5 Live Boxing with Steve Bunce - Who will be Lord of the Flies?

Episode Date: November 25, 2024

As Sunny Edwards and Galal Yafai prepare to face each other this weekend, Buncey looks ahead to the fight with Barry Jones. They discuss the different paths the two fighters have taken to reach this point. We hear from both of them as well as promoter Eddie Hearn. And with the news that Natasha Jonas and Lauren Price are returning to the ring on December 14th (against different opponents), they are also on the pod.

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Go to pockethose.com slash podcast. That's pockethose.com slash podcast for your two free gifts with purchase. Pockethose.com slash P-O-D-C-A-S-T. BBC Sounds, music, radio, podcasts. This is Five Live Boxing. So it's Fight Week and a podcast put together in half a dozen cities. In the snow, in the sun, in the wind. wind in the rain, floods, trains cancelled,

taxis of vanish, airplanes not flying. Normal week in the boxing world. I managed to speak to Galalia Fai and Sunny Edwards. And I travelled up to Liverpool, took me forever to get there. It was tricky, trust me, to speak to Natasha Jonas and Lauren Price. That, my friend, is a boxing show. I'm Steve Bunce and this is Five Live Boxing. And with Barry Jones in another hotel room, we spend an awful lot of our life in

different hotel rooms. This is not. This wouldn't even make the top 100 quality hotel rooms that you and I have been in, by the way, Barry, but I don't want to do that because people say that, you know, that that's a bit cheap, criticising your hotel when you're talking about fights. This time last year, Barry, we were getting ready to fly to Phoenix to watch Ban Rodriguez and Sonny Edwards in a multiple world title fight. Some of us wanted Sonny to win, but we knew how good Rodriguez. as well, but it was still an incredible fight. I found

that fight gripping, even though one man slowly took massively over. Yeah, it was weird for me because I'm a massive fan of Sunny, and because, you know, with the British thing, you shouldn't want him to win, but you sort of have to, but Bam's my favourite fighter. It's conflict! He's my favourite fighter, in a chocolateito.

So, you know, everyone who knows me he knows how much I loved him. So it was, yeah, I wanted Bam to win, unfortunately, and he did, and I sort of knew he would, but I didn't realize how brave and how tough son he was because he had never had to show it he's shown flashes of grit but not to that

respect how much he had to know got to get off the floor with a crunch I should have knocked him out that's the truth of it and you know take a sustained beating in those last few rounds but then he came back with a fantastic again in Phoenix and I got to go to Phoenix again which is a beautiful city by the way

and see him put my hotel rooms as well yeah move back on the fly yeah the first hotel room and move back down to I don't know where this is going. I moved back on the flyweight and look fantastic.

But with a nasty cut and that might be a factor in the fight, let's not forget that. The cut, it was a flap on the top of it, on his forehead. It was huge, Steve, and that fight could have been stopped,

maybe should have been stopped with that injury. And, you know, like when it first appeared and possibly might be a factor in this fight if it opens up. This is a fight that really, if you look at it on paper,

you didn't know the guys, it's a former Olympic medalist who's done. nothing wrong in their career all wins but he's had a handful of fights against a guy

who's got so much experience a world champion who's lost to you know a pound for pound top five in the world in Ban Mordriguez

not forget that you know easily the best in his division and he's a legend slayer that's exactly what he is and so it should be a one-sided fight

for Sunny on paper but I think stylistically it bodes really well for Galal in so many in so many issues in factors

You tend to, like, Sunny needs a bull to his matador. The more you come at him, the better he is. So Galal will oblige him in that situation, because he will come at him, because Galal has to. Galal's all power and work rate, isn't he? So, and that's, but what Galal does so well is he punches on the turn. So when Sonny gets you, he leads you on, he leads you on, and then he pivots, and then he do one or two things.

He'll escape, and you can't find him, or he throws from a safe place from your blind. side, which is on the outside of your guard, which means he's on your left or you're right, or almost behind you sometimes. And you've got to turn. When you turn, you square yourself at the punches and suddenly will rattle off a combination and keep moving and dipping and slipping and rolling, and you can't go hold of him. But Galal, and maybe not against the quality of opposition like Sunday Edwards will be, but he can almost punch to the side of his body. This might not translate on the radio. So when you turn to his right, he can almost extend the right

damn so he punches on the turn so he can get you and i think if he can do that and he has a really long reach by the way and great time and great precision and power yeah yeah overlooked yeah that might un-settle sonny and then we see and also also my other fact of his sonny is no that boxing in america boxing in phoenix especially the west coast more than the other part of of america no he got booed in his last fight because he was moving he boxed beautifully but he got booed because he didn't hold his feet. And I think he half wants to be in wars. No, no, he was in one against Bam.

And I understand what that feels like, because I was a guy who was never in wars. When I was in a war, even though, like a battered, it felt sort of like I was proud of having to be in a war. So he might think I can hold my feet. I can do it, because I know I can do it now, which is a plus, but also can put you in a war. You don't need to be in.

