Chris Edwards (boxer)
Encyclopedia
Chris Edwards is an English professional boxer who competes in the flyweight
and Super flyweight
divisions. He comes from Stoke-on-Trent
and is the current British and Commonwealth flyweight champion having previously held the British title at Super flyweight.
in April 1998, beating Chris Thomas via TKO in the second round. The victory was to be his last for the next two years. Fighting a further six times between September 1998 and September 2000 Edwards went on to lose on all six occasions. Despite his long run of defeats Edwards managed to stem the tide of defeat with two victories coming in October and November 2000 allowing him to end the year with a pro record of won three, lost six. The next year (2001) saw Edwards revert to the journeyman
type with four fights resulting in a further two defeats against one draw and one win against Neil Read.
Read was also to prove Edwards solitary opponent throughout the whole of 2002 when in October of that year the two men met one more. Edwards picked up his fifth pro win (2nd against Read) with a points victory over six rounds at the Kings Hall in Stoke-on-Trent
. Only one fight followed in 2003 with Edwards this time losing to future British and Commonwealth champion Lee Haskins
in June again over six rounds.
In 2004 Edwards fought three times and scored a third victory over Neil Read to this time pick up the vacant Midlands Area super bantamweight
title, the first professional title of his career. At the time of the contest for the belt Read had a combined record of 3-20-1 against Edwards 5-9-2. The contest which took place during September at the Kings Hall saw Edwards claim victory via TKO in the second round. Further results during the year saw a draw against fellow journeyman
and old foe Delroy Spencer in April and a defeat to future British title challenger Colin Moffett in October.
After the Moffett fight another period of inactivity followed for Edwards and he would not fight again until November 2005 meeting Delroy Spencer for the third time, this time scoring a points victory over four rounds. In February 2006 he lost to Gary Ford and then travelled to Italy
in March 2006 to meet Andrea Sarritzu the reigning European champion in a non-title fight. It was the first time Edwards had travelled abroad to fight professionally and the fight ended with the champion knocking Edwards out in the fourth round.
. The wins set Edwards up for a shot at the vacant English flyweight title against Huddersfield
's former Commonwealth champion, Dale Robinson who entered the contest with a professional record of 19-2-1 making him a strong favourite to win considering Edwards' record of 9-12-1. The fight, at the Kings Hall, Stoke-on-Trent in November 2006 resulted in one of the upsets of the year with Edwards scoring a TKO in the eighth round to lift his second professional title and the English championship.
A rematch between the two fights in April 2007 saw both fighters meet in Altrincham
for the vacant British and Commonwealth flyweight titles. In one of the fights of the year, Edwards and Robinson battled to a draw over 12 rounds meaning that neither would leave with the belts. After the fight Robinson announed his retirement from the sport.
. The fight, in December 2007 saw Edwards claim the title in another close fight of the year contender with a split decision victory. His reign as champion was short lived however as he lost the title in his very first defence against Andy Bell
in another tough fight over 12 rounds.
Edwards fought once more for a title in January 2009 this time moving back down to flyweight to challenge once more for the still vacant British and Commonwealth flyweight titles. The fight in Edwards' home town of Stoke against fellow challenger Wayne Bloy saw Edwards pick up both belts when Bloy retired hurt in the fourth round. On 29 May 2009, Edwards made the first defence of his new title with a 12 round decision over a man he had defeated previously, Derby's Usman Ahmed
. Edwards lost the title, fighting in Bolton
to Shinny Bayaar
, a Mongolia
n fighter who had recently gained British nationality making him eligible to the fight for the belt.
The loss against Bayaar had also meant the loss of Edwards' Commonwealth title, which despite not being on the line, had to be given up following the defeat to another Commonwealth fighter. He made amends when on 19 February 2010, he returned to Stoke-on-Trent to fight for the now vacant belt, beating Namibia
n Abmerk Shindjuu
in a punishing contest over the full 12 rounds winning 115-114 on each of the judges scorecards. Edwards kept busy with a four round victory over Francis Croes on 4 December 2010, and then regained the British title with a victory in a closely fought contest against Paul Edwards
at the Olympia in Liverpool on 11 June 2011.
Chris Edwards is an English professional boxer who competes in the flyweight
and Super flyweight
divisions. He comes from Stoke-on-Trent
and is the current British and Commonwealth flyweight champion having previously held the British title at Super flyweight.
in April 1998, beating Chris Thomas via TKO in the second round. The victory was to be his last for the next two years. Fighting a further six times between September 1998 and September 2000 Edwards went on to lose on all six occasions. Despite his long run of defeats Edwards managed to stem the tide of defeat with two victories coming in October and November 2000 allowing him to end the year with a pro record of won three, lost six. The next year (2001) saw Edwards revert to the journeyman
type with four fights resulting in a further two defeats against one draw and one win against Neil Read.
