Galal Yafai Stops Tommy Frank In First Round
In a flyweight bout headlining a card at the Utilita Arena in Birmingham, England, Galal Yafai (5-0, 4 KOs) defeated Tommy Frank (15-4-1, 3 KOs) via technical knockout in round one. The fight, which was broadcast on DAZN around the world, was stopped after Frank’s corner threw the towel in with more than a minute to go in the round. With the win, Yafai continues his hunt for a world title.
From the opening bell onwards, Yafai came out firing. Within a minute of round one, he dropped Frank to the canvas with a left followed by a right. Frank had no trouble getting up, but Yafai continued to pile on the punches. Not long after he was dropped, Frank’s corner threw the towel in to signal that they had seen enough.
WHAT A PERFORMANCE! đ«
đźâđš @galal_yafai demolishes Tommy Frank in the very first round đ„ #YafaiFrank live on @DAZNBoxing pic.twitter.com/6mAzNDEixe
â Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) August 19, 2023
“It was good,” said Yafai after the fight. “It was what we worked on in camp. Obviously, we worked hard for ten rounds, but, if it happens in a round then it happens. I felt strong, felt good warming up. I was actually in a rush, I wanted to get out there. I’m not used to fighting this late. But now, I was happy and I’m glad it’s done.”
Following the fight, Yafai appeared to confirm when his next fight would be:
“A unification with Sunny [Edwards] and Bam [Rodriguez]. So why not put me on? I’m sure Eddie [Hearn] will. Well, he’s already said he is, so it’s all good!”
Edwards and Rodriguez will face each other on December 16 at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona.
Yafai-Frank undercard results
In an upset, Conah Walker (12-2-1, 4 KOs) stopped Cyrus Pattinson (6-1, 4 KOs) in the eighth round. Walker dropped Pattinson in rounds three, five, and six in a fight that saw both exchange heavy shots and get cut.
Jordan Flynn (9-0-1, 1 KO) drew with Kane Baker (19-10-2, 1 KO) in a rematch of their bout from April 1. Baker was dropped in the second and Flynn lost a point in round ten. Referee Chris Dean scored the fight 94-94.
Solomon Dacres (7-0, 2 KOs) defeated Chris Thompson (12-5-1, 7 KOs) via unanimous decision (99-91, 99-91, 98-92).
Khaleel Majid (11-0, 3 KOs) dropped Alessandro Fersula (9-5, 1 KO) in the first round and went on to win a points decision (78-73).
Aaron Bowen (3-0, 2 KOs) stopped Wilmer Baron (6-2, 5 KOs) in round two.
Ibraheem Sulaimaan (1-0, 1 KO) won his professional debut via first round stoppage against Michel Gonxhe (5-5-1, 0 KOs).
Sahil Khan (1-0, 0 KOs) also won his professional debut via points against Sean Jackson (0-15-1, 0 KOs). Referee Chris Dean scored it 40-36 for Khan.
Muhammad Ali (3-0, 1 KO) defeated Francisco Rodriguez (1-17, 1 KO) via third round technical knockout.
Currently writing out of Toronto, Canada, Saadeq first became a boxing fan while living in Doha, Qatar. Looking to become more involved in the sport, he began writing about boxing and has had work published in outlets such as Seconds Out and Boxing Social. He looks forward to continue covering boxing on Big Fight Weekend.