And against a bigger puncher like Galal, who was in a volume puncher as well, not a guy who will pick his punches as well, we'll just keep throwing. All that slip and dipping and rolling, Galah won't look for the target he will look for the target but he won't go trying to be

he won't care if he misses he'll just keep throwing That's what he does I mean every single fight Every single round he fights He fights it like it's the 15th round Of a world championship fight That he's been in training camp

Somewhere exotic for the last six months That was his first fight at the Olympics First round every single fight He just ignores the concept of pacing He ignores the concept He's got a phenomenal ridiculous tank and he just keeps on

he does just keep on throwing he's not bothered about missing in fact several punches in combinations he understands they'll be he understands they'll full show or they won't hit the target or they won't hit a target four bodied and and and

and he just does not stop coming which sounds like a get out but that's basically galile but he is hitable and very hitable and for someone like Sunni as well So I'll contradict myself

because I think that's why it makes such an intriguing fight because it is a contradictory fight where you just think he will play in the Sunny's hands that walking at him throwing punch except for the volume of punches

which would be a problem for Sunny him being a hitable target will allow Sunny to just time him coming in and if you can get that right if you can just get that angle right I think Sunny has to do one or two things

the sharp angle in tight to work away or the big angle to escape you got to get that right if he gets there in between that then he's going to get caught So I think if you turn on Galal but you stay close enough

so that long reach doesn't become he can hit you on a turn with that long reach he's close, you're really close to him you get a couple of hooks him before you spin away and run away. Assumably doesn't catch you as you're leaving. Yes, well that's another fact but I think that big, because he's

that big lazy left it seems to, you know, you think it's going to fall short so you think it's going to fall way short and it just seems to find you he moves his feet almost in motion. And all this about, you know, they have history and they box each other than amateurs and it's a great story.

with the families and everything else, but I think ultimately, I think this fight will boil down to, obviously talent's a big factor and styles are they play out, but I do think it's going to be experience. And with that, you have to give Sonni Ebers the edge.

Oh, not the edge, you have to give Senabas a big chance to win the fight because he's been in with everybody at the highest level. He's cope with the big occasions, arguably winning the Olympic gold medals, a big occasion of all.

But this is a different genre in our boxing, isn't it, and a professional thing? So it's slightly different. And Sonny's been there. and he's boxed the best in his division. He boxed the best fight in his era for his weight division. Although that's going to end up being, so most certainly I think, in Baner Rodriguez, and he never panicked, he got beat,

but he wasn't overall by it all. I think that's a real plus going to this fight. And that's the fact, what Galah would argue, is the pressure in the Olympics is equal to the pressure, not the actual fight itself, the pressure going in. And I think the both of them are very calm, that both fighters are being a much. amazed to see if either of them are rough.

You mentioned their amateur fight. They thought whatever it was 2015. So in a long time ago, six months before Galal goes to his first Olympics. That's absolutely, that was then. And I don't, you know, whatever they might have even been doing four twos then. I don't even know what they're at three things. Makes no difference. What I think is interesting is that when, before Galau turned pro after the Olympics,

we heard he was up when Sonny was training in Nottingham with Grant Smith. excuse me, in Sheffield with Grant Smith. We heard he was in the gym a lot. Sonny was preparing, I think, to win the world title, which he did. And what my understanding is that they did an awful lot of rounds. Now, that's real, I found that quite intriguing at the time to be perfectly on, because I knew there was a bit of rivalry between them. Sunny's name came out of Galah's mouth occasionally.

Before the Olympic gold medal, Galow's name came out of Sunny's mouth occasionally. but they seem to have done, if not 100, certainly dozens of rounds. Who was benefit? Because I'll put a question to him in a moment about who benefits, so who has most to lose, but who benefited most

from those early, early, early, early session, aspiring sessions? First of all, it depends on they went. So if somebody was massively dominant, then it favours him. Because he knows exactly what he has to do to win, and he knows he can control

what you do, whatever you try. because sparring is different to fighting. We all know this with the gloves and the occasion and all that plays a massive factor. But ultimately, if you know also control somebody in the ring, either one of them, then if you can take away their strengths, you know you can do it. So you're going in a fight full of confidence

and you'll do that quite early. But if those were relatively even spas, even if you didn't have the better run, but you were competitive, then it favours Galal. And I say this because, because Sonny's a bag of tricks. But if he's shown you, all his tricks,

then he's coming in not as a hand as he normally is. I mean, to watch him do stuff. Sonny would argue that he wouldn't, he didn't show him all his tricks, but perhaps he showed enough of the tricks, enough of the moves, enough of the tails, enough of the signs. We only got so many tricks. I mean, there's variants of everything. I think that's how you do it.

But I mean, but you'll know if you can, know the habits. He'll know his habits as well, Galal's habit, but Galal is not the most difficult fight to work out. It's just difficult fight to overcome. sunny, you can lose a fight by working him out. And then by the time you've worked him out, he's already in his rhythm. And he's already frustrate you, cut you, hurt you, tired you out.