Read was also to prove Edwards solitary opponent throughout the whole of 2002 when in October of that year the two men met one more. Edwards picked up his fifth pro win (2nd against Read) with a points victory over six rounds at the Kings Hall in Stoke-on-Trent
. Only one fight followed in 2003 with Edwards this time losing to future British and Commonwealth champion Lee Haskins
in June again over six rounds.
In 2004 Edwards fought three times and scored a third victory over Neil Read to this time pick up the vacant Midlands Area super bantamweight
title, the first professional title of his career. At the time of the contest for the belt Read had a combined record of 3-20-1 against Edwards 5-9-2. The contest which took place during September at the Kings Hall saw Edwards claim victory via TKO in the second round. Further results during the year saw a draw against fellow journeyman
and old foe Delroy Spencer in April and a defeat to future British title challenger Colin Moffett in October.
After the Moffett fight another period of inactivity followed for Edwards and he would not fight again until November 2005 meeting Delroy Spencer for the third time, this time scoring a points victory over four rounds. In February 2006 he lost to Gary Ford and then travelled to Italy
in March 2006 to meet Andrea Sarritzu the reigning European champion in a non-title fight. It was the first time Edwards had travelled abroad to fight professionally and the fight ended with the champion knocking Edwards out in the fourth round.
. The wins set Edwards up for a shot at the vacant English flyweight title against Huddersfield
's former Commonwealth champion, Dale Robinson who entered the contest with a professional record of 19-2-1 making him a strong favourite to win considering Edwards' record of 9-12-1. The fight, at the Kings Hall, Stoke-on-Trent in November 2006 resulted in one of the upsets of the year with Edwards scoring a TKO in the eighth round to lift his second professional title and the English championship.
A rematch between the two fights in April 2007 saw both fighters meet in Altrincham
for the vacant British and Commonwealth flyweight titles. In one of the fights of the year, Edwards and Robinson battled to a draw over 12 rounds meaning that neither would leave with the belts. After the fight Robinson announed his retirement from the sport.
. The fight, in December 2007 saw Edwards claim the title in another close fight of the year contender with a split decision victory. His reign as champion was short lived however as he lost the title in his very first defence against Andy Bell
in another tough fight over 12 rounds.
Edwards fought once more for a title in January 2009 this time moving back down to flyweight to challenge once more for the still vacant British and Commonwealth flyweight titles. The fight in Edwards' home town of Stoke against fellow challenger Wayne Bloy saw Edwards pick up both belts when Bloy retired hurt in the fourth round. On 29 May 2009, Edwards made the first defence of his new title with a 12 round decision over a man he had defeated previously, Derby's Usman Ahmed
. Edwards lost the title, fighting in Bolton
to Shinny Bayaar
, a Mongolia
n fighter who had recently gained British nationality making him eligible to the fight for the belt.
The loss against Bayaar had also meant the loss of Edwards' Commonwealth title, which despite not being on the line, had to be given up following the defeat to another Commonwealth fighter. He made amends when on 19 February 2010, he returned to Stoke-on-Trent to fight for the now vacant belt, beating Namibia
n Abmerk Shindjuu
in a punishing contest over the full 12 rounds winning 115-114 on each of the judges scorecards. Edwards kept busy with a four round victory over Francis Croes on 4 December 2010, and then regained the British title with a victory in a closely fought contest against Paul Edwards
at the Olympia in Liverpool on 11 June 2011.
Chris Edwards is an English professional boxer who competes in the flyweight
and Super flyweight
divisions. He comes from Stoke-on-Trent
and is the current British and Commonwealth flyweight champion having previously held the British title at Super flyweight.
in April 1998, beating Chris Thomas via TKO in the second round. The victory was to be his last for the next two years. Fighting a further six times between September 1998 and September 2000 Edwards went on to lose on all six occasions. Despite his long run of defeats Edwards managed to stem the tide of defeat with two victories coming in October and November 2000 allowing him to end the year with a pro record of won three, lost six. The next year (2001) saw Edwards revert to the journeyman
type with four fights resulting in a further two defeats against one draw and one win against Neil Read.
