Charlie Edwards vs Angel Moreno result: Brit defends WBC flyweight world title with classy shutout victory
Edwards defended his world title with a stylish unanimous decision over Moreno
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In his first fight since stunning Cristofar Rosales in December to become a world champion, Edwards completely dominated Spain’s Angel Moreno in a measured, at times masterly performance, securing both an eighth-round knockdown and unanimous points decision victory. 120-107. 120-107. 120-107. There was simply never any doubt. And how often can you say that in boxing?
Moreno was once one of Edwards’ sparring partners. He was comprehensively outclassed here, a minor side character in this, the finest performance of Edwards’ career. “I think it was about levels, he’s a great and tough fighter,” the champions remarked in the ring after his victory. “I knew he would be a tough test and be there to the end. It was punch perfect and clinical boxing performance.
“I want to thank the British public for showing me love and positivity. I’m obsessed with this game. And all the people who said I couldn’t do it — I’m proving them wrong. It’s a dream come true.”
Edwards is clearly a man who thrives under the additional pressure of defending a crown. Resplendent in WBC branded shorts and the prophetic words ‘AND STILL’ emblazoned across his gown, the 26-year-old was dominant from the first, boxing beautifully off the back foot and maintaining a suffocating pressure.
He wasted little time in landing his first significant shot of the night — a sumptuously timed uppercut — and from there the pressure was unrelenting. Time and again Edwards rocked off his back foot before springing forward to land his shots, darting in and out of range like a human speedball.
Repeatedly stung by Edwards’ perceptive punching, Moreno attempted to survive the early onslaught by making things messy. Head bowed not in reverence but determination, he sought to press Edwards into the corners of the ring only for his bully boy tactics to be negated by his opponent’s superior ring-craft. The counter-punches landed with the regularly of a metronome.
Moreno’s first serious buckle came in the third. As the pair came together in a clinch, Moreno amusingly lifted Edwards’ leg up in something close to desperation. But just moments later and it was the Spaniard who came close to losing his balance, rattled by a pair of right hooks before walking onto a clubbing counter right. The bell came just in time.
Moreno enjoyed a sliver of success in the sixth, when a decent left hook caused Edwards to arch an eyebrow in surprise, but it was business as usual again in eighth. Encouraged by some exploratory body shots, Moreno padded forward only to be caught by a huge counter. His knee dipped to the canvas and — quick as a flash — Victor Loughlin was on hand to administer a standing count.
The Spaniard complained, but it was obvious to all ringside that he touched down. Not that it was to matter.
Throughout, Edwards’ footwork was as crisp as a ballroom dancer. Arms flailing, Moreno instead managed a passable impression of a man adrift in a moshpit. The Brit pushed for a finish in the later rounds but, to his credit, Moreno grit his teeth and held firm. When the verdict was finally read out to a purring crowd, the Spaniard could do little but nod his head and smile.
Edwards meanwhile immediately turned his attention to what comes next. “My career is going to be beautiful under this team,” he said. “I want to build a legacy for the British boxing fans and if that means fighting Andrew Selby or Kal Yafai, I don’t care. I want to build a legacy.
“And if Rosales does exercise the rematch clause, then I will just beat him better next time.”
A domestic grudge match with Selby perhaps holds the most appeal. The Welshman tonight fights Julio Cesar Martinez Aguilar in Mexico City in a WBC final eliminator. Come through that — and he is likely to be next. A fight with world super-flyweight champion Kal Yafai, who is also promoted by Eddie Hearn, would be similarly lucrative.
But for now, Edwards will bask in the afterglow of another sublime performance. This was yet further confirmation, if any was still needed, that he has the talent to succeed in the kind of high-profile bouts that will ultimately define this most promising of careers. No longer is Edwards the plucky upstart fighting for his family and a future. Now he is the WBC champion of the world, among the very best in the business, Great Britain’s glorious flyweight giant.
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