In a 12-round fight, he's a nightmare to fight. So knowing it, being in and with him already and knowing him, if you've been competitive, if he just played with you, then it's no help being in with him. It's just all of this is another, oh, I'm going to go through this again. I haven't had an answer to it. If you've had an answer to it now and again, then it can favour Galal. It could indeed favour Galah.

Now, I got together with the two of them. It was, you know, a couple of weeks ago, but that's okay because sometimes you get, people think you get great stuff in the build-up, in the days before a fight. You don't, okay, you don't. And you don't want to push things, you know, in the days before a fight,

because it's a long way out. So if I'd have asked some of the questions, I asked when I spoke to the pair of them with four to eight hours to go before the first bell, you wouldn't have got the same answer. But what I did is I put the same answer, to the pair of them. And I asked them what they considered to be a grudge fight?

That means that the fight carries more than just the action in the ring. And I would definitely agree that this fight does. You know, from a long time I've known of the Yaffirs, a long time I've known Galao, we shared the ring 2015, 2016. He was chosen over me to represent us at the Olympic qualifiers. he qualified the rest was history I turned pro by the time that he went to the next Olympics and got his gold medal as a world champions

so two industry leading fighters in the different disciplines of professional boxing and amateur boxing and it's going to make for a great fight I think it's definitely something I want in my legacy to have you know, for the Edwards brothers to come on top over the Yaffai brothers

and maybe it should have happened before you know, with our older brothers and it didn't but all of that build up all of that excitement all of that rivalry has just carried on to the modern day and now we're here me and Galao taking the fight his Edwards Yadu and the pole star

the stage is set, the date is set and yeah I can't wait to get in there now because it's a strange your setup because I take on board I think you said there and yet the two of you seem to spend weeks and weeks and weeks together after he'd won the Olympic

Gold when you were preparing for one of your World's Tour defence. It seemed like you were sparring forever. Like I heard about it one week and then four weeks later you seem to still be sparring. Yeah I'll be real since he turned pro because there was a few fights that I went down to GB to get some rounds in with Galau with

Peter McGraw with Paulie Callum Thompson, a few of the boys down there so that happened a few times, not too too many through my sort of up-and-coming career and then the moment he was turning pro, then he had his fight coming up, he sparred me for two, three weeks,

two times a week, three times a week for that, and then I think his second or third fight, the same again, but it was very much them contacting us, is there any chance we can get some work for him, if that makes sense? I didn't call him in none of my camps, but I didn't say no

to any of the sparring either. Why would you exactly? Yeah, I think maybe it was just a little bit of the ego of, yeah, I'm not coming to you or I'm not asking for you for the sparring but you won't work it's great work so yeah let's go in my gym you know what I mean so who has the most to lose in this fight I don't think neither of us really I don't think neither of us it's easy to start caping the potential of my career or how great I've been or can be or will be because of one fight and and that's up to the viewers to decide where their opinion goes but for me it's a great fight I know it's a great fight I know it's

It's going to be highly, highly competitive, highly challenging. So, yeah, I don't think either of us really have to lose. I think we both know that we're generally getting in the ring in it, and it's one of those. It's two people on a very, very similar level of performance, and it's about who is the better one on the night. We could probably fight ten times, and it goes six, four, seven, three, eight, two, nine one.

It probably is never going to go ten or no with me and Galang. We're both that good, so I don't know. I don't know. I feel like I'm the biggest name in the division by a long way. And for a long time. Yeah. Yeah, and I'll be right. I think if there's anyone flyweight, super flyweight or thereabouts that's trying to make a name, they have to come through me.

And I don't think winning, losing or drawing against Glau will change that. I don't think anyone else is going to be able to do as much in the time that they've given whilst I'm still doing as much as I am. I mean, just, you know, in the build-up to this fight, I've had. five of my fighters that I manage fighting, big events, big fights, headlining, re-ad season. That's all just going on around me. That's all like the place I've leveraged myself. It's a sunny empire? Well, I'm just trying to be involved in boxing as much as I can,

and I'm really trying to do it the right way. I'm trying to do a bit of everything. I'm trying to do something that I've not really seen anyone else do before, and that's do it all from the amateurs, the pros, the winner-world title, manage fighters, bring them up through the same way, commentary and punditry onto promoting, fights as well. I had my debut not too long ago with Callie Sowland, Lisa Sowland, with the Asomba Edwards fight. So

yeah, as much as boxing as I can get involved in, there's nothing really else in my weeks or my months or my years that really drag me anywhere. There's nothing I stopped the world for to go to do, apart for my kids and boxing. Gila, thanks for finding some time. I want to ask you a couple of questions. What does a grudge fight, a personal fight, mean to you? When you hear the word grudge personal, what does it mean to you? To me it means like a bit of needle. I was going to say history, but a grudge fight don't always mean there's been history.

