By Brian Webber: WBC flyweight champion Julio Cesar ‘Rey’ Martinez and IBF 112-lb champion Sunny Edwards negotiations are close to being done for a unification fight on October 22nd.
The card is a planned doubleheader with flyweight contender McWilliams Arroyo fighting Joselito Velazquez in the co-feature. If Arroyo (21-4-1, 16 beats Velazquez, he’ll face the Martinez vs. Edwards winner.
Arroyo, 36, was supposed to fight Rey Martinez (18-2, 14 KOs) last June, but the WBC 112-lb champion became ill with gastroenteritis and needed to pull out of the fight.
IBF flyweight champion Sunny Edwards (18-0, 4 KOs) will be looking to get even with Rey Martinez for what he did to his brother Charlie.
Martinez battered Charlie around the ring in a fight that was initially ruled a third-round knockout but later changed to a no contest.
An over-eager Rey Martinez hit the former WBC 112-lb champion, Charlie Edwards, to the body after dropping him in the third in their fight on August 31st, 2019, at the O2 Arena in London, England. Charlie was too hurt from the body shot to get back on his feet and resume fighting.
Despite the fight being ruled a no contest, the perception boxing fans have is Rey Martinez was the better man and made easy work of Charlie.
Like his brother Charlie, Sunny lacks power and is a pure finesse fighter whose game is based on frustrating his opponents with pesky shots and a hit & run style.
Some boxing fans find Sunny’s style of fighting tedious due to his crafty, non-engaging method of winning. Sunny is like a bigger version of welterweight Michael McKinson.
“Rey’ Martínez will face Sunny Edwards, while McWilliams Arroyo will meet Joselito Velázquez on October 22,” said Salvador Rodriguez to ESPN MX. “Sources close to the negotiations indicated that they are about to close ‘Rey’ Martínez against Sunny Edwards and also Arroyo against Joselito Velázquez.
“Edwards has been looking for Martinez’sfor a long time, especially after ‘Rey’ punished his brother Charlie in a battle that ended up being a No Contest.”
It’s going to be interesting to see how Sunny deals with the two-handed power of Rey Martinez because this guy can punch, and he’s going to be inflicting pain whenever he lands shots.
Running from Martinez won’t work for long for Sunny because he’s been in runners & fighters with more technical skills than him before.
McWilliams Arroyo, Jay Harris, and Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez are three examples of fighters with superior technical skills than Sunny Edwards that Martinez has fought before.
The diminutive Sunny, 26, has recent wins over these fighters:
- Muhammad Waseem
- Jayson Mama
- Moruti Mthalane
- Thomas Essomba
- Marcel Braithwaite
- Rosendo Hugo Guarneros
If Sunny Edwards chooses to stand and have a dog fight with Rey Martinez, he’ll get chewed up by him and left on the canvas like his older brother Charlie.
Martinez likely will have learned his lesson and won’t look to land a finishing shot to the body of Sunny when he’s on the canvas like his brother Charlie.