Read was also to prove Edwards solitary opponent throughout the whole of 2002 when in October of that year the two men met one more. Edwards picked up his fifth pro win (2nd against Read) with a points victory over six rounds at the Kings Hall in Stoke-on-Trent
. Only one fight followed in 2003 with Edwards this time losing to future British and Commonwealth champion Lee Haskins
in June again over six rounds.
In 2004 Edwards fought three times and scored a third victory over Neil Read to this time pick up the vacant Midlands Area super bantamweight
title, the first professional title of his career. At the time of the contest for the belt Read had a combined record of 3-20-1 against Edwards 5-9-2. The contest which took place during September at the Kings Hall saw Edwards claim victory via TKO in the second round. Further results during the year saw a draw against fellow journeyman
and old foe Delroy Spencer in April and a defeat to future British title challenger Colin Moffett in October.
After the Moffett fight another period of inactivity followed for Edwards and he would not fight again until November 2005 meeting Delroy Spencer for the third time, this time scoring a points victory over four rounds. In February 2006 he lost to Gary Ford and then travelled to Italy
in March 2006 to meet Andrea Sarritzu the reigning European champion in a non-title fight. It was the first time Edwards had travelled abroad to fight professionally and the fight ended with the champion knocking Edwards out in the fourth round.
. The wins set Edwards up for a shot at the vacant English flyweight title against Huddersfield
's former Commonwealth champion, Dale Robinson who entered the contest with a professional record of 19-2-1 making him a strong favourite to win considering Edwards' record of 9-12-1. The fight, at the Kings Hall, Stoke-on-Trent in November 2006 resulted in one of the upsets of the year with Edwards scoring a TKO in the eighth round to lift his second professional title and the English championship.
A rematch between the two fights in April 2007 saw both fighters meet in Altrincham
for the vacant British and Commonwealth flyweight titles. In one of the fights of the year, Edwards and Robinson battled to a draw over 12 rounds meaning that neither would leave with the belts. After the fight Robinson announed his retirement from the sport.
. The fight, in December 2007 saw Edwards claim the title in another close fight of the year contender with a split decision victory. His reign as champion was short lived however as he lost the title in his very first defence against Andy Bell
in another tough fight over 12 rounds.
Edwards fought once more for a title in January 2009 this time moving back down to flyweight to challenge once more for the still vacant British and Commonwealth flyweight titles. The fight in Edwards' home town of Stoke against fellow challenger Wayne Bloy saw Edwards pick up both belts when Bloy retired hurt in the fourth round. On 29 May 2009, Edwards made the first defence of his new title with a 12 round decision over a man he had defeated previously, Derby's Usman Ahmed
. Edwards lost the title, fighting in Bolton
to Shinny Bayaar
, a Mongolia
n fighter who had recently gained British nationality making him eligible to the fight for the belt.
The loss against Bayaar had also meant the loss of Edwards' Commonwealth title, which despite not being on the line, had to be given up following the defeat to another Commonwealth fighter. He made amends when on 19 February 2010, he returned to Stoke-on-Trent to fight for the now vacant belt, beating Namibia
n Abmerk Shindjuu
in a punishing contest over the full 12 rounds winning 115-114 on each of the judges scorecards. Edwards kept busy with a four round victory over Francis Croes on 4 December 2010, and then regained the British title with a victory in a closely fought contest against Paul Edwards
at the Olympia in Liverpool on 11 June 2011.
Flyweight
Flyweight is a class in boxing which includes fighters weighing less than 112 lb but above 108 lb .-Professional boxing:...
and Super flyweight
Super flyweight
Super flyweight is a weight division in professional boxing. It is alternatively referred to as junior bantamweight and light bantamweight...
divisions. He comes from Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent , also called The Potteries is a city in Staffordshire, England, which forms a linear conurbation almost 12 miles long, with an area of . Together with the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme Stoke forms The Potteries Urban Area...
and is the current British and Commonwealth flyweight champion having previously held the British title at Super flyweight.
The journeyman
Edwards made his professional debut in the Welsh town of Ebbw ValeEbbw Vale
Ebbw Vale is a town at the head of the valley formed by the Ebbw Fawr tributary of the Ebbw River, south Wales. It is the largest town and the administrative centre of Blaenau Gwent county borough...
in April 1998, beating Chris Thomas via TKO in the second round. The victory was to be his last for the next two years. Fighting a further six times between September 1998 and September 2000 Edwards went on to lose on all six occasions. Despite his long run of defeats Edwards managed to stem the tide of defeat with two victories coming in October and November 2000 allowing him to end the year with a pro record of won three, lost six. The next year (2001) saw Edwards revert to the journeyman
Journeyman (boxing)
A journeyman boxer is defined as a fighter who has adequate boxing skill, but does not have the caliber of a contender or gatekeeper. Outside of boxing, a "journeyman" is a trader or crafter who has completed an apprenticeship, but is not at the level of a master craftsman...
type with four fights resulting in a further two defeats against one draw and one win against Neil Read.