But I don't think it's really a grudge fight. I think it's more, how can I put it in and also way. It's a history fight that's a lot there, a lot on the line, lot on steak. I think it's a, how can I put it again? We're both stubborn. You know something better than me. He's stubborn. I'm stubborn.

This started 10 years ago when he beat me as amateur. Or shall I say, with our brothers. But yes, it's been bubbling and bubbling for years. And he turned pro and he thought he should have gone to Olympics. I went. Then I went to my second Olympics. I won gold. He wanted to do all total.

So it's great that we've actually, kind of caught each other up and we've met in the middle now and this is where we fight so hopefully I'll kind of overtake him and maybe we fight again we don't know there's a good chance of fight again if you were Sani Edwards

would you fight Galalyaafi would you fight Galahai? Yeah I think so you know from his point of he's probably looking thinking he's seven fights in he's not done much yet, which is right. But he's also spied me a lot,

so he knows what I'm all about. I thought it's different, but me hitting him and him hitting me is the same thing. Probably worse of him because I've got spoiler gloves on, which, not being disrespectful to something, but I like to think I'd hit a bit harder than him. So it's a bit more dangerous for him, but then he's got the skill and he's got the speed.

and the experience. But it's intriguing. I think that's why people are intrigued. It's intriguing. Yeah, they want to see who's going to come out on top. And hopefully it, I was going to say hopefully there's a bit of needle in this, but I don't think there actually is. So the thing is needles measured in different ways.

You can be separated, like David Hay and Derek Chazora by a metal grid. You can be separated by someone standing in the middle. But there can be needle and you can both look at each other. He don't have to beat each other's throats, do you? There can still be a lot of needle without pushing, shoving, spitting and screeing. Yeah, and I think that's what it is. What people don't know is this started long before people knew who we were. And I think he said it earlier.

It's been a rivalry for 10 years, been bubbling, like I said earlier. And now's the time we can put it straight. We can fight. And like I said before, we fought nine years ago. I think it was now. But nobody knew us. Now we're fighting in 2024. And I won't say everybody knows us, but it turned a whole world.

bigger scale. There's a lot on the line. Well, Sonny was a good world champion, and he rolled the dice and fought a great world champion, and you won a gold medal five incredibly hard fights. So in all fairness, it's a fairly – it's a massively high-profile fight. I know you never big yourself up, but it's a massively high-profile fight. Tell me a little bit about – after the Olympics, you went up there and spired of him, but it wasn't just one day and ten rounds, was it? It just seemed like you were there for weeks and weeks and weeks and weeks almost. And Steve, I were? I was there for weeks and weeks and weeks, you know, I don't know what the first.

thinking behind it was he was rough but he got me up there well i say up there it was a cross a road really um but yeah i spied him at the time he was world champion yeah i didn't even that's what i mean yeah i even i didn't even have my first vote yet so i sparring um which was a bit um yeah it was great sparring um but we would spar twice a week for four five weeks um so we were sparring as you can imagine 10 rounds a week 10 rounds um every every Tuesday and Thursday, I think it was. So we know a lot about each other. He's a good fighter, obviously.

But I don't get too much in sparring because, you know, sparring, sparring. Even if I did get the better or I think I got the better, and he thinks he makes me. Too relevant? Yeah, it's irrelevant because they thought it's going to happen. But I can remember about the spas were it was hostile. I was going into his territory. I was fighting in front of his people.

But now it was good. They welcomed me. welcome me and, you know, he was respectful. And, yeah, we've got to go around. So that's Galow there, obviously confident. Sunny, very confident. But I sense the sort of difference in Sunny, a bit of steel in Sunny.

Just a little bit of, you know, I'm not saying he feels that he's being, it's hard to explain. I'm not saying that Sunny thinks that he's being overlooked, but I think he probably does think he's being overlooked slightly. But that could be great motivation for Sunny. I think domestic rivalries, something that you want to be involved in,

but also when you've been at the top of the tree, and at the time, people were saying, who's going to solve this puzzle? Suddenly is unbeatable. And then they just get beat. You don't be, you're not forgotten about very quickly,

but I think fighters do think, unless they're a massive commercial commodity, then I do, I do think that they are sort of paused, their careers paused, they're not banging the drum to get them or quaint straight away or whatever they are. You don't blame it,

because their life moves on to other fighters. Absolutely. No, but then they look at people like anti-Joshua and Canellos and other people like that and go, well, they win or lose whatever, and people are still pushing them and their pros are still saying, but they're massive financial learners for everybody.

That's the way the business goes. You're not forgotten about, but you have to show yourself, you know, show your worth. I think he didn't his last fight, but the cut again, kept him out for longer, that was a problem. So, no, he hasn't got a point to prove.

He hasn't. He's been a world champion. If he walks away now, he's had a phenomenal career. He's been one of the very best And he's been one of our best, by the way. He's been a joy to watch, brilliant. But he can lose to a guy who's only a handful of fights.

