Charlie Edwards: Counting Down the Days

Charlie Edwards: Counting Down the Days

By Jonathan Oxley

Charlie Edwards is counting down the days until the first defence of his newly won WBC world flyweight title, he fights Angel Moreno in what is likely to be an exciting encounter this Saturday at the Copper Box Arena in London.

The fight will be shown on DAZN in the U.S and Sky Sports in the U.K and Edwards is looking in prime form, winning the title recently from Nicaraguan fighter Cristofer Rosales in a thrilling contest, he later dedicated his performance to his mother following her recent battle with illness.

The popular fighter is now looking to progress and unify the flyweight division, he said:

“That’s for you mum, when she was ill, she told me never to give up on my dream. I never stopped believing. I want to unify the division next, I’m ready for anyone and everyone.”

Edwards has been fighting out of the Sheffield “Steel City Gym” under the close guidance of Grant Smith, a move that Edwards has credited with putting him on the path to the WBC title, He said:

“I’m number one in the world at flyweight, number one, numero uno, not number four, not number two, I’m the number one. I’m the champion now. I’m ready for all comers and whoever gets put in front of me I’m going to beat. My goal is to reign supreme, to get a legacy, unify the division, move up a weight, win more world titles.”

Edwards insists he is not looking past the fight on the 23rd with Moreno and added:

“Moreno is a very tough and game fighter, he doesn’t shy away from any opportunities, he’s going to come to try to steal my title from me, I want to be a multi-weight world champion. I look forward to taking my first steps as a world champion and defending my belt on 23 March.”

However, the newly crowned champion must be looking towards some very lucrative fights which would catapult him towards PPV status. Firstly, a unification fight with IBF flyweight champion, Moruti Mthalane or if unification fights at flyweight do not materialise it is highly likely he would want to move up a weight to super flyweight to fight former sparring partner and current WBA super flyweight champion, Kal Yafai, in a highly anticipated domestic clash. Edwards added:

“One hundred and ten per cent the fight with Kal Yafai is going to happen, his biggest mistake was not taking the fight a year ago. I’m a different animal now. The longer he leaves it the easier it’s going to get.”

It is clear that Edwards is relishing the prospect of adding to his recent WBC world title and catapulting himself towards boxing’s elite status, starting with the fight against South African fighter Moruti Mthalane, who holds the IBF belt. Mthalane spoke of the possible bout saying:

“Before I retire, it will be very much an honour to get a unification, especially the WBC. When I started boxing, I wanted to be a WBC champion so Charlie Edwards has got that title that I’ve been wanting for so long, I’ll be very happy if me and Charlie Edwards can fight for a unification before the end of the year.”

Colin Nathan, trainer of Mthalane the number 1 rated flyweight by The Ring magazine, likes the idea of a contest with the Sheffield man:

“I think the match-up could potentially be a classic,” he said.”

Photo Credit: Getty Images

Interview Quotes From: BBC Sport, The Independent & Sky Sports Boxing