Read was also to prove Edwards solitary opponent throughout the whole of 2002 when in October of that year the two men met one more. Edwards picked up his fifth pro win (2nd against Read) with a points victory over six rounds at the Kings Hall in Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent , also called The Potteries is a city in Staffordshire, England, which forms a linear conurbation almost 12 miles long, with an area of . Together with the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme Stoke forms The Potteries Urban Area...
. Only one fight followed in 2003 with Edwards this time losing to future British and Commonwealth champion Lee Haskins
Lee Haskins
Lee Haskins is a British professional boxer from Bristol in England who has fought in the Flyweight, Super Flyweight and Bantamweight divisions...
in June again over six rounds.
In 2004 Edwards fought three times and scored a third victory over Neil Read to this time pick up the vacant Midlands Area super bantamweight
Super Bantamweight
Super bantamweight is a weight division in professional boxing. The maximum weight for this division is 122 pounds, or roughly 55.34 kilograms....
title, the first professional title of his career. At the time of the contest for the belt Read had a combined record of 3-20-1 against Edwards 5-9-2. The contest which took place during September at the Kings Hall saw Edwards claim victory via TKO in the second round. Further results during the year saw a draw against fellow journeyman
Journeyman (boxing)
A journeyman boxer is defined as a fighter who has adequate boxing skill, but does not have the caliber of a contender or gatekeeper. Outside of boxing, a "journeyman" is a trader or crafter who has completed an apprenticeship, but is not at the level of a master craftsman...
and old foe Delroy Spencer in April and a defeat to future British title challenger Colin Moffett in October.
After the Moffett fight another period of inactivity followed for Edwards and he would not fight again until November 2005 meeting Delroy Spencer for the third time, this time scoring a points victory over four rounds. In February 2006 he lost to Gary Ford and then travelled to Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
in March 2006 to meet Andrea Sarritzu the reigning European champion in a non-title fight. It was the first time Edwards had travelled abroad to fight professionally and the fight ended with the champion knocking Edwards out in the fourth round.
The English champion
Edwards rebounded from his Italian adventure by scoring victories later in the year over novice fighters Gary Shiel and Usman AhmedUsman Ahmed
Usman "Uzzy" Ahmed is an English professional boxer from Derby in England. He has fought for the English, British and Commonwealth Super flyweight titles.Uzzy Ahmed defeated Chris Edwards for the British title...
. The wins set Edwards up for a shot at the vacant English flyweight title against Huddersfield
Huddersfield
Huddersfield is a large market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, situated halfway between Leeds and Manchester. It lies north of London, and south of Bradford, the nearest city....
's former Commonwealth champion, Dale Robinson who entered the contest with a professional record of 19-2-1 making him a strong favourite to win considering Edwards' record of 9-12-1. The fight, at the Kings Hall, Stoke-on-Trent in November 2006 resulted in one of the upsets of the year with Edwards scoring a TKO in the eighth round to lift his second professional title and the English championship.
A rematch between the two fights in April 2007 saw both fighters meet in Altrincham
Altrincham
Altrincham is a market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on flat ground south of the River Mersey about southwest of Manchester city centre, south-southwest of Sale and east of Warrington...
for the vacant British and Commonwealth flyweight titles. In one of the fights of the year, Edwards and Robinson battled to a draw over 12 rounds meaning that neither would leave with the belts. After the fight Robinson announed his retirement from the sport.
British & Commonwealth champion
Following the introduction of the Super-flyweight division to British boxing, Edwards was mandated to fight for the inaugural British title against Doncaster's undefeated Jamie McDonnellJamie McDonnell
Jamie McDonnell is an English boxer who currently fights in the Bantamweight division. He is the current holder of the Commonwealth, European, and British bantamweight titles.-Professional Career:...
. The fight, in December 2007 saw Edwards claim the title in another close fight of the year contender with a split decision victory. His reign as champion was short lived however as he lost the title in his very first defence against Andy Bell
Andy Bell (boxer)
Andy Bell is a British professional boxer from Doncaster in England. He is the former holder of the English and British super flyweight titles.-Early Professional Career:...
in another tough fight over 12 rounds.