I mean, that's, I think, even though the guy's a little bit more meddhist and the guy is very, very good, and goodness we're a world champion as Galilee FI, he is. But for Sonny Edwards, for his confidence, I think, and for also, for the way he sells himself

and for the ability he's shown to lose to, let's be honest, a relative novice, would be a massive step backwards. But for Galal, even though he's the older guy, and it might diminish his financial, no, standing. I understand that much, very much that.

But a loss to Sunny, depending on he loses, wouldn't be the end of the world. Well, it's interesting because what you've done basically there is you've answered the question I put to Eddie Hearn and I spoke to Eddie Hearn and I say, no, it doesn't matter. Come on, hey, listen, that's your version.

So basically, I put it to Eddie who would push for the fight, who would have asked for the fight, and then I asked him, just like you've given me there, who has more to lose? in this fight? I think, firstly, the fighters wanted this fight, both of them badly. The teams, sometimes that's a little bit different

because I think when you look at Sunny, you know, world champion, try to unify in a massive fight in America, just come back with a win, and now, like, wants to fight for a world trial, but also wants to just be in big fights. Like, he likes the big events. Galal, eight fights, now nine after the weekend,

although he's done a lot of ten rounders, never boxed anywhere near this kind of level as a pro. So you're really rolling the dice. And, you know, people who work on, you know, obviously Rob McCrack and those guys, they're notoriously conservative in their approach to, and by the way, rightfully so, that's their job. But it's like crunch time.

It's like, wow, what's crunch time now? do you know what I mean it's like yeah it is like we've done eight 10 rounders your number your top six or seven in the world this is the time this is the match up and this is the one that's going to turn it all around for you to turn you from prospect into star and by the way we're going to do it in your home city right as Olympic gold medalist and you know so the fighters always like this fight has been talked about with galalia fire for three or four fights like a year ago like I want that fight I'm ready for that fight I know

I beat him. I've always been, like, you know, that's just the way it is. So, but it's really when the fight starts getting closer that you realize what is on the line for both men. And that's what I love about the fight. Just a domestic 50-50 with world title ramifications, the interim WBC world title, an absolute must win. And two guys that are completely convinced they win.

Not only convinced that they'll win, I think looking at this fight, also, you know, so as bizarrely for Sunny, as a springboard, still as a spring ball, which just seems odd, considering he had the Ban Rodriguez and he's been a world champion and made those defences. I still feel that I get the impression from talking to Sunny, that he feels that he wins this and he goes on to bigger things. And of course, if Galah wins this, he does go on the bigger things. Yeah, I mean, interim world championship,

so if Galal wins or Sonny wins, they fight for the WBC title next, which is big for them, but for Sunny, he's just got this desire to be in the biggest fights. and when I signed him, you know, we gave him one defence, then he jumped in with Bam, then he fought Adrian Curiel, the Mexican world champion, in Phoenix in front of Estrada's 9,000 Mexican fans. Yeah, we forget there wasn't a gimmie that it was a proper fight. He doesn't care.

And then I said, what about Galah your fight? Yeah, go on, I'm up for that. Oh, great fight, yeah, love it. Do you know what I mean? So he's just the guy who's like just rolling on, rolling on, and winning as well. And for Galau, like I said, the difficulty for Galau in this fight is moving up the level.

and it's the style of fight that Sunny brings. Do you know what I mean? Like it's not just a straightforward Mexican who walks forward in straight lines. This is a guy who's incredibly tricky and you have to be really good to beat him. Like Ban Rodriguez, you know, like a guy who was able to cut him off,

work the body, you know, angles, and walk him down. And that's very difficult to do with a lack of experience. Galau, however, is an exceptional fighter. but, you know, I feel like this fight comes at a time where we want to see the best fights in British boxing and for me this is right up there. It's an interesting fight for Eddie.

It's always an interesting fight when you've got an involvement with both boxers and he's had that several times in the last 12 or 13 years. But assuming sunny wins, let's do it this way, assuming sunny wins, and we'll do another, we'll speak to them closer to the fight on Thursday, hopefully after the press conference. In fact, after a very busy week of boxing,

this week because there's all sorts of noise and stories about heavyweight fights that might be announced or might not be announced it might be a very lively very lively week if sunny wins where does he go what does he do if galow wins where does he go what does he do barry well i think they both it's an interim world title fights fight so which i can't stand that yeah no that's why i haven't mentioned it until this point thanks for that thanks for lowering the tone of the pod but either way they both get a genuine world title shot and and rightly so i think because if you beat, even though, because they're both highly ranked, Sunny's a former world champion. So, and the name in his division, even though he backed on at flyweight,

so he gets an opportunity straight away. And Galah will as well, could he just beat Sunny Edwards. And that's a better win than I agree anyone else in his division. Not, but almost. Yeah, an Olympic champion, and in your ninth bout you beat Sunny Edwards, who's only lost to one of the top five fighters in the world. You know, those are the type of scout victories that you talk about for, awful

