Sunny Edwards Retains IBF Title Via Unanimous Decision

Sunny Edwards (20-0, 4 KOs) defeated Andres Campos (15-1, 4 KOs) by unanimous decision in their title fight at the Wembley Arena in London, England. Fighting in the Matchroom Boxing main event Edwards made his fourth successful defense of his IBF flyweight title which he won over Moruti Mthalane in 2021.

Since then, Edwards defended the belt against Jayson Mama, Muhammed Waseem, and Felix Alvarado. Against Campos, he used his defensive abilities to win with scores of 117-111.

Edwards vs. Campos recap

The opening round saw Edwards showboat a fair bit. It was a round that easily went to Campos as Edwards did not do much of substance. From the second round onwards, the gap in talent became more apparent. Edwards began the fight in the orthodox stance but would switch to southpaw and back throughout the clash.

Throughout the fight, Edwards made Campos miss. On a number of occasions, Edwards would stand in the corner and beckon Campos over to land whatever he could. However, Campos would have limited success in such occasions. As the rounds went on, Campos became more desperate to connect, opening himself to counters from Edwards.

From time to time, Campos would land flush on Edwards. However, these moments were few and far between. He takes the first loss of his career that has predominantly been fought in his native Chile in addition to a bout in Australia and Argentina.

In a post fight interview, Edwards stressed his desire for better opposition.

“Bam Rodriguez, where are you. I was waiting. You should be getting in the ring, right now,” Edwards was saying in the ring post fight. “Sign the contract. Sign the contract. Eddie says, ‘sign the contract.'” 

The “Eddie” is Matchroom’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, who said that if a unification fight was not next, Edwards may have to move up or down in weight to get the better fights. Hearn also claimed that the possible fight between Edwards and Rodriguez could be made in the next two weeks. The next few weeks and months will definitely be an interesting time in the flyweight division.

Scotney is crowned champ, Hughes successfully defends title

There were two additional title fights on the Edwards-Campos card. Catford’s Ellie Scotney (7-0, 0 KOs) became the latest British fighter to become a world champion with a unanimous decision victory over Cherneka Johnson (15-2, 6 KOs). The final scorecards read 98-92 (x2) and 97-93 for Scotney, who became the IBF super bantamweight champion. However, the fight was a lot closer than the cards suggest. Scotney had to make adjustments in order to defeat Johnson, who had more experience as a professional. Johnson was cut over the right eye in the sixth round due to a head clash, but it did not severely impact her ability to fight. The bout was close and competitive for the entirety of its duration. A rematch between the two down the line would not come as a surprise.

Nina Hughes (6-0, 2 KOs) cruised to a unanimous decision victory over replacement Katie Healy (6-1, 0 KOs). Two judges had her winning 100-90, while one judge scored it 99-91. For the duration of the bout, Hughes was able to land the cleaner shots as Healy struggled to land much of her own. The fight began with Hughes coming forward and keeping Healy, a replacement for Shannon Courtenay, on the back foot. As the bout went on, more time was spent in the centre of the ring. Despite this, Hughes dominated and successfully defended her WBA bantamweight title which she claimed in Dubai, UAE, against Jamie Mitchell late last year. This was her first defense of that title.