Edwards fought once more for a title in January 2009 this time moving back down to flyweight to challenge once more for the still vacant British and Commonwealth flyweight titles. The fight in Edwards' home town of Stoke against fellow challenger Wayne Bloy saw Edwards pick up both belts when Bloy retired hurt in the fourth round. On 29 May 2009, Edwards made the first defence of his new title with a 12 round decision over a man he had defeated previously, Derby's Usman Ahmed
Usman Ahmed
Usman "Uzzy" Ahmed is an English professional boxer from Derby in England. He has fought for the English, British and Commonwealth Super flyweight titles.Uzzy Ahmed defeated Chris Edwards for the British title...
. Edwards lost the title, fighting in Bolton
Bolton
Bolton is a town in Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. Close to the West Pennine Moors, it is north west of the city of Manchester. Bolton is surrounded by several smaller towns and villages which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, of which Bolton is the...
to Shinny Bayaar
Shinny Bayaar
Shinebayar Sukhbaatar 'Shinny Bayaar is a Mongolian professional boxer with British nationality fighting in the flyweight division. He is based in Oldham, Greater Manchester and is the former British Flyweight champion....
, a Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
n fighter who had recently gained British nationality making him eligible to the fight for the belt.
The loss against Bayaar had also meant the loss of Edwards' Commonwealth title, which despite not being on the line, had to be given up following the defeat to another Commonwealth fighter. He made amends when on 19 February 2010, he returned to Stoke-on-Trent to fight for the now vacant belt, beating Namibia
Namibia
Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...
n Abmerk Shindjuu
Abmerk Shindjuu
Abmerk Shindjuu is a Namibian professional boxer from Windhoek. He is the Namibian flyweight champion and has fought for the Commonwealth flyweight title....
in a punishing contest over the full 12 rounds winning 115-114 on each of the judges scorecards. Edwards kept busy with a four round victory over Francis Croes on 4 December 2010, and then regained the British title with a victory in a closely fought contest against Paul Edwards
Paul Edwards (boxer)
Paul Edwards is an English boxer who fights in the flyweight division. He won the British welterweight title on 15 December 2010 with a victory over Shinny Bayaar after the bout was stopped with Bayaar having received a cut...
at the Olympia in Liverpool on 11 June 2011.
Chris Edwards is an English professional boxer who competes in the flyweight
Flyweight
Flyweight is a class in boxing which includes fighters weighing less than 112 lb but above 108 lb .-Professional boxing:...
and Super flyweight
Super flyweight
Super flyweight is a weight division in professional boxing. It is alternatively referred to as junior bantamweight and light bantamweight...
divisions. He comes from Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent , also called The Potteries is a city in Staffordshire, England, which forms a linear conurbation almost 12 miles long, with an area of . Together with the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme Stoke forms The Potteries Urban Area...
and is the current British and Commonwealth flyweight champion having previously held the British title at Super flyweight.
The journeyman
Edwards made his professional debut in the Welsh town of Ebbw ValeEbbw Vale
Ebbw Vale is a town at the head of the valley formed by the Ebbw Fawr tributary of the Ebbw River, south Wales. It is the largest town and the administrative centre of Blaenau Gwent county borough...
in April 1998, beating Chris Thomas via TKO in the second round. The victory was to be his last for the next two years. Fighting a further six times between September 1998 and September 2000 Edwards went on to lose on all six occasions. Despite his long run of defeats Edwards managed to stem the tide of defeat with two victories coming in October and November 2000 allowing him to end the year with a pro record of won three, lost six. The next year (2001) saw Edwards revert to the journeyman
Journeyman (boxing)
A journeyman boxer is defined as a fighter who has adequate boxing skill, but does not have the caliber of a contender or gatekeeper. Outside of boxing, a "journeyman" is a trader or crafter who has completed an apprenticeship, but is not at the level of a master craftsman...
type with four fights resulting in a further two defeats against one draw and one win against Neil Read.
Read was also to prove Edwards solitary opponent throughout the whole of 2002 when in October of that year the two men met one more. Edwards picked up his fifth pro win (2nd against Read) with a points victory over six rounds at the Kings Hall in Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent , also called The Potteries is a city in Staffordshire, England, which forms a linear conurbation almost 12 miles long, with an area of . Together with the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme Stoke forms The Potteries Urban Area...
. Only one fight followed in 2003 with Edwards this time losing to future British and Commonwealth champion Lee Haskins
Lee Haskins
Lee Haskins is a British professional boxer from Bristol in England who has fought in the Flyweight, Super Flyweight and Bantamweight divisions...
in June again over six rounds.