long time. Those are legacy defining victories. And also, let's not forget about this. Even though these are not middle weights, heavy weights and all

that for people to get super excited about, these are two guys who are relatively still in their peaks. 100%. I think so. I think even though

one's a little bit older and it should be for that weight and the other guy maybe has had a couple of hard fights, you know, but I still think

these are not past their cell by this. So this is a British rivalry, no, a real grudge match as well, with loads of

things involved with their family histories, with their brothers and everything else, and which family is the best family in boxing? All our stuff that they'll throw out there. But these are two good fighters, and good enough of their prime condition

to put on their best displays, and that's what you want, and then we'll know who's the best. Yeah, we're building up the family stuff, and maybe I speak to a few of the brothers, either Charlie or Khalid or maybe come out on Thursday. But there's one thing about Khalid, Jafi, which I think people massively overlook.

He's the eldest of the brothers. the Yaffi brothers. He's the one that back in about 1990 something or 2000 something or won a world youth championship up in Liverpool. And in fact the funny story behind that when he wins that youth title, he's the second

so he becomes the second English boxer to ever win a world amateur title. The first being Alan Vaughn back in Peru in like 1997 or something. But what's really amazing is that on the day that Khalid won it, Khalid won it, Of course, he's lighter, so he fought lighter.

But at about 67 kilos that they was Anthony Ogogo, so he won it. And he just gets, he never ever gets the credit for being the third British boxer to win. I think it was British, actually, British, yeah, the third British boxer to win any kind of recognized world amateur title. And he gets downgraded, poor sausage. But listen, he's doing well in wrestling at the moment. But talking about, the point I'm trying to make about his brother, Khalid, is that, or cow, is that he had seven. world title fights and one six I think I mean you know we have guys

fighters that go under the radar I'm not sure if we've ever had a world champion that said anything like seven fights who's got under the radar as much as cow yaffai I find I was stunned I knew he'd had that in many fights but it still stunts me looking at the raw stats I know you lose his title too yeah great fighter chocolateito yeah exactly even for

even for my interest in boxing there's a there's like a six degrees of separation here I mean, everyone involved because, you know, he boxed my favourite fighter now and then his brother boxed my favourite fighter then. For me, this is all about me now. But I mean, so it's... No, it's a really intriguing, like, you know,

the situation we have, I think, with it all. But ultimately, forget about all that. If one's called Smith and one's called Jones, this is a really good fight. And a fight where, like, I think in the world of boxing, the flywates and especially super flywights have been the, maybe the,

I've been the best division in world boxing. It's been the best. between the best fights and the best fighters, in my opinion. I would say that. But in the UK, this would be great to shine the light on these smaller guys, these little men, which is what they will call, you're right. And it is, to shine a light on them, a fight like this helps that. And helps all the other fighters are on their way class

because then everyone wants to fight Sunny or fight Galal. No, the ones coming up or no whole trying to have the one coming down, and it feeds a little bit of a mini tournament. Now, before we move to Liverpool, I just going to say that I wish we had a photographer with us. I wish Robbo was with us. She does all the bathroom photography because you know where I'm going to go in with this, don't you? Look over there, Barry.

There are two beds. There's a big giant one over here on the right. And then there's a nice little one over there. Imagine the picture we could get, the two of us, lying down on the beds. Get Robbo standing on this chair with his wide angle. That is how you sell a pod. It's up Steve

Bunsen up with Barry Jones. We've been talking about Galau Yafai against Sunny Edwards. That's this Saturday live on five live. also obviously on DeZone. That's the way we do our business. And it's at the NEC. It's got a new name now.

I think it's called the Pulse Arena, but it's the NEC. Just recently, funny about it. Recently, it was the 34th anniversary of Chris Eubank and Nigel Ben. Not the fight you were, not the old traffic, not the one that you opened the proceedings on. And it was really weird

because I was at the NEC on the 19th. So I was there for, the fight 34 years ago on November the 19th and then I was actually at the NEC for some crazy reason on Tuesday night. It was a bit eerie to... The best B2B marketing gets wasted on the wrong people. So when you want to reach the right professionals, use LinkedIn ads. LinkedIn has grown to a network of over one billion professionals, including 130 million decision makers and that's where it stands apart from other ad buys. You can target your buyers by job title, industry, company, role, seniority, skills,

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Online. That's a degree better. Explore more than 350 plus undergraduate, graduate and certificate programs at ASUonline.asu.org.org. Be perfect, on, severe. Let's switch to Liverpool now, Barry. And finally, finally, some good news for a couple of British world champions. Lauren Price, who owns the WBA World to Weight, and Tasha Jonas, who owns the IBF World to Weight,

will be boxing on December the 14th, just announced, very late, to be honest with you, December the 14th, defending their titles, not fighting each other. That was close, and we're assured it's definitely going to happen, without a doubt, it's going to happen in the new year, and I hope it does. It's a great fight.

