BY the end of 2025, Rhys Edwards could be the British featherweight champion. The Welshman has been named mandatory challenger to Zak Miller, with the British Boxing Board of Control’s June circular setting purse bids for July and the fight due by November’s end.
Winning the prestigious Lonsdale Belt is one career achievement ticked off, but will the 25-year-old pursue domestic glory or focus on fights with greater financial rewards?
Edwards’ trainer, Gary Lockett, a former world middleweight title challenger, has seen the good and the bad in boxing. He knows that when the gloves are hung up, it’s essential that fighters have enough in the bank to avoid the financial struggles that have befallen countless others.
Lockett spoke to Boxing News this week about Edwards (17-1, 4 KOs) and his future options.
“Rhys has just been named mandatory for the British title, so there’s plenty of options. I got asked about a Peter McGrail rematch the other day. There’s no one particular name that we’re aiming towards. It’s no disrespect to anybody but if their name comes up and the right money comes up, then obviously it’s got to be an option, isn’t it?
“This day and age, with the right opportunities, there’s so much money around. One or two of these fights is enough to set someone up for life, especially with the Saudi money around now. People talk about world titles and what have you, and I just always say, ‘Look, what’s the point in having a world title belt on your mantlepiece if you can’t pay the bills?’”
Edwards’ career has surged in the last two years. A win over former British super-bantamweight champion Brad Foster on Sky Sports put him on the map. The Penygraig native backed that up with another impressive victory against former WBA number-one contender Thomas Patrick Ward. Two wins in six months. Things were on the up, but then everything went quiet.
“I think the win over Tommy Ward was an absolutely brilliant win in Cardiff,” Lockett said. “Let’s not forget Tommy was one of the most avoided guys in the country. And I think that’s why his career hasn’t really lived up to what it should have, because he’s a very, very good boxer.
“I think a lot of people avoided him. We were offered the matchup, and I put it to Rhys, and he said, ‘Yeah, why not? Let’s do it.’ And he ended up winning comfortably in the end. After that, nothing really happened, and it was especially disappointing after a win like that.
“You expect the career to gain a bit of momentum, you know, but it was nothing after that. And then Rhys was supposed to fight Leon Woodstock, given the date for early December.”
The Woodstock fight fell through, stranding Edwards for seven months. His career stalled until a last-minute opportunity arose. On December 21, 2024, Edwards stepped in for Dennis McCann, who failed a VADA test, to face Peter McGrail at super-featherweight on the Usyk-Fury 2 undercard in Riyadh. With six days’ notice, Edwards grabbed the chance.
“I had the phone call from Ben Shalom on the Monday [of fight week] to say about the Peter McGrail fight,” Lockett recalled.
“Rhys jumped at the opportunity, and he didn’t even think about it twice. Rhys is the kind of guy, the better the opponent he fights, the better you’re going to see of him.”
Edwards lost his unbeaten record against McGrail but his display at a higher weight class earned him more admirers. Six months later and back down at featherweight Edwards got back to winning ways on June 7 with an eight-round points win against former European bantamweight champion Thomas Essomba. The 37-year-old announced his retirement after suffering his 10th professional loss.
“It took a couple of rounds to get going, really,” Lockett said of the fight.
“No disrespect to Thomas at all, but he’d turned into a bit of a gatekeeper. Rhys had no fear. Thomas is a bantamweight. I remember Jay Harris beating him for the Commonwealth title years ago.
“Thomas has been a great, great servant and a European and Commonwealth champion. But with the greatest respect, I think he was a lot smaller than Rhys, and he’d lost nine times. I don’t think Rhys had any confidence issues going into the fight.”
Now, with the British title in sight, Edwards faces a pivotal choice: chase the Lonsdale Belt’s legacy or cash in on boxing’s new riches.