In 2004 Edwards fought three times and scored a third victory over Neil Read to this time pick up the vacant Midlands Area super bantamweight
Super Bantamweight
Super bantamweight is a weight division in professional boxing. The maximum weight for this division is 122 pounds, or roughly 55.34 kilograms....
title, the first professional title of his career. At the time of the contest for the belt Read had a combined record of 3-20-1 against Edwards 5-9-2. The contest which took place during September at the Kings Hall saw Edwards claim victory via TKO in the second round. Further results during the year saw a draw against fellow journeyman
Journeyman (boxing)
A journeyman boxer is defined as a fighter who has adequate boxing skill, but does not have the caliber of a contender or gatekeeper. Outside of boxing, a "journeyman" is a trader or crafter who has completed an apprenticeship, but is not at the level of a master craftsman...
and old foe Delroy Spencer in April and a defeat to future British title challenger Colin Moffett in October.
After the Moffett fight another period of inactivity followed for Edwards and he would not fight again until November 2005 meeting Delroy Spencer for the third time, this time scoring a points victory over four rounds. In February 2006 he lost to Gary Ford and then travelled to Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
in March 2006 to meet Andrea Sarritzu the reigning European champion in a non-title fight. It was the first time Edwards had travelled abroad to fight professionally and the fight ended with the champion knocking Edwards out in the fourth round.
The English champion
Edwards rebounded from his Italian adventure by scoring victories later in the year over novice fighters Gary Shiel and Usman AhmedUsman Ahmed
Usman "Uzzy" Ahmed is an English professional boxer from Derby in England. He has fought for the English, British and Commonwealth Super flyweight titles.Uzzy Ahmed defeated Chris Edwards for the British title...
. The wins set Edwards up for a shot at the vacant English flyweight title against Huddersfield
Huddersfield
Huddersfield is a large market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, situated halfway between Leeds and Manchester. It lies north of London, and south of Bradford, the nearest city....
's former Commonwealth champion, Dale Robinson who entered the contest with a professional record of 19-2-1 making him a strong favourite to win considering Edwards' record of 9-12-1. The fight, at the Kings Hall, Stoke-on-Trent in November 2006 resulted in one of the upsets of the year with Edwards scoring a TKO in the eighth round to lift his second professional title and the English championship.
A rematch between the two fights in April 2007 saw both fighters meet in Altrincham
Altrincham
Altrincham is a market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on flat ground south of the River Mersey about southwest of Manchester city centre, south-southwest of Sale and east of Warrington...
for the vacant British and Commonwealth flyweight titles. In one of the fights of the year, Edwards and Robinson battled to a draw over 12 rounds meaning that neither would leave with the belts. After the fight Robinson announed his retirement from the sport.
British & Commonwealth champion
Following the introduction of the Super-flyweight division to British boxing, Edwards was mandated to fight for the inaugural British title against Doncaster's undefeated Jamie McDonnellJamie McDonnell
Jamie McDonnell is an English boxer who currently fights in the Bantamweight division. He is the current holder of the Commonwealth, European, and British bantamweight titles.-Professional Career:...
. The fight, in December 2007 saw Edwards claim the title in another close fight of the year contender with a split decision victory. His reign as champion was short lived however as he lost the title in his very first defence against Andy Bell
Andy Bell (boxer)
Andy Bell is a British professional boxer from Doncaster in England. He is the former holder of the English and British super flyweight titles.-Early Professional Career:...
in another tough fight over 12 rounds.
Edwards fought once more for a title in January 2009 this time moving back down to flyweight to challenge once more for the still vacant British and Commonwealth flyweight titles. The fight in Edwards' home town of Stoke against fellow challenger Wayne Bloy saw Edwards pick up both belts when Bloy retired hurt in the fourth round. On 29 May 2009, Edwards made the first defence of his new title with a 12 round decision over a man he had defeated previously, Derby's Usman Ahmed
Usman Ahmed
Usman "Uzzy" Ahmed is an English professional boxer from Derby in England. He has fought for the English, British and Commonwealth Super flyweight titles.Uzzy Ahmed defeated Chris Edwards for the British title...
. Edwards lost the title, fighting in Bolton
Bolton
Bolton is a town in Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. Close to the West Pennine Moors, it is north west of the city of Manchester. Bolton is surrounded by several smaller towns and villages which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, of which Bolton is the...
to Shinny Bayaar
Shinny Bayaar
Shinebayar Sukhbaatar 'Shinny Bayaar is a Mongolian professional boxer with British nationality fighting in the flyweight division. He is based in Oldham, Greater Manchester and is the former British Flyweight champion....
, a Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
n fighter who had recently gained British nationality making him eligible to the fight for the belt.