As I said at the top of the show, I'm still amazed that Tasha Jonas is 40. I find that absolutely ridiculous. is 10 years younger. Lauren, of course, one of the most decorated ever British amateur boxer, genuine, ridiculous

title. Lauren Price is fighting a woman called Bexie Mews from Columbia who's 1-7, lost zero and stopped six. And in fact, Tasha's in a kind of unification. She's fighting a WBC World to Weight champion Ivana Habazan. And if that

sounds familiar, it's because you've seen her in the past when she got beat by Terry Harper and she lost million years ago to Clarissa Shields. It's been a tough year for women's boxing. Let's get that right.

I know Lauren fought in May and Natasha fought in January, but there was a lot of months and we weren't sure quite what was happening and a lot of discontent amongst them.

Finally, they're back. And that's the question I put to the pair of them when I caught up with them. Yeah, I think that's the biggest emotion. Everyone's like, are you feeling nervous?

You're feeling this. I'm just relieved to be back. It's been far too long. out of the ring. And yeah, I'm just glad to be back. And it's a bonus that I'm in Liverpool. Here's a bonus you in Liverpool. What's also good, though, if you don't mind me saying so,

is it's not like you've been in three, 12-week training camps and then you've got to cut a week before the fight or your opponent's got to cut a week before a fight. So in theory, you've had a nice year. Frustrating you, but a nice year, you know what I mean by that? Yeah, no, yeah. It's been one of them years. It's just a bit long, a bit frustrating.

But I'm back, and now I've got to concentrate on the fight and do what I need to do. And Habazan, it's a proper fight, it's a real fight. There could have been easier touch. It's considering where we're hopefully going next year. Habazan's not an easy touch. Yeah, I think she's been in with, I think we've seen it against Brackhouse, Terry Harper, Clarissa Shield.

So she's been at that world level. She's competed before, and she doesn't just come to make up the number. She comes on Azago, and that's what she makes for a good fight. That's what she'll come and she'll try and win. That's what she wants to do. And it is exactly what she wants to do But I also would argue, Tash, that it would be better if you had a fight like that

Than some eight round of buried somewhere overseas Just to get you out In my opinion, it's better to have a proper fight. No, listen, I don't want easier fight It's a bonus that she's got a belt as well And yeah, to be a unified champ had two different ways It'll be a great feat But yeah, I just want the fight, that's it

And she got the belt, she went on money after McCaskill vacated. So she's got something that I want, which it's a surprise. It's really interesting because obviously the fight's been officially announced quite close to the fight. You might have known four or five weeks, six weeks ago, I don't know. But you've already got that kind of close feel. Like you've got that bit of edginess about you.

Your face is already taking shape because you're getting down the way. You know, this kind of, like I said, if we're normally doing this interview, it's six weeks ago and you're a little bit more relaxed. Your daughter's probably running around. You're having a bit of touch. You know, you're relaxing. But now you can just see a little bit of edge. I love edge.

I can sense it. Like when you come to the gym, I'm just in the gym, and I'm just training and there's no dates. You are, you know, you're a bit laxadaisy, and you're going through the motions kind of thing. But when a fight date comes, you know, all of a sudden, you have to start hitting them times. You have to start lifting them heavy a weight.

You have to start increasing your output in the gym and in sparring and whatever. So, yeah, you're more on it and concentrated, and I think that's what you're talking about. This is called Collision Course, So no disrespects. It's not about your collision course with Havazan. It's about your collision course, hopefully next year with Lauren Price,

who's also on the bill defending her version of a world title. It's a fight that some of us thought might happen this year. Maybe you did. But it's a fight that hopefully we'll get next year. It might be the biggest fight of British woman v British woman ever. It could be potentially. It's got all the Americans to be. But yeah, it was a fight that I don't like to, like,

say I don't like to free everything yeah free everything because you know I've got to though how many times do you do it I know especially in the amateurs and you know you're going through the the draw and you think oh that one will be that one that one will be that one and then I'll and then

it never happens as it is and how long have we been waiting for AJ Fiore and all the other all the other fight seven years officially yeah and Yard and Boati five years so exactly so you just I just concentrate on the fight that's in front of me and then whatever options are there afterwards, we'll concentrate.

And let's serve that is one of the options, because it is, and it certainly will be, it's a massive fight, it's an enormous fight, and it's a great fight for the tour of it, but it's also a great fight for British boxing, not for women's boxing, British boxing. Yeah, I mean, like you say, you know, we have these rivalries throughout the ages. We've had them, you know, Ben Euban Collins, they, you know, and then there's been others, and then there's British fights that almost happen, like I've just said, the AJ Fury, that hasn't quite happened. But this is one of them, and you need it.

When you have them big British fight, it's like, it gets rejuvenated and everyone gets involved. You have to pick aside. Brooke Carn was another huge one where, yeah, maybe it was past the date, but it still sold out. It still sold out. It still sold out. And it's still got everyone, you know, juices flowing because you need things,

you need big fights like that and big nights, and I think that'll be one of them. Lauren, so at last you're back in the wing. it must be just a relief to have got the call to give you a date, even if it is in Liverpool, not in Cardiff, but at least you're fighting again.

