Saturday’s fight is for the vacant WBC Interim World Flyweight title. The action unfolds at the Resorts World Arena in Birmingham, with the event streaming live on DAZN from 7PM. The highly anticipated main event is expected to begin around 10:30PM.

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Sunny Edwards (21-1, 4 KOs) and Galal Yafai (8-0, 6 KOs) reignite a long-standing rivalry this Saturday night, one that dates back to their amateur boxing days. Birmingham's own Yafai, an Olympic gold medalist (2020), now eyes a world title, while Edwards, a former world champion, is determined to reclaim his crown. He was beaten almost exactly a year ago via retirement against the undefeated Jesse Rodriguez - no shame there. 

Current betting odds

Use the SharpBetting Odds Converter to compare various odds formats.

• Edwards: 1.87 (-115 US Odds Format; 10/11 Fractional Odds)
• Yafai: 2.32 (+132 US Odds Format; 11/8 Fractional Odds)
• Draw: 20.00 (+1900 US Odds Format; 19/1 Fractional Odds)

The matchup

Edwards is a stylish boxer with plenty of ring IQ but there are not many who would accuse him of having a crowd-pleasing style. That is probably a little unfair and he would surely be seen differently if he was campaigning in one of the more marquee weight divisions. 

Edwards is by far the more experienced as a professional with 21 wins from his 22 fights. He doesn’t have much of a dig, just 4 of those wins coming early but that shouldn't hold too much stock in this assessment; he has a style that does not look for stoppages. 

Yafai is a pressure fighter with a high work-rate, fast hands, and tonnes of stamina. An Olympic gold medalist (2020) with plenty of amateur pedigree and fighting from a southpaw stance, he possesses a solid jab and throws a lot of hooks. He is currently unbeaten in 8 starts, 6 wins coming inside schedule. 

Yafai is not known for his head-movement and sometimes looks easy to hit,  but if he is not concerned about the power in the gloves of Edwards, he is likely to press forward and even though a stoppage seems unlikely (for either man), this clash-of-styles should create an exciting fight. 

The fight is currently [at 4pm 28-Nov-2024] priced at 7/2 to end inside schedule. It’s 2/9 to go the distance which seems like the right side to be on, but not at that price. There will be no surprise to see this go to the cards, and it will be no huge shock if either man has his hand raised. 

Yafai is already 31 years old, compared to his 28-year-old opponent. Voices in some circles are suggesting that this is a crossroads fight and the timing is right for Yafai.  Yafai will definitely have his moments, he's too good not to, but the feeling here is that Edwards has the wherewithal to keep Yafai honest, to neutralise the southpaw stance and come through on points (possibly making it look easy at times). Yafai is probably just a touch too easy to hit for an operator with Edwards’ toolset. 

Edwards knows how to do the twelve rounds; he has SEVEN 12-round Unanimous Decisions on his resume. Yafai has had EIGHT fights in total. 

Latest betting selections

There will be no surprise to see this end in a controversial decision but we like Edwards at the prices available. The 20.00 about the draw that is currently available on the Betfair exchange is a price that is possibly going to be one that can be cashed out for a profit in the second half of the fight.

But we are taking Edwards to get this done on points;  that is an even-money shot with the sportsbooks.  Given the price differential is so small for Edwards to win in the 1X2 any-time market, the bet is to take him in the outright market on the exchange at 1.87 or better.

There are plenty of opinions going around for this one, but we think if anyone can make this look easy, it will be Edwards. 

Main bet:

• Back Edwards To Win The Fight at 1.87 or better on Betfair
• Note: if not taking a side bet that covers the draw, the recommendation would be to Lay Yafai or to Dutch the Draw with the Back Edwards bet.

Side-bets:

• Back the Draw on Betfair at 20.00
• Put up a Lay the Draw bet to be matched in-fight on Betfair at 8.00

 Use our Green-Up Trading Calculator to work out the potential returns from this strategy. 

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