The loss against Bayaar had also meant the loss of Edwards' Commonwealth title, which despite not being on the line, had to be given up following the defeat to another Commonwealth fighter. He made amends when on 19 February 2010, he returned to Stoke-on-Trent to fight for the now vacant belt, beating Namibia
Namibia
Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...
n Abmerk Shindjuu
Abmerk Shindjuu
Abmerk Shindjuu is a Namibian professional boxer from Windhoek. He is the Namibian flyweight champion and has fought for the Commonwealth flyweight title....
in a punishing contest over the full 12 rounds winning 115-114 on each of the judges scorecards. Edwards kept busy with a four round victory over Francis Croes on 4 December 2010, and then regained the British title with a victory in a closely fought contest against Paul Edwards
Paul Edwards (boxer)
Paul Edwards is an English boxer who fights in the flyweight division. He won the British welterweight title on 15 December 2010 with a victory over Shinny Bayaar after the bout was stopped with Bayaar having received a cut...
at the Olympia in Liverpool on 11 June 2011.
Chris Edwards is an English professional boxer who competes in the flyweight
Flyweight
Flyweight is a class in boxing which includes fighters weighing less than 112 lb but above 108 lb .-Professional boxing:...
and Super flyweight
Super flyweight
Super flyweight is a weight division in professional boxing. It is alternatively referred to as junior bantamweight and light bantamweight...
divisions. He comes from Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent , also called The Potteries is a city in Staffordshire, England, which forms a linear conurbation almost 12 miles long, with an area of . Together with the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme Stoke forms The Potteries Urban Area...
and is the current British and Commonwealth flyweight champion having previously held the British title at Super flyweight.
The journeyman
Edwards made his professional debut in the Welsh town of Ebbw ValeEbbw Vale
Ebbw Vale is a town at the head of the valley formed by the Ebbw Fawr tributary of the Ebbw River, south Wales. It is the largest town and the administrative centre of Blaenau Gwent county borough...
in April 1998, beating Chris Thomas via TKO in the second round. The victory was to be his last for the next two years. Fighting a further six times between September 1998 and September 2000 Edwards went on to lose on all six occasions. Despite his long run of defeats Edwards managed to stem the tide of defeat with two victories coming in October and November 2000 allowing him to end the year with a pro record of won three, lost six. The next year (2001) saw Edwards revert to the journeyman
Journeyman (boxing)
A journeyman boxer is defined as a fighter who has adequate boxing skill, but does not have the caliber of a contender or gatekeeper. Outside of boxing, a "journeyman" is a trader or crafter who has completed an apprenticeship, but is not at the level of a master craftsman...
type with four fights resulting in a further two defeats against one draw and one win against Neil Read.
Read was also to prove Edwards solitary opponent throughout the whole of 2002 when in October of that year the two men met one more. Edwards picked up his fifth pro win (2nd against Read) with a points victory over six rounds at the Kings Hall in Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent , also called The Potteries is a city in Staffordshire, England, which forms a linear conurbation almost 12 miles long, with an area of . Together with the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme Stoke forms The Potteries Urban Area...
. Only one fight followed in 2003 with Edwards this time losing to future British and Commonwealth champion Lee Haskins
Lee Haskins
Lee Haskins is a British professional boxer from Bristol in England who has fought in the Flyweight, Super Flyweight and Bantamweight divisions...
in June again over six rounds.
In 2004 Edwards fought three times and scored a third victory over Neil Read to this time pick up the vacant Midlands Area super bantamweight
Super Bantamweight
Super bantamweight is a weight division in professional boxing. The maximum weight for this division is 122 pounds, or roughly 55.34 kilograms....
title, the first professional title of his career. At the time of the contest for the belt Read had a combined record of 3-20-1 against Edwards 5-9-2. The contest which took place during September at the Kings Hall saw Edwards claim victory via TKO in the second round. Further results during the year saw a draw against fellow journeyman
Journeyman (boxing)
A journeyman boxer is defined as a fighter who has adequate boxing skill, but does not have the caliber of a contender or gatekeeper. Outside of boxing, a "journeyman" is a trader or crafter who has completed an apprenticeship, but is not at the level of a master craftsman...
and old foe Delroy Spencer in April and a defeat to future British title challenger Colin Moffett in October.
After the Moffett fight another period of inactivity followed for Edwards and he would not fight again until November 2005 meeting Delroy Spencer for the third time, this time scoring a points victory over four rounds. In February 2006 he lost to Gary Ford and then travelled to Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
in March 2006 to meet Andrea Sarritzu the reigning European champion in a non-title fight. It was the first time Edwards had travelled abroad to fight professionally and the fight ended with the champion knocking Edwards out in the fourth round.
