Advertisement

Charlie Edwards reveals new world title plan as he targets history with brother Sunny and Frank Warren

Edwards signed a contract with Frank Warren om Tuesday after six years with Eddie Hearn
Edwards signed a contract with Frank Warren om Tuesday after six years with Eddie Hearn

Former WBC flyweight champion Charlie Edwards begins a new journey having signed with Frank Warren, plotting world title charges at super-flyweight and bantamweight.

The Croydon fighter vacated his title last October, two months on from his controversial meeting with Julio Cesar Martinez in the capital - a bout eventually deemed a no contest after the Mexican landed a vicious body blow while his opponent was on the canvas.

Edwards’ struggles to meet the 112lbs flyweight limit left him with little choice but to leave the division behind, revealing shedding pounds for the Martinez fight ‘crucified him’.

While he had one more fight remaining on his contract with Eddie Hearn and Matchroom, the 27-year-old opted out seeking a fresh challenge - finding that with Warren and Queensberry Promotions who also promote his brother Sunny, another super-flyweight closing in on world title opportunities.

The former Team GB fighter hopes to return to the ring in August or September as boxing looks to find its feet again amid the coronavirus pandemic. Ranked second with the WBC, challenging the great Juan Fransisco Estrada for the super-flyweight is high on his agenda - but he also plans to test the water at bantamweight as soon as possible.

Edwards won the flyweight title on an emotional night in December 2018. (Getty Images)
Edwards won the flyweight title on an emotional night in December 2018. (Getty Images)

“The goal is to become a multi-weight world champion,” Edwards told Standard Sport. “I would like to win the WBC title, but we're going for all the belts across the super-flyweight division and even into the bantamweight division.

“I'm willing to make that super-flyweight limit for world level honours. But right now at this moment in time, are there going to be many of those fights at super-flyweight? Probably not.

“I now see myself as being a bantamweight as one of my main weight categories. I want to box between those two weights and develop my confidence at bantamweight.”

Edwards is under no illusions over the task at hand however and admits there is work to do if he is to challenge the likes of bantamweight king Naoya Inoue, who holds the WBA and IBF belts - along with WBO champion Joel Riel Casimero, who inflicted the first and only defeat of his professional career back in 2016.

Edwards was struck while he was down against Martinez last year. (Getty Images)
Edwards was struck while he was down against Martinez last year. (Getty Images)

“I'm not deluded. Right now, I'm not a world level bantamweight fighter, I need to throw into it and develop into that. Casimero has been there a few years now, I know what a monster he is. I jumped in too early with him last time, I would not do that again. But they are fights that will build later on down the line.”

Moving up in weight means he will no longer have to contend with a gruelling weight cut to meet the flyweight limit. Edwards revealed that prior to his August meeting with Martinez he was forced to shed 4.5kg overnight, a process that almost left him hospitalised.

Edwards parted company with Hearn. (Getty Images)
Edwards parted company with Hearn. (Getty Images)

“It was dreadful. I did two-and-a-half kilos on Thursday night, had about an hour sleep, then I had to sit in the bath for 45 minutes to sweat the last two kilos off and that just crucified me.”

Responding to critics on social media who have questioned his decision not to stay at flyweight and fight Martinez again, he said: "People people don’t understand. They say hurtful, derogatory comments when they don't have a f****** clue. They have never made weight. They've never dieted. They have never had to cut all their water out, never gone into the ring to fight with all those pressures. Me making eight stone [against Martinez] was so dangerous.”

Charlie’s younger brother Sunny, 24, had been closing in on a world title shot before boxing’s shutdown and is currently undefeated and in possession of the WBO European, WBO International and IBF International titles along with the commonwealth strap.

The brothers, who have embraced the nickname ‘the Croydon Klitschkos’, are now out to take every belt on offer together although like the Ukrainian heavyweights, they do not plan to fight each other.

“We could both fight for world titles on the same show. Imagine both of us going on to win it on the same night. That's history. No brothers have ever done that before.

“We would never fight each other, I don't think our mum would like to see that. We support each other and we want each other to do so well. It's a sport, don't forget. It's not our be all and end all and to put a brotherly relationship on the line for sport - it's not worth it.”