Sunny Edwards v Felix Alvarado: IBF flyweight champion on legacy, fearing fame and Daniel Kinahan
- Published
Edwards has four knockouts in 18 wins
Sunny Edwards is the IBF flyweight world champion. He is undefeated in 18 fights and regarded as one of, if not the most, talented fighters in the UK.
But he does not share the profile of some of his domestic peers like Tyson Fury. 5 Live boxing analyst Steve Bunce this week described him as the "forgotten man of boxing".
"Some people think I'm a star in the making and other people say nobody cares about me," Edwards says.
The 26-year-old defends his title for the third time on Friday evening at the 13,000-seater Sheffield Utilita Arena against Nicaraguan Felix Alvarado, a former world champion at light-flyweight.
His last two fights have been in Dubai away from the direct gaze of a British boxing audience.
There is a long-held belief in boxing that flyweights simply do not attract the same attention as the heavier weights. There may be some truth to it, since it is no coincidence Anthony Joshua and Fury are both heavyweights and command most of the boxing fanfare in the UK.
Edwards admits he is hardly a knockout artist, with his last seven fights having gone the distance.
He does believe, however, that he has never been in a close fight as a professional and is eager to face the best in the division and unify the belts.
He signed to fight Mexico's WBC champion Julio Cesar Martinez earlier this year, but it fell through.
"I don't really care to be famous," he says.
"I'm not an AJ or a Chris Eubank that have profiles outside of boxing. I can only imagine what that does to them, not even wanting to leave the house.
"What used to be pleasant when you're the champ is taken away when you lose - you're a bum now. I can't imagine what it does in the long run to people."
Edwards' decisions outside the ring can often distract from his talents inside it. He has a constant presence on social media and has even posted his GSCE and A-Level results on Twitter to prove a point to a fan who questioned his intelligence.
The Croydon fighter thinks he has "at least a mild case of ADHD" but is wary of seeking an official diagnosis. The rise of TikTok and the movement of mental health has helped him understand his "scatter brain" more in recent months.
But he admits he has made mistakes. He says he will probably continue to make mistakes.
"I'm a humble, 26 year-old boxer who doesn't know as much about the world as I think I do on Twitter," he says.
One of those mistakes might be his association with Daniel Kinahan. The Irishman was sanctioned by US authorities in April, accused of being a key figure of a global organised crime group.
Kinahan was allowed to operate freely in boxing as an advisor, setting up a promotional and management company MTK Global in Spain, which underwent a rebranding in 2017 in an attempt to publicly distance themselves from its co-founder.
Edwards was signed to MTK and one of several fighters to publicly back Kinahan "as a legitimate business" last year before cutting all ties.
"Loyalty" he says is part of what drove him to defend a then under-fire Kinahan. Edwards says building a core team you can rely on is the most difficult thing in a sport with little oversight from a global authority.
He asks why boxers have been lambasted for their relationships with Kinahan when broadcasters and promoters were happy to do deals with him.
"I did have a relationship with Daniel, but at the time he was working in boxing. Every promoter was working with him, making fights. That's facts," he says.
"I met a lot of promoters in and around having him involved. He's no longer in boxing and now it's about focusing on the future.
"It is one of those sensitive topics and a hard spot to really answer from because you're damned if you do and damned if you don't."
'Boxers are the smallest cogs'
Both of Edwards' IBF title defences have been in Dubai
MTK went under in the wake of the sanctions against Kinahan. Edwards was not the only fighter signed to the company. Fury, Savannah Marshall, Josh Taylor and Billy Joe Saunders were all associated with MTK at times in their careers.
Boxing's credibility has been under siege. The reality of Kinahan's involvement in the sport was quickly followed by Conor Benn's drug scandal.
Edwards believes more "transparency and accountability" is needed, but believes unless it is applied "top to bottom" the problems will never go away.
He also suggested boxers perhaps need more impartial support, even a union, to help them navigate a landscape that is "stacked against" them.
"The boxers are the smallest cog. It's a thankless job we're doing," he insists. "There are fighters who have lost their lives earning £800, £600 on the night.
"You have every conversation. When every single promoter in world boxing was willing to make phone calls, meetings with [Kinahan] then why is it up to the boxers to do more? I don't get it.
"There is right and wrong, but why are the smallest cogs the baddest people when promoters were the ones making the conversation?"
"It's a terrible lonely sport and you're playing against the house," he adds.
'I will leave a legacy in the ring'
For Edwards, he wants to move forward. His current promotional company has spent much of the year defending itself against accusations it was tied to Kinahan in some capacity.
Promoter Richard Schaefer has denied any links, is also looking forward and granted Edwards' wish to have a "homecoming" in Sheffield.
Edwards lives and trains in Sheffield and has three fighters he manages on the undercard, something he is very proud of.
He hopes to keep "surprising" people, in a good way, and prove himself a fighter willing to step in the ring with anyone. He is unsure if the fanfare will follow.
Fame does not appeal to him. He is now making enough money to support his two kids after being paid £1000 for his pro debut in 2016.
He is acutely aware a loss on Friday could see his "whole world come crashing down". But he embraces the challenge.
"I don't care if anyone outside of boxing fans know who I am because I know what I do in the ring will leave a legacy to the right people. I know it will," he says.
"I'm here to be competitive and I want to be in competitive fights.
"To challenge all the biggest names in the division, win, lose or draw, so at the end of my career people will say Sunny fought anyone."
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- Published16 October 2022