The English champion
Edwards rebounded from his Italian adventure by scoring victories later in the year over novice fighters Gary Shiel and Usman AhmedUsman Ahmed
Usman "Uzzy" Ahmed is an English professional boxer from Derby in England. He has fought for the English, British and Commonwealth Super flyweight titles.Uzzy Ahmed defeated Chris Edwards for the British title...
. The wins set Edwards up for a shot at the vacant English flyweight title against Huddersfield
Huddersfield
Huddersfield is a large market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, situated halfway between Leeds and Manchester. It lies north of London, and south of Bradford, the nearest city....
's former Commonwealth champion, Dale Robinson who entered the contest with a professional record of 19-2-1 making him a strong favourite to win considering Edwards' record of 9-12-1. The fight, at the Kings Hall, Stoke-on-Trent in November 2006 resulted in one of the upsets of the year with Edwards scoring a TKO in the eighth round to lift his second professional title and the English championship.
A rematch between the two fights in April 2007 saw both fighters meet in Altrincham
Altrincham
Altrincham is a market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on flat ground south of the River Mersey about southwest of Manchester city centre, south-southwest of Sale and east of Warrington...
for the vacant British and Commonwealth flyweight titles. In one of the fights of the year, Edwards and Robinson battled to a draw over 12 rounds meaning that neither would leave with the belts. After the fight Robinson announed his retirement from the sport.
British & Commonwealth champion
Following the introduction of the Super-flyweight division to British boxing, Edwards was mandated to fight for the inaugural British title against Doncaster's undefeated Jamie McDonnellJamie McDonnell
Jamie McDonnell is an English boxer who currently fights in the Bantamweight division. He is the current holder of the Commonwealth, European, and British bantamweight titles.-Professional Career:...
. The fight, in December 2007 saw Edwards claim the title in another close fight of the year contender with a split decision victory. His reign as champion was short lived however as he lost the title in his very first defence against Andy Bell
Andy Bell (boxer)
Andy Bell is a British professional boxer from Doncaster in England. He is the former holder of the English and British super flyweight titles.-Early Professional Career:...
in another tough fight over 12 rounds.
Edwards fought once more for a title in January 2009 this time moving back down to flyweight to challenge once more for the still vacant British and Commonwealth flyweight titles. The fight in Edwards' home town of Stoke against fellow challenger Wayne Bloy saw Edwards pick up both belts when Bloy retired hurt in the fourth round. On 29 May 2009, Edwards made the first defence of his new title with a 12 round decision over a man he had defeated previously, Derby's Usman Ahmed
Usman Ahmed
Usman "Uzzy" Ahmed is an English professional boxer from Derby in England. He has fought for the English, British and Commonwealth Super flyweight titles.Uzzy Ahmed defeated Chris Edwards for the British title...
. Edwards lost the title, fighting in Bolton
Bolton
Bolton is a town in Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. Close to the West Pennine Moors, it is north west of the city of Manchester. Bolton is surrounded by several smaller towns and villages which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, of which Bolton is the...
to Shinny Bayaar
Shinny Bayaar
Shinebayar Sukhbaatar 'Shinny Bayaar is a Mongolian professional boxer with British nationality fighting in the flyweight division. He is based in Oldham, Greater Manchester and is the former British Flyweight champion....
, a Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
n fighter who had recently gained British nationality making him eligible to the fight for the belt.
The loss against Bayaar had also meant the loss of Edwards' Commonwealth title, which despite not being on the line, had to be given up following the defeat to another Commonwealth fighter. He made amends when on 19 February 2010, he returned to Stoke-on-Trent to fight for the now vacant belt, beating Namibia
Namibia
Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...
n Abmerk Shindjuu
Abmerk Shindjuu
Abmerk Shindjuu is a Namibian professional boxer from Windhoek. He is the Namibian flyweight champion and has fought for the Commonwealth flyweight title....
in a punishing contest over the full 12 rounds winning 115-114 on each of the judges scorecards. Edwards kept busy with a four round victory over Francis Croes on 4 December 2010, and then regained the British title with a victory in a closely fought contest against Paul Edwards
Paul Edwards (boxer)
Paul Edwards is an English boxer who fights in the flyweight division. He won the British welterweight title on 15 December 2010 with a victory over Shinny Bayaar after the bout was stopped with Bayaar having received a cut...
at the Olympia in Liverpool on 11 June 2011.