Advertisement
Boxing
'Thrown in the deep end!' - Galal Yafai credits early amateur bouts for Olympic and professional success
Watch Edwards vs. Yafai Saturday live on DAZN
Galal Yafai believes amateur bouts against future champions like Sunny Edwards helped prepare him for his professional career as they meet live on DAZN this weekend.
The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games star, a gold medal winner for Team GB, faces the ex-IBF flyweight title holder for the interim WBC crown at bp pulse LIVE in Birmingham.
Yafai, who comes from a boxing family, turned to the sport comparatively late as a teenager, and suffered early defeats as an amateur to Edwards and Harvey Horn.
But speaking on DAZN's FACE OFF , the former thinks that the sink-or-swim approach he faced as he started out helped to shape his success and bring him to this bout.
"I say I’m a kid, I was twenty-one at the time, I think," he said. "But I started boxing at eighteen or nineteen so It was all new to me. I was boxing the top boys.
"I lost to Sunny on a split, and he went on to win [the IBF title]. I boxed Harvey the year before. He beat me on a split. He went on to win [the European title].
"So I was thrown in the deep end. It made me the fighter who I was. I ended up going to the Olympics and winning gold. It put me in good stead, it put him in good stead."
Yafai is looking to preserve an unbeaten record as a professional, having gone 8-0 so far across his career since leaving his amateur days behind him.
Edwards meanwhile suffered a first career loss to Jesse Rodriguez last year but has recovered to a 21-1 record after beating Adrian Curiel in Phoenix this June.
Watch Usyk vs. Fury 2 on DAZN PPV - Buy Now
Oleksandr Usyk vs. Tyson Fury 2 and the full undercard will be broadcast live on DAZN Pay-Per-View worldwide in over 200 countries.
You can buy the PPV right now for £24.99 in the UK / $39.95 in the US, which comes with a seven day free trial of DAZN. Click here for more information and to buy now.
Purchasing the Usyk vs Fury 2 PPV before December 4 will automatically enter you into a prize draw to win a VIP trip for two people to Riyadh to watch the fight ringside. Click here for more information on this incredible prize and to enter.
Being a PPV event means this is a one-off payment, with no contract or future extra costs.
The Usyk vs. Fury fight and all DAZN content can be watched anywhere and everywhere on any device via the DAZN App. Watch on smart TV's, smartphones, tablets, games consoles, streaming devices and any device with a web browser.
More Boxing
Editors' Picks
Boxing
Boxing schedule: Fight dates, TV channel and live stream for confirmed cards
Boxing
How to subscribe to DAZN Ultimate Tier to get PPV fights included in your plan
Boxing
How much does DAZN cost in the United States? Boxing, Champions League, Serie A and more - Subscription price, payment methods, sports to watch, how to watch
