SUNNY EDWARDS is set to make his Matchroom debut as the number one flyweight in the world, but despite his ranking, he is still chasing after other fighters in the division. Interestingly, it’s usually those at the top of the rankings who have bulls-eyes on their backs, but Edwards has spent a significant amount of time leading up to the event calling out other competitors at 112lbs.
However, one man that he hasn’t focused on too much is Andres Campos, a little-known Chilean fighter with a perfect record of 15-0. Matchroom selected Campos as Edwards’s opponent, allowing Edwards to sweep him aside before taking on more significant clashes in the latter part of the year.
Both Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez and Julio Cesar Martinez, who are Matchroom signees, are on Edwards’s radar, and he hopes that his new promoters can arrange fights with either or both of them. These were the reasons behind his switch from Probellum, which is now defunct.
“I feel like this platform will help me propel past Campos and into the bigger fights and really make the name for myself that I’ve been dying to,” said Edwards. “It was always a natural progression. They’ve probably been the best place for me to be for a little while because of the potential for in-house fights at the right times.”
Edwards is arguably the most talented fighter in Britain at the moment, but he hasn’t always been appreciated as such. His breakout win against Moruti Mthalane came over two years ago, and he hasn’t secured a victory that surpasses it since then. Beating Campos at Wembley Arena on Saturday won’t change that, but it could set him up for more significant fights.
It’s unlikely that Edwards will drop the ball during his fight with Campos, who has only boxed 13 times in his native Chile, once in Argentina, and once in Australia. He’s never fought anyone in the same league as Edwards and has only secured four stoppages in his career to date. Expect Edwards to use his trademark slipping and sliding to bamboozle and beat up on Campos, possibly for all 12 rounds. Edwards hasn’t stopped anyone for over four years, so he may get his chance to do so this time.
The supporting event sees Ellie Scotney taking on Cherneka Johnson for Johnson’s IBF bantamweight title. The fight has plenty of storylines, with Scotney initially set to fight on the undercard in Dublin but excluded due to a legal dispute involving her current trainer, Shane McGuigan. Eddie Hearn then managed to place Scotney’s fight onto this card instead. Johnson is the more experienced of the two but has only boxed in Australia throughout her career, so it’s unclear how fighting abroad will affect her. Scotney is yet to win inside the distance, but she should be able to secure this one on points.
In other fights on the card, Nina Hughes faces late replacement Katie Healy following Shannon Courtenay’s withdrawal due to injury. Wembley’s Youssef Khoumari takes on Reece Bellotti at super-featherweight, who is currently on a poor run of form. Expect Khoumari to win on points. At cruiserweight, Chev Clarke takes on Scotland’s former British title challenger, David Jamieson. Clarke is undefeated but will face his toughest test yet.
As for heavyweight Johnny Fisher, he’ll likely secure a stoppage win against Puerto Rican New Yorker Emilio Salas, and there are also fights for Shannon Ryan, George Liddard, and Muhammad Mustafa Ali.
THE VERDICT – The event is primarily an opportunity for Edwards to look good before setting his sights on bigger fights.