Galal Yafai plans to join former Great Britain teammate and Olympic gold medalist Lauren Price as a professional world champion.
British Olympic gold medalists winning professional world titles is a rare feat, James DeGale was the first to do it, and Anthony Joshua followed suit, but there are other examples.
Great Britain’s Tokyo Olympic team, however, won Britain’s biggest medal in a hundred years. Of the six GB boxers who won medals in Japan, Yafai and Price were two to win gold.
Both turned professional and continue to train alongside each other at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield.
Price has already won the WBA middleweight world title in just seven professional fights.
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Lauren Price claims the WBA middleweight title by defeating Jessica McCaskill.
Yafai was comparably fast-tracked, having only eight professional bouts before starting a WBC interim title fight with Sunny Edwards, a former world champion and one-time amateur rival of Yafai.
A win in their fight in Birmingham on Saturday would put Jaffa in the running for the WBC flyweight world championship held by Kenshiro Teraji.
“I don’t have a target. I’m fighting at once. It’s an interim title, so the full title is next,” Yafai said. Sky Sports.
“I don’t know the details of it. I’m just training and he’s next. But I’ve got a big hurdle to overcome on Saturday night before I can think of a second or third.” about”.
Galal Yafai was a brilliant gold medalist at the Tokyo Olympics
But he wants to join Price at the top of the professional game. He’s probably the most honest person, even though he’s done it all as an amateur and he’s already a (world) champion.
“He’s got the WBA world title, he’s had a few fights. He’s already one of the best in the world.
“It is very difficult,” he said about professional boxing. “I hope I will be able to become the world champion.”
The transition to professional sport is by no means smooth, even for an Olympic star: Great Britain’s heavyweight bronze medalist Fraser Clarke drew with Fabio Wardley for the British title before being caught early in the rematch and knocked out in the first round.
Although Yafai is backing Clarke to bounce back from that first loss.
“Definitely,” he said. “He’s always by my side. I don’t care if he wins or loses, he’s my friend. I hope he can come back, and I’m sure he will.
“We all want to do well and we’ve traveled the world with each other. But that’s just boxing, especially at heavyweight with Frazier, the worst can happen and it’s dangerous.”
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Fraser Clarke says his recovery is going well and he is looking forward to getting back into action after his crushing loss to Fabio Wardley.
Yafai is trying to overcome the pitfalls of professional boxing.Edwards could be a defining fight for him.The former IBF champion is a skilled operator who has only lost once, against the excellent Jesse Rodriguez.
But Yafai warned. “I’ve fought the best in the world who’s got the best footwork. Sunny’s footwork will be like nothing I’ve seen before.
“I’ve fought Cubans, Kazakhs, Uzbeks, they’re much better with footwork than Sunny Edwards. People seem to forget that I’m an Olympic champion and I’m fighting brilliant footwork and other skilled men at the Olympics. I’m not I think Sunny Edwards really has something I’ve never seen before.”
Their shared past includes not only that amateur fight, but many more recent sparring sessions, and Yafai is now convinced he can hurt Edwards.
“I can a million percent,” he declared. “I’d be disappointed if I didn’t, but it’s a fight and anything can happen in this boxing game.”
Lauren Price defends her WBA middleweight title against Bexy Mateus live on December 14th. Sky Sports