Yeah, definitely. That's the main thing, you know, I want to be active in this game and it was massive that I got out before the end of the year. Like you said, I would love for it to be in Cardiff,

but it's in Liverpool. And, yeah, you know, I've got to get through December 14th, which I fully believe I will, and I'm confident, and then big fights next year. Bexie Matuchus is an interesting character because not much is known about her,

and she fights local, but she's got all those stoppages and I've seen her she's got a bit of a look about her she's got a bit of character yeah she's a bit of a character didn't she quite funny really

I don't know how I'm going to keep a straight face in a fight week but yeah obviously she's got a good record you know she can she can bang a bit obviously with the sick knockouts but you know I gotta stick to where I'm good at

I've come across all styles raw you know there's no different to McCaskill swinging and throwing at me so yeah I've just got to stick to me stick to my boxing and I believe I get through that.

I hate to throw things forward, but this event's called collision course, and it's not about you and Matuse, which is a decent collision course, don't get me wrong, and it's not really about Natasha Jonas and Habazan. It's about you and Jonas at some point next year. I don't like to talk about fights that you need to win a fight to get to,

but it is a fight that British boxing wants, and I think British boxing, and I'd not win women's boxing, British boxing needs. I think it's a super fight. Definitely, if it was down to me, there'd only be one fight on this card, One female fight and that'd be me and Tasha. But, you know, different things. We have to wait till next year.

Like you said, I got Conluck past December 14th. But, yeah, you know, that's a fight I want. It's massive for the British fans. I respect Tash. And, you know, what she's done for boxing is massive. But I want to become undisputed. And if she got titles, that's where I want. I believe I win that fight.

I'm in my prime, you know. And that's it, really. I won that fight. So Lauren Price and Tasha Jonas there, Barry. I'm not even going to talk about this fight because their fight's coming up. That's in a ways. But I think British women's boxing needs deeds to fight each other.

Yeah, of course it does. I think you've got someone who's been the best around for a long time in Tasha Jonas. And for me, I think the best world to wait in the world right now is Lauren Price. I really believe that, even though she's only had one world title fight. just the way she controlled Jessica McCaskill with ease, let's be honest. And McCaskill in her previous two fights that had the draw, I think, was Sandy Ryan,

and the tight fight with Shantel Cameron where she'd chase Shantel all around the ring. Suddenly Lauren Price wins comfortably, very comfortably. In fact, it was a shutout. I know it was technical decision, but it was a shutout until that point. Yeah, it was. And I think, I've blown my own trumpet, but I was telling everyone. I was telling everybody, it was going to be such a one-sided fight. stylistically and how good she is,

the timing, and McCasker was just made for her, and that's how it transpired. But you still got to do it. It's okay on paper looking good. You still got to do it. And the Tessa Jonah, the way her career has gone,

has been quite amazing. They're all about grit determination and ability and belief in yourself. To come back for some of the things she'd come back from, early defeat, and to move on, and look like she'd never get over the line,

you know, of course, with Katie Taylor, and most importantly with Katie Taylor. And I forget Terry Harper as well, of course, which got that draw. so you know things could be not different for her but she persevered and she ended up being a phenomenal fighter earning plenty of money

it's a big fight and coming off the surrounding Taylor fight I think it's important we get another a couple of world title fights back in the back big weekend of women's boxing before Christmas tick thank you we'll have that yeah I think so I think everyone's got to piggyback off what was you know

one of two of the best women's world title we've ever seen off the same fighters I think so and I think that's very important And if they can produce a tenth of that excitement, then we're in for the treat. That's December the 14th, the following day, Gibraltar day we call it, December the 15th. Barry's going to probably be in Gibraltar with Dillian White. I'm going to be in the sky flying out to Riyadh for Tyson Fury against Alexander Usik, too. If we think it's been a couple of quietish weeks, forget it.

November the 30th, NEC, Galau Yaffai, Sonny Edwards. Then we go to the 7th, December the 7th at Wembley, with a very interesting, magnificent 7th card, Frank Warren, obviously. And then we go to the 14th and, of course, the 15th. Then we go to the 21st. Now, I'm not allowed to say this because I'll get in trouble for saying it, just like I get in trouble for doing Uzbek accents. But this has been some year.

When we actually analyse and look back on this year, and I did something recently, I did a show recently, It's just relentless. There's 10, 15, 20, 30 events. And I include in that before you start throwing tomatoes and exit me that Mike Tyson ridiculousness. Barry Jones, it's been a pleasure, as always working with you. Hope you've enjoyed it. It's been a pod on the road, on the road. Put together in a room with a massive bed and a tiny bed. It's not a great hotel room, but guess what? We're on the road again. I've been Steve Bunce, and this is, without doubt, most. definitely five live boxing.