a really great fighter. The step-up will be too much for him. I’m not anxious about the judges either – we plan to beat him up convincingly.”

On Tuesday, Mthalane and his team head to Paris. Apart from his title belt, Mthalane will also have a Covid clearance certificate in his luggage, having passed a test on Sunday.

Aware of the history and great tradition of the York Hall, he’s looking forward to making his debut there, especially as the fiercely partisan locals won’t be in attendance due to restrictions on public gatherings. He can focus on the business at hand.

Mthalane doesn’t mind being one of boxing’s most underrated champions. It’s how he’s operated for most of his career, quietly and relentlessly. What matters is that he maintains his standard as one of the best in the sport, as he plans to demonstrate in London this weekend.

Sunny Edwards Embraces Underdog Role in Mthalane Title Fight

SUNNY EDWARDS HAS vowed to make sure 2021 is another big year for the underdogs by following in the 2020 footsteps of Teofimo Lopez, Dillian Whyte and Jeison Rosario by shocking the boxing world when he takes on IBF Flyweight World Champion Moruti Mthalane.

Last year saw the bookies - along with a good few pundits - rocked by a series of high profile fistic upsets, and 2021 has started in a similar fashion with Mauricio Lara and Lennox Clarke recording stunning victories over higher ranked opponents.

Upsetting the odds is what Edwards will need to do if he wants to take possession of the IBF belt held by the battle-hardened champion on April 30, live on BT Sport.

This particular betting underdog is a dedicated lover of our canine friends and will need to summon up the bulldog spirit of his beloved hounds against the 39-2 ruler of the division, with 26 KOs to his name.

Edwards is the proud owner of two American Bullys - Duchess and Kilo - who he insists are not quite as fierce as they look. He knows it is up to him to prove once more that underdogs can snap and bite with the best of the pedigree champions.

"I am pretty happy to be considered the underdog," confirmed the 25-year-old. "They have been on a great run recently and especially since boxing went behind closed doors.

"It is a trend I am confident of continuing and when I get the belt it will be in safe keeping with Kilo and Duchess protecting the crown jewels! I might have to ask the IBF about sanctioning some world champion dog collars if it all goes my way.

"And I know my dogs look quite mean, but they are big teddy bears!"

Edwards goes into battle admitting that he might be minus the supposed menaces of his four-legged family and will need to assess what he is up against in the opening couple of rounds.

"I think I will have to move around and have a look for the whole 12 rounds, to be honest. You don't go head on against an immovable object, I've got to try and work around it for as long as I can.

"This is definitely a 12-round fight and I have trained for 15. All I know is, I wouldn't try and beat him in an arm wrestle, so I am not going to try and beat him in a fight!"

Edwards is both familiar and friendly with the 38-year-old, known as 'Babyface', since spending time together over in Ukraine at a training camp.

"It is a friendly one since we were together in Ukraine and we have got each other on social media, so it has always been a 'good luck' or 'well done' before and after fights. He is top of the division, top of the tree and he is where everybody else wants to be.

"He is heavily avoided, we know that. I think he's had like 10 world title fights and nobody has ever given him a unification shot. He has proved time and time again he will be the away fighter, even as a world champion.

"I think you have to understand the beast I am getting in the ring with, to be honest. I do.

"When I got out of the ring in Ukraine he said I would 100 per cent be a world champion, when I asked him for a picture. Hopefully that 100 percent will be on April 30 and against him, but he is such a nice man and a great champion.

"I do genuinely feel honored to be sharing a ring with him, but all the friendliness will fall by the wayside when that first bell goes. I just need to win and having that world title would mean the absolute world to me and it would put me up there with the top British fighters right now."

Press Release

Sunny Edwards has wanted to face the very best for his whole career – and he knows he has that chance when he challenges Moruti Mthalane for the IBF flyweight title on Friday.

Undefeated Edwards (15-0, 4 KOs) faces flyweight king Mthalane (39-2, 26 KOs) on a Queensberry Promotions event in London this week, live on BT Sport.

Mthalane is regarded as the best flyweight in the world, and Edwards is planning to earn that status himself if he defeats the South African.

Edwards said: “I don’t think anyone has ever come to a press conference and said they have been really struggling or a camp has been hard. Every camp is hard, but it went as well as it could have gone. I want to thank Frank, MTK and BT. I have had a lot of notice for this fight and people inside the offices know I have taken short-notice fights, hard title fights at four and a half weeks notice and less than that.

“For this one I have had 13 weeks where I have known the opponent, the scale of the fight and the event for a very, very long time. I have had the time to prepare meticulously, my trainer Grant has done a great job, as always, and the team is very strong. I am just looking forward to welcoming myself to the world scene on Friday night.

“It is good to be recognised as part of the top tier by just challenging for a world title and I will make my claim on Friday to join the handful of British world champions and one of the two allegedly promoted ones next to big Tyson. I will be where I feel I have deserved to be for a long, long time.

“One realism when I first called for this fight was that he was the only MTK-signed champ. I have seen him spar up close and logged enough upstairs to think when the time comes I would be able to take him. That is no slight on him because he is a great, great world champion. I don’t need to sell him anymore than the media team has been selling him, other than to let everyone know he is a proper world champion.

“I just wanted the best and he has been ranked No.1 by Ring Magazine for a little bit now. That is what I want, although I am not quite sure how the Ring rankings work, but surely if you beat the man you become the man. I am trying to be the best at the weight and, from being No.1, I can then start looking down and pick off the other champions.

“I want to be at the top of the tree and recognized as such. I want to test myself and be known as one of those fighters who takes the best/hardest fights, the biggest fights that my name and platform will allow me to have.

“I’ve got a ‘no quit regardless’ mentality and I think I will learn more from the 12 rounds on Friday night than I have in a large proportion of the rest of my career, which is why I am looking forward to it.”

Elsewhere on Friday’s event, along with the world title showdown between Mthalane and Edwards, Troy Williamson and Kieron Smith clash in a super-welterweight bout.

Allas wrote: ↑29 Apr 2021, 10:46 Friday's card is better than Saturday's and it's free

Don’t you need BT sport?

JamesPhilips wrote: ↑29 Apr 2021, 13:10

Allas wrote: ↑29 Apr 2021, 10:46 Friday's card is better than Saturday's and it's free

Don’t you need BT sport?

Normal sub, I think he meant you ain’t gotta pay an addition to your sub

Really tough to call.

Mthalane a real road warrior, Edwards can outbox anyone. IF Sunny is world class he wins by wide decision. If he’s not he wins the first few rounds before getting caught and stopped.
Good fight

brilo33 wrote: ↑19 Mar 2021, 13:54 sunny for me , a good skillfulf boxer sunny and gets better with more fights and lose some of that silly showmanship stuff aint needed or pig tails , not a given will be a real test a good test i reckon this is a fight sunny must not lose for his career, can see a points win sunny if he is switched on moving landing his shots and keeps moving

a lot of people had sunny to lose that