By: Sean Crose
Chilean flyweight Andres Campos travelled to England in the hope of winning the IBF flyweight title off of defending champion Sunny Edwards on Saturday. Not only was Edwards already in possession of the IBF strap, he was fighting in his homeland, at London’s OVO Arena Wembley. Still, Campos was confident in the lead up to the match. The 19-0 Edwards landed well to the body of the 15-0 Campos in the first. The defending titlist also employed a coy defense in the opening chapter. What’s more, Edwards was able to land effectively on his man in the second. Campos took to bulling forward on the defending champion in the third. It proved to be a far better round for the challenger.
Both men took to fighting in close in the fourth. Each fighter performed well. With that in mind, Edwards was successfully able to maintain range in the fifth. Matters slowed down a bit in the sixth. By the seventh, it was clear that Edwards was controlling the tempo of the fight for the most part, landing well and seemingly at will from the foundation of a sound defense. That defense of Edwards kept working for the champion in the eighth. The ninth pretty much offered more of the same.
Campos’ offense looked impressive in the tenth. It may not have been enough to win the round, but it was keeping Edwards wary. Yet Edwards continued to largely hit without getting hit in the eleventh. The twelfth and final round saw Campos unable to deliver the knockout he needed to win the fight. After the final bell had run, the judges unsurprisingly ruled in favor of Edwards, who got to go home with the IBF belt still in his possession.