GALAL Yafai did not hesitate when correcting his promoter, Matchroom Boxing boss Eddie Hearn, at today’s press conference.
The Tokyo Olympic champion will face seasoned flyweight contender Francisco Rodriguez Jr this Saturday, headlining a show at the Resorts World Arena in Birmingham, England.
With Yafai, 9-0 (7 KOs), putting his WBC interim title on the line, too, the winner should be next in line for a showdown with unified world champion Kenshiro Teraji.
At today’s media event, meanwhile, Yafai was quick to highlight that his first stab at world honours – should it materialise later this year – will have afforded him no easy touches.
Indeed, his last performance, which culminated in an emphatic sixth-round finish over former world champion Sunny Edwards, was enough to convince most of his elite-level credentials.
But once again, the 32-year-old must come through a stern assignment, this time against Rodriguez, 39-6-1 (27 KOs), in order to keep his 112lb title hopes alive.
Regarding his victory over Edwards, though, Yafai has previously expressed his frustration with a selection of post-fight responses, most of which suggesting that his opponent was over the hill.
Sure enough, Edwards announced his retirement shortly after suffering the defeat, though Yafai remains convinced that his domestic rival still had plenty left in the tank.
Either way, the Birmingham man was not best pleased after Hearn opined that Edwards was, in fact, at the tail-end of his career when the pair collided in November.
“Why was he coming towards the end of his career? He was 28 years old,” Yafai said.
“I’m 32 [years old], when am I coming towards the end of my career? At 28, I was in my prime. I won [my] Olympic gold [medal] at 28.”
In any case, Yafai recognises that a win over Rodriguez will only strengthen his claim to the WBC title, knowing that a dustup with Teraji – more than likely on away soil – could arrive soon after.
“I’ve had to fight Sunny, who was number one with the Ring Magazine,” he said. “[Now I’m having] to fight the WBC number-one [contender], who’s Rodriguez, and then I’ll probably have to go to Japan to fight the pound-for-pound champion – who’s got the WBC and WBA belts – in Teraji.
“So I’ve not had it easy, have